When young and green I liked to write
these little bits from time to time.
Were childish, sure, but I thought them alright;
They would get better as I write,
I thought, They should get good, should build,
grow up with time.  To me, to write
as just to pass the time; to write
was just creating a something
for fun, was just some sort of something
to do.  But quick this effort to write
hit a block.  No time to improve they gave, maybe
just enough to "satisfy".  Discouraging?  Maybe.

Question flit before my work; thought maybe
I was not of writer's cut, 'haps to write
was not my lot, that maybe
it came to zilch.  But then, maybe
through English class, and with some time
we read, and wrote.  I thought the "maybes"
of the works, and wondered if, just maybe,
this writing thing I could rebuild.
I started small, I tried to build
on my view, then starting maybe
to pen my own.  That summer proved something:
that maybe my scribbles could come to something.

It took some time, but I wrote some things
of which I was proud.  Now infant, maybe,
but I was glad to call it something
then: tales of my friends, doing something
fantastic.  That first summer to write
was fun again.  My practice birthed something
akin to skill, from skill came confidence, something
I'd lacked.  By no means perfect, but time
proved good.  I laid a story time
might show someday, but some things
are just support so as to build
a greater thing.  From thence I built

up alone, until I found a way to build
with others.  Enter ficlets; 'twas something
at first I didn't get: how could one build
with only 1,024 blocks?  But I tried to build
with that set, and decided that maybe
to build in such small walls makes one build
masterfully.  It's not easy to build
within such frames, but I tried to write
in that space, and it started to change, alright.
Not only could I in tight confines build,
but also with the support strengthened by time
of others like me, all writing in time.

From thence I sought company and time
to write with others in different places.  I built
not only skills, but some company that time
has been good to keep.  Time
proves greedy now, but something
akin to freedom shows up, as time
to write.  But that is spare, that time.
Practice has to hold for now, maybe
some free time will show…. maybe.
Ah, she's a slippery devil, time;
before so good to help me write,
but other muses demand me write.

Through thick and thin, passion to write
has driven me significantly through time,
and has given me strength to try and build
from an abstract thing a concrete something
of some value… hopefully, maybe.

Author guidance for This poem

Summer Poetry Tournament '10

Moonwalker and ElzuWolfe would like to welcome you to the fifth seasonal Poetry Tournament!

"This is our first Tournament run by a collaboration of Hosts. This being such, I ask that no one but Moonwalker or myself add pages to this story. Thank you" - Elzu.

Samples Page
Samples for every poem can be found here as and when the challenges are revealed - this may be a great deal of help for you.
http://www.protagonize.com/poem/2010-summer-poetry-tournament-samples-page

Sample One - http://www.protagonize.com/poem/2010-summer-poetry-tournament-samples-page/101207

Sample Two -
http://www.protagonize.com/poem/2010-summer-poetry-tournament-samples-page/101580

Sample Three -
http://www.protagonize.com/poem/2010-summer-poetry-tournament-samples-page/101208

Tournament Discussion
Discuss poetry and the challenges here in our poetry tournament thread in the Poetry Workshop. http://www.protagonize.com/group/poetry-workshop/topic/1931

Hosts
Moonwalker
ElzuWolfe

Judges
Archi Teuthis
BDrewColier
Chazpez
ForeverPhantazm
JackRubashevskiy
RiverTalker
TinRibs


Poets
Alipix
Amberactuallyritu
Aryst0krat
BlueJay
BuckNuck
D.f.m
G2
Gnashville
Lyre
PaperbackMartha23
Pes
Rac7hel
SeeThomasHowl
SomebodysAngel
Subtle.Smile
TaylorJones
Tianna
Tillett
Verse47


Challenges

Challenge One 22nd August - 24th August

Write a limerick on the subject of your pet peeves. Be as funny as you can, make us all laugh right out loud, but please keep it clean.

Challenge Two 26th August - 29th August

Write an Epitaph in a Tanka. The trick is you have to write it in ABC poetry form too!

Challenge Three 31st August - 4th September

Write a horror ballad! Scare us!

Challenge Four 7th September - 11th September

Challenge Five 14th September - 19th September

Finals 22nd September - 25th September

updated Sep 1 '10 by PaulMacklin