Winners announced here!
Write a short poem that begins with one line from any Shakespeare play or poem. The poem should be two to four lines in length. Post it in the comments section below under your full name and general area of residence (“Bob Smith, Denver, Colorado”). Two entries allowed per poet.
When: Now until June 24, 2019 midnight EST. Winners Announced July 1, 2019.
Who: Anyone in the world, any age or background, may participate. From within the Society, anyone, including Advisory Board Members, not involved in judging the contest may participate. (If you are outside the United States, you will have to have a PayPal account or a bank that accepts U.S. checks to receive the prize money if you win.)
Prize: $100. You will also win this William Shakespeare pen donated by Joe Tessitore of New York City.
Judge: Advisory Board Members and selected poets.
Entry Fee: None
Examples: Our first example and the idea for this contest comes from Mr. Tessitore, who came up with this contest. Thank you, Joe!
In the Toilet
Brevity is the soul of wit,
yet on my brains I choose to sit,
long-winded, (here a pun, methinks!).
Small wonder, then, such humor stinks!
Your Pleasure My Delight
(Sonnet 65)
That in black ink my love may still shine bright,
I keep revising, till I get it right.
Then, meekly, I my verse to you recite:
Your pleasure brings me no end of delight.
Brevity is the soul of wit
Recite those that could not admit
I said, that have no wit nor time
To contrive a more eloquent rhyme
And thus I spent my nights sleepless
To hoard up all my wittiness
And that I failed I may admit
That brevity is the soul of wit
And many after me will try
To collect all the wit under the sky
To find out that wit can be
Only achieved through brevity
For Susie, My Editor
The lady doth protest too much, methinks:
“Fix this, change that, delete this line entire.”
My pride is wounded, and my spirit sinks,
until I read, “Ah, this part lights my fire!”
Modern Life
Lord, what fools these mortals be!
Hypnotized by huge TVs,
Glued to smart phones, or online.
Missing out on family time!
Bolaji S. Ramos, Lagos (Nigeria)
My Sleeping Mistress
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,
Sealed by Morpheus, and now wait I must
For this dreadful dusk to return her fun,
That again we may row our boat of lust.
A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse
That is of course unless the horse
Is the famous Mr. Ed
Time to Get a Dog
What light through yonder window breaks,
still hours yet, ’til day begins?
I spring from bed, now wide awake,
and catch my daughter, sneaking in!
You write good ones. The meter you use is very characteristic of Shakespeare, as is the suspense you build, until the last line where the crux of the stanza is revealed.
To be or not to be that? is the question.
The answer depends on what ‘that’ is.
If that’s an improper suggestion
I’m ever so pleased that it’s his.
To be or not? To be ‘that’ is the question,
Not to be or not, but to be that,
To be sick and to have indigestion,
I’d rather be this than have that.
As an Advisory Board Member I’m probably disqualified, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to submit something, anyway. From Richard III, V. IV:
“A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!”
Th’embattled, desperate King Richard said.
A nearby steed replied, “I’ll help, of course!”
And there he stood, the famous Mr. Ed!
Nice one, Willlllbur
James, I like it 🙂
Richard III, V. III
“Call up Lord Stanley, bid him bring his power.”
The playoffs are pro hockey’s finest hour.
Which team will win his cup? Which three will lose?
The Hurricanes, the Bruins, Sharks or Blues?
(As my third submission this one doesn’t count and it doesn’t conform with the instructions anyway:)
Thrfr snce brvty’s the sl of wt
I’ll kp ths shrt ‘nd swt
Brevity is the soul of wit
Pity many don’t have it.
Wow Sir fantastic!!!
Brevity is the soul of wit,
Yet free verse is so long-winded!
Perhaps it should be cut back a bit,
Or better yet, rescinded.
Poems written by Mae Leslie, Houston, TX
Listen Silently
Give every man thy ear, but not thy voice.
(That is, if you have a choice.)
When a situation might turn violent,
is it best to stay silent?
Stage Fright
All the world’s a stage;
we’re actors without a wage.
We miss cues and bray,
some lines we can’t bear to say.
“Why am I a fool?”
The liberal asked his tool.
“Because you too grow erect
Whenever your lusts rise, unchecked!”
Now is the winter of our discontent,
And I don’t like yours; away from my tent,
For mine is more pure, mine’s more unique:
Immune to a cure, abstruse and oblique.
Gloucester, from Richard III
What a great idea for a competition! Love it – and already some wonderful entries; very imaginative!
True Love
What light through yonder window breaks?
From deepest sleep, true love awakes.
The coldest hour is put to flight
and vanquished is the darkest night.
Alex Andy Phuong, Alhambra, CA
“Signifying Nothing”
Existentialism is like pessimism
And nihilism is like cynicism
Be more like Pollyanna instead of Macbeth
And enjoy life until the very last breath
“All That Glitters is Not Gold”
Gold might be as yellow as the sun
But being wealthy is not always fun
Treasure food and eat instead
Or else those who do not eat will be surely dead
Can you cite what poems of Shakespeare you used for the first lines of your poems?
Hi Esther
“Signifying Nothing” comes from a soliloquy in Macbeth in which Macbeth says that life is meaningless in Act V of the play.
“All that glitters is not gold” comes from a line found in The Merchant of Venice.
Thank you for asking!
Best wishes,
Alex Phuong
Hi Esther,
I honestly think that I misunderstood the instructions for this contest.
The titles of my poems, “Signifying Nothing” and “All That Glitters is Not Gold” both come from Shakespeare.
The lines that follow (4 lines each) are my own original writing.
I apologize if I entered this competition incorrectly.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Alex Andy Phuong
“Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow”
I shall return the money that I borrow
This, for aye, has been the charlatan’s old song
For what he takes, he’ll not return for long.
Hahaha…super!
Thank you
David Watt, Canberra, Australia
Love and Listen
Love alters not with his brief hour and weeks,
And works for introverts, as well as geeks,
Who may not say a lot … but when they do!
Each word of passion resonates as true.
Play On
If music be the food of love,
go blow scorned horn at flirtle dove
and blast a brassy raspberry feast
to hex the dish of rakish beast.
Hark!
Listen to many, speak to a few,
Grok all around you, see only one,
Seek ye the reason, glistening pure,
The light in your heaven, She is your Sun.
A Better Time for Camping
Now is the Winter of our Discontent,
Not the time to set up your tent.
If you want to enjoy a pleasant breeze,
As you settle yourself beneath the trees,
The summery sun of York you’ll find
Is much more settling to the mind.
MacMutt
OUT, damn Spot! OUT, I say!
Pee on parquet – thou shalt pay!
Rap Master Brutus
I came to bury Caesar, not to praise him
I’m gonna fiddle and faddle and then I’ll daze him
He’ll be lost in my rhymes and when I’m through
He’s gonna look around and say ‘Et tu?’
Great! Funny as well!
Global Warming?
Now is the winter of our discontent,
Where is the heat? Methinks ‘tis spent!
Jarek Zawadzki, Gliwce, Poland
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long there’s nothing you can get for free.
Brilliant with all the puns implicit.
Sorry, I wasn’t writing a poem beginning with a Shakespeare line. I thought I was commenting on the poem written by Joe Tessitore of New York City,