The Poetry Marathon

Congratulations Poetry Marathoners!

You did it! Congratulations! I am very impressed! You wrote 24 poems in 24 hours. This is an achievement that few poets ever accomplish. Although if you are a returning marathoner, some of you might be accomplishing it for the second or third time or even fourth time!

Now you should probably go get some sleep.

After every marathon I have participated in I, have been filled with exhaustion but also a tremendous sense of achievement. I hope you have that too.

In the past I have personally verified that everyone who applied for a certificate was eligible and then I would make a certificate. That is not possible this year and so we will be operating on the honor system.

If you completed the full 24 hour Poetry Marathon please consider the following certificate yours, to update with your name, to print if you choose to do so. We will be taking feedback into consideration, so if you really feel strongly about this new state of affairs please email me at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com to explain your position.

Only use the link below to access the certificate if you have completed the Full Marathon. Congratulations again on your completion of The Poetry Marathon. The version that you will download should be easy to edit and add your name to.

The Marathon Certificate

To see what the certificate looks like before downloading, there is the following example image:

 

Also remember that this year we will be putting together a 2017 Poetry Marathon Anthology.

Submissions will open August 10th and stay open till the 15th.

All submissions must include two poems, no more, no less. All submissions must be made via our email address (poets@thepoetrymarathon.com). The subject line of all emails must be Poetry Submission. Poems must be included in the body of the email.

All poems submitted must be written during the 2017 Poetry marathon. All poems should be completely edited and contain no major grammatical errors.

The first word of every line should not have a capitalization unless it is intentional! Word has an auto caps feature that you can turn off by following the instructions below.

You must indicate which hour each poem was written in. Only poets who completed the whole or half marathon will be eligible to submit.

There is no guarantee that by submitting your poem will be selected although the goal is to include one poem by everyone who submits.

Digital copies will be made available for free to any contributor. Print copies will be available for a reasonable price and any money that is made from them will go towards covering the cost of the marathon.

Want to know what the 2016 Poetry Marathon Anthology was like? Pick up your copy here.

 

Watson

My heart still ached from losing Gus,
from losing August, but my need for
a dog, a companion, was too great.
Your ears were plastered back, even
through the glass. Not a Poodle.
Not a Havanese. Brown eyes cast
down. Tail tucked. I held your paw
to guess how large you’d grow. It didn’t
matter. I took you home that hour. You
sat perfectly still in the car, refused
to walk up the open air stairs to
my apartment. I carried you. I laid
on my brown leather couch, and you
laid on my belly, nose to nose,
stretched the length of my body.
I called out of work. Your floppy ears
relaxed, no longer held back. Your
brown and black tail curled next to you,
no longer tucked. Brown eyes explored
the room from the perch on my chest.
Our breath synced. We slept unmoving. Home.

Congratulations Second Half Marathoners!

Congratulations Second Half Marathoners! I am so happy that you have completed 12 poems in 12 hours! That is wonderful. Thank you for joining us in this madness.

In the past I have personally verified that everyone who applied for a certificate was eligible and then I would make a certificate. That is not possible this year and so we will be operating on the honor system.

If you completed the Poetry Half Marathon please consider the following certificate yours, to update with your name, to print if you choose to do so. We will be taking feedback into consideration, so if you really feel strongly about this new state of affairs please email me at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com to explain your position.

Only clink on the link below and download the edit ready certificate if you completed The Half Marathon. Congratulations again on your completion of The Half Marathon.

half marathon certificate (Link to download the editable certificate).

The visual example of what the certificate will look like is right below this tex.

Also remember that this year we will be putting together a 2017 Poetry Marathon Anthology.

Submissions will open August 10th and stay open till the 15th.

All submissions must include two poems, no more, no less. All submissions must be made via our email address (poets@thepoetrymarathon.com). The subject line of all emails must be Poetry Submission. Poems must be included in the body of the email.

All poems submitted must be written during the 2017 Poetry marathon. All poems should be completely edited and contain no major grammatical errors.

The first word of every line should not have a capitalization unless it is intentional! Word has an auto caps feature that you can turn off by following the instructions below.

Hour twenty three

Bold but beautiful

I miss your promises—

all fake

 

(Hiaku)

Hour 24: Window

The windows of my heart
that peeps into reality
wiping off the mud
got stuck with time.

The window to my longing desire
to jump and dance
seeing the birds chirping
and dirty glance of the rainbow

the window of my yearning love
waiting for the day to come
to be loved
the way these
love birds show their prance

Coyright Snigdha

Hour twenty two

Black velvet

on your ivory skin

 

Hair pinned

bare neck

 

A sideway glance from you, Senorita,

lights my sullen room

Hour twenty one

Life—

a small book

a never ending prose

an exaggerated art form

Hour 24

Foot puddles

Hands in beads

The tiny tufts at the back

Of my brothers relieved hair cut needs

Chickadees

 

Learning to cope at a young age

Gives fuel for freedom now

Then it felt like waiting

Did not know I was preparing or how

These simple pleasures

Would grow to being who I am

Writing 24 poems in three hours

Someone hit un-pause on me

Praise God for restoration

For diligence and peace

And for the fruits of the Spirit

Which now law appears to be

 

Little chickadees

Morning coffee

Biking into the sunrise

Sunday Morning Drive (23 & 24 combined)

These are my favorite kinds of mornings:

Gray dawn

Water on the air

Scent of wet dirt

Low clouds.

 

The thing about this kind of morning is that I could be anywhere.

If I sit still long enough, just sit in my own memory, you are there with me. You are always driving. My head is leaned back against the rest. We are both laughing, and I look over at you, and you are looking at me. Coy.

As if you know it won’t last, but you keep that secret to yourself.

Hour 23: Missing the Rain

The sight of raindrops soothes the nerves,
like the blissful smile of someone dear.
The petrichor of soaking pain down the earth,
To the parched and dead.
The feel of droplets pounding the bare skin,
Some bouncing back,
like the goodbyes of dear ones.
Some missing the hit,
like the unrequited love.
The sound of dropping rain, the first to greet.
Deferring the first sip of coffee,
Punctuating a book left open.
Evoking senses so heartfelt.
A sensation that yearns for more,
A thirst that satiates one and all.
Cleansing every part of body and soul.
It is a sustenance, a need of the hour.
How I miss the drizzles and downpours,
Like the love at first sight,
of a love so deep-dyed.

Snigdha