By Steve Rhodes
So I came across this poetry contest Tuesday that paid out $100 to the winner of a four-line work in which the syllable count went 1-5-5-9. The entry fee is 10 bucks. I wrote my poem and then, before submitting, asked our resident expert J.J. Tindall if he thought I had a shot and/or if the whole thing was a scam.
First, my poem:
Death
is coming soonest
Sooner than you know
Today or tomorrow it is here
*
J.J. more or less said, yeah, it’s a scam. See, you get more than 10 entries and you’re ahead of the game – less the supposed labor of one’s judging and, certainly, the administration. But it’s not a bad racket and now I’m considering running a Beachwood contest. But for now . . . I wrote a new poem:
Hi
Is this real or not
Is it worth ten bucks?
Please pick me I need the money bad
*
The truth is, though, that I’m so broke I can’t afford to throw 10 bucks away. But if any of you out there wanna name me the winner and send me 100 bucks, that’d be swell!
I’ll even mail you a signed copy of the poem!
And if you want to earmark a finder’s fee for J.J., just let me know and I’ll make sure he gets it.
Thanks!
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Comments welcome.
Posted on February 14, 2018