Poetry Celebration and Contest

Jeff Aitken ja at svn.net
Thu Mar 22 13:12:08 PST 2001


Thanks to Ralph the originator of the semi-annual poetry contest. Your mad
inspiration has brought us outbursts of fine poetry on a steady cycle, like
the rhythmic blazes of spring wildflowers and autumn leaves in the higher
latitudes.

And it's that time again!

Open Space, and Open Space Technology, are filled with beauty and tension.
They help us bring forth the deep rich parts of ourselves, and of our work
with others which might be called organizations. I invite you to write a
poem which calls forth, questions, and/or celebrates OS and/or OST.

---

The fourth OSLIST Limited Form Poetry Celebration and Contest begins on
April 1. Don't wait to start writing!

>From April 1 to April 15, I invite you to send your poem(s) to me
mailto:ja at svn.net or to OSLIST.

Soon after April 15, I will publish all of the entries onto the OSLIST for
our enjoyment. And I will invite us to select our favorites. The rules of
selection will be clear. And the contest will end on April 30.

The winner of the contest will become our next Poet Laureate, and receive
as a prize my faded book of prose poems This Body is Made of Camphor and
Gopherwood, by Robert Bly (with wonderful pencil illustrations by Gendron
Jensen.)

---

Here is the form you must use: Each poem must contain exactly 21 words, and
begin with the letter A. As long as it contains exactly 21 words, it can be
in any form.

The poem may be in any language. If it is in a language other than English,
please provide an English translation. The original poem must contain
exactly 21 words; the translation can be any length. You must begin the
original poem with an equivalent of the letter A.

If you use a title, it may be included in the 21 words, or not - it will be
your choice. The title may begin with the letter A, or the poem may do so -
your choice. The letter A may be upper case (A) or lower case (a).

If the referee (me) has a question about a poem, I will privately ask the
poet to explain the count or the letter A. So I don't plan to refuse any
poem, as long as the explanation is very creative.

---

I must warn you that the title Poet Laureate is more responsibility than I
thought! ;-) You will regularly wonder what to do, how to respond to the
faith that your colleagues have placed in you. ;-) You will try a few
things which will fall to the ground in awkward silence. ;-)

But then you get to design the next contest, which again brings a bouquet
of scents and colors to our OSLIST. That, plus some crafty padding for your
resume, is worth its weight in golden autumn leaves.

Write on!

Jeff

-
Jeff Aitken
Inverness Ridge, CA USA
415.669.1924
ja at svn.net
trainings in open space process:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/wwbb/Forum1/HTML/000022.html

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