Winners of the contest can be found here.
From the riddle posed by King Solomon to the Philistines to the philosophy of riddles put forth by Aristotle to the riddles posed by Gollum to Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit, riddles have a long and rich history and have often been put forth in rhyme (read more here). Join in the tradition with this contest…
RULES: Write a rhyming riddle of any length and paste it in the comments section below with your name and area of residence, such as “John Smith, Colorado” or “Ian Clark, England.” Do not include the answer. Let people guess and then respond with the answer if no one guesses correctly. Up to three submissions allowed per contestant. The riddles should be newly written for the contest.
SUBMISSION FEE: None
DEADLINE: August 11, 2019, 12 midnight EST. Winners announced August 20, 2019.
PRIZE: $100
JUDGE: Advisory Board Member or selected Member poets will judge. (Those who choose not to participate in judging may participate in the contest)
PAST WINNERS
On your marks . . . get set . . .
A spike is there, but it’s not gold,
Some forests have them, so I’m told.
They cannot cough, but can “ahem,”
And singers have an eye for them.
And when someone pokes fun at you
It’s what they do that makes you blue.
A helpful hint? I told you so!
And that is all you need to know.
The answer wouldn’t by any chance happen to share 3 consecutive letters with your surname, would it?
Rupert, Yes, indeed, it does! I must have made it too obvious! Your clue will no doubt make it easier for everyone else without having given away the store! Well done. I’m still pondering yours. I seem to be better at writing them than figuring them out.
Very clever, Mr Tweedie! Fear not, I was quite stumped the first tim I read it. It was only on my return that it came to me. Another bright spark worked mine out now. I shall write another.
Is it a deer?
Needle? This riddle is really clever!
Camilla, I do believe you’ve got it! ‘ahem’ that’s clever
To those opposed to order new
I bade a merciful adieu
The low and high I equalised
No rank or station recognised
“Revenge” cried them that summoned me
Them too I slew for Liberty
Like them I often rose and fell
And helped to pave the road to Hell
What am I?
Rupert Palmer, South Africa
The guillotine
Quite so. Bravo!
Brilliant, Rupert. I don’t think I would ever have guessed.
Please hold it, though, while I make a pitch for “they” in line 5.
Why thank-you! You’re welcome to pitch all you want, but you shall find me quite immovable on that point. “Them that” is an antique and well-attested construction; take, for example, The Lord’s Prayer in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer translation.
The Queen
The Sherpa named her Chomolungma; the white men didn’t care.
They slandered her with “Everest” and climbed her on a dare.
She was the tallest, queen of all, no other could compare.
Later on the children asked, “Before the queen was found,”
what was the tallest mountain peak upon the world so round?”
And so my riddle ends right here; I’m sure it will confound.
Mickey Kulp, Georgia
Hello Mickey. Is the answer Kangchenjunga?
A technical book answer would include K-2 or Kanchenjunga as likely suspects but perhaps there is a twist to your riddle that leads elsewhere?
Since the earth has a bulge around the equator, the tallest place on earth is Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador. Standing there you are closer to the stars. I assume this answers the reference to the “round” earth. So, Everest is actually about a mile and a half further from “space” than Mount Chimborazo. Everest has been in second place for a long time.
They each need fire to be born;
By some, a fire’s scar is worn.
The fire’s ash helps them to thrive –
Without it, they’d not be alive.
They grow quite tall as well as round;
In the Sierras they are found.
Their shallow roots spread far and wide
And link with others by their side.
The mightiest has a general’s name –
As well as natural acclaim.
Beside them, one feels truly small –
It must strike awe to see one fall.
A Sequoia tree
Yes, specifically the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron Giganteum)!
Giv’n eyes, some would look up at us.
We tread on them without much fuss.
We love those of impressive size,
While slighting others–not so wise.
A piece of folded wire is food
That people everywhere should eat.
And if you wanted me you could
Procure me from myself—how sweet!
Disfigure, smush me, then I’ll be
More use to you. Does this make sense?
And if you flip a part of me
A horse might take up residence.
You’ve heard that 1+1 is 2.
For everyone but me, that’s true.
But sometimes 1+1 is 1 . . .
At least on paper, when I’m done.
Fodder?
Nope–neither animal nor cannon.
I’m not sure about the 1+1=1 bit, but if one turns the b in “stable” upside-down, one gets “staple”, and that is also something everyone should eat, so I’m hazarding a guess…staple?
Hooray for Avery! The answer is indeed “staple” or, even better, its plural, “staples” (which is also the name of an American office supply retail chain where you can buy staples!) The 1 + 1 thing has to do with paper. Take one sheet of paper, add a second sheet and after the staple is put on (and through) the two pages, they are joined together as one. I anticipated the riddle would be solved by working backwards from “stable.” You proved me correct. Well done!
Wow! Great riddle and great work to figure it out.
Just as fine as your previous, James. Am I right that “eat” means use or consume? And “procure me from myself” means picking a single staple from a conjoined row that would go in the stapler trough? Or am I quite lost?
Julian, I just noticed your post. Yes, “eat” means what it means since it refers to food “staples” such as grains, fruits, and the like. “Procure me from myself” is more obscure–in America there is an office supply store chain called “Staples.” so you can buy staples from Staples.
On a separate note, no one seems to have guessed your own riddle:
Giv’n eyes, some would look up at us.
We tread on them without much fuss.
We love those of impressive size,
While slighting others–not so wise.
I have no idea what the answer might be. Since the contest is over, what is it?
Hi, James
Been distracted the last few days, so just noticed your post to me. Thanks for clueing me in on your riddle. As for my little thing, I meant it not as a riddle but as a cautionary comment on our being in awe of big things–giant sequoias, whales, Bezos’ s wealth etc., etc. The sampling Sequoia here is a stand-in for the millions lost to the failure to see great value in small (human) creatures.
Sorry–
“Sapling,” that should have been.
My favorite pastime is to sleep,
And when awake, I barely creep.
Just like a friend who overstays,
I hang around for days and days.
My given name is quite offensive
To one whose slowness is defensive.
I favor garb of algae-green
With moths aplenty in between.
Who am I?
David Watt, Australia
A sloth
That’s correct Horus. Either the three or two-toed species.
A haven safe I used to be
Now many die here annually
For some on whom they must depend
Betray the charges they defend
There’s not much room for movement free
Nor air to breathe, nor light to see
You too have been here, have no doubt
For none come in, but all go out
What am I?
-Rupert Palmer, South Africa
The womb
Right again! Well done.
Each of you, upon this page,
has posed a riddle for the sage
who likes a little
cogitation.
Each of you has hopes your trope
will make all readers have to cope
with quite a little
consternation.
Like a fast pursuing cop,
when an escapee’s forced to stop,
he hops on him with
dedication.
How are all of you like him?
Mike Bryant, Texas
He, like us, was a con-founder . . . ?
Close, James… I am working on yours… tough one.
I hate to be “close” but not get the cigar. How about con-found or con-founding or con-founded . . . ?
Are we contestants?
Nope, Zachary…
Co-operators?
Detectives?
Not there yet, James…
Contributor?
Nope, sorry Philip.
The answer:
Each of you, including the policeman, has a
conundrum (con und’r ‘em).
It’s a groaner…. ha.
A friend to a flame
And a tree, the same
And hangs on the mention of every name
Zachary Dilks, Texas
Breath?
No, sorry Mike.
Is it air ?
Air is correct, Kushal!
Kudos to you!
Air?
Avery Miller (U.S.A.)
The Three
Canst thou name us? Rhyme the three,
Wraith and rope and rarity.
All that is, thou canst not see,
First sees all with clarity.
Good will ever come to thee,
Second knows with verity.
Though the others cease to be,
Third lives in eternity.
Canst not guess? Our rhyme will be
Wraith, and rope, and rarity.
How about Faith, and Hope, and Charity?
Yes, you are correct! Well done!
You are surely right, David. Excellent work Mr Miller!
Thank you! It’s fun to share a riddle.
Clever and beautiful!
We’re allowed three, so here’s my final riddle:
My first name is a city
And my surname sounds like “swamp.”
When I was young and pretty
I would play all day and romp.
I later became saddled
With a business that I ran.
My rivals became addled
By the turf wars I began.
I always came in early
And was soon a millionaire.
Competitors fell yearly
But I always beat them fair.
I stopped to smell the roses,
In retirement I thrived.
I lived less years than Moses
But grandchildren have survived.
My hay days found me able
To fill grandstands with applause.
Now my legacy is stable,
Can you tell me who I was?
This is so good I’m almost sorry I have the answer (I think): Is it Seattle Slew?
Lol, Philip! Yes, of course it is Seattle Slew. I’m glad you enjoyed the riddle. I had fun writing it.
W.S. Gilbert would have like this!
The only thing that is truly yours
Cannot be found in any stores
You can only find it at birth
And only you know its true worth
It cannot belong to anybody else
After all, it is much too complex
And can only be understood
By its owner since before childhood
And sometimes even you
Don’t have a single clue
About what it’s trying to say
Or trying to display
But when you do know
There is nowhere else to go
Than the path it sets you on
On which you must walk upon
For it must always be obeyed
And its voice cannot fade
Because if you pretend not to hear its cries
Then you yourself will be flooded with lies
Taylor Crosby, Indiana
Conscience?
No, but that is a good guess.
Your name?
No, but that had been my original idea for a riddle.
Is it my eternal soul?
Nope
mind…
or the heart
Not the mind but yes, the heart
iris pattern?
N.Ram Mumbai, India
Here is my riddle:
—-
Neither King nor rich I spare,
Lay to waste whole towns in days,
My impact is hard to bear.
Body’s weakness I lay bare,
Attack health in unknown ways,
Neither King nor rich I spare.
On life war,I do declare,
Leave my victims in a daze,
My impact is hard to bear.
Doctors often dumbly stare,
At my ever changing pace,
Neither King nor rich I spare.
I am mankind’s worst nightmare,
For my death the whole world prays,
My impact is hard to bear.
I drive people to despair,
Their wellbeing I erase,
Neither King nor rich I spare,
My impact is hard to bear.
—-
Is it cancer?
Hi David,
Good guessing… but it is not cancer.
It’s cancer for sure
Hi Kushal,
It is not cancer… if you see the conditions, cancer does not meet at least one of them.
My guess would be ebola. . . . ?
Dear James,
You are close… but it is not ebola.. but a more generic case
Aids?
Hi David,
No it’s not aids. In fact each of the guesses fall in the right area. Though ebola and aids are almost right. What i have in mind is not a specific disease or virus. I wrote the poem to talk about the process…EPIDEMIC. An epidemic hits a city suddenly, progresses fast, wipes out populations and seems to keep changing the pace and leaves people dazed, if not dead.
Thank you all for reading!
Ohhh! I was going to say epidemic and then there it is given away.
But you still got it right before seeing the answer
Burn it
Or it drowns you
Turn it
It surrounds you
Bitter friends until the very end
It cripples and confounds you
Pick it up and let it lift you up the same until it grounds you
Flee the pain
And hug the chain until it’s bound you
Zachary Dilks, Texas
Could this be fat?
Habit?
N. Ram, damn near on the money, but not “Habit”
Addiction
Got it, Rohini! Congrats.
Martin Elster (USA)
The first to think up agriculture, son,
were not you humans. While you might admire
yourself for stepping on us, the sure-fire
survival skills we’ve learned have plainly won
us matchless status. Since you’ve overrun
the world, observing us could re-inspire
you all to be less wasteful. Our attire
is modest as can be. We’ve never spun
tall tales about the universe. Each choice
we make is commonsensical. We rise
each dawn to work and listen to one voice,
a voice that passes on a can-do air
to all her girls, who’ve energy to spare
for a mind that’s neither callus nor unwise.
Ants?
Cockroaches?
Mixed up with the mud on ground,
All that could be heard was my sound,
till I melt, hallowed and bound
till I know I can never be found
Mahek G. India
Mixed up with the mud on ground,
All that could be heard was my sound,
till I melt, hallowed and bound
till I know I can never be found
like city lights,
I twinkle
like mourning daffodils,
I mingle
like subservient skies,
I succumb
like mighty lions,
I challenge
like warm stoves,
I burn
Stars?
fireflies?
Mahek G. India
like city lights,
I twinkle
like mourning daffodils,
I mingle
like subservient skies,
I succumb
like mighty lions,
I challenge
like warm stoves,
I burn
Stars?
David Armstrong, St. Louis, MO
Eyes behold me, though not all
Pending whether and where I fall,
All beseeching, some to call
Forth from hamlet, hearth, and hall
Colors coaxing, slow to stall,
Whether upon the arbors tall
or the aging garden wall,
I splinter through, dust enthrall,
Seen but hidden, while hours crawl
Though not all, though not all.
What am I?
Could that be “rainbow”?
No, but akin thereto!
Sunset, then?
I’m thinking a waterfall or cascade.
Light rays?
Rays of sunlight?
Born from fire and groaning earth,
Eons post-natal not disturbed,
But always does man find a way,
And earth’s bowels do see day,
Wonders dug from the gloomy deep,
Mankind has long wanted to keep,
But value often comes with vice,
Every beauty comes with a price,
With treasure comes a trail of blood,
That of the waylaid traveler,
Banker, miner, cheat and robber,
Who gave their lives for shiny mud,
What is the worth for which we vie?
What is value, or is it a lie?
diamonds?
Close, but not quite (on behalf of Anthony X.)
Gold
That is correct. Well done, Rohini Sunderam.
Brought on by emotions both happy and sad.
Brought on by memories both good and bad.
Brought on by the thought of Jesus himself.
Always present in sickness or in health.
I sit quietly waiting to be summoned to appear.
I wallow and build up inside of everyone here.
I’ve been present in many since the beginning of time.
I’ll still be around when poets can’t rhyme.
I’ll be there to comfort whenever people must weep.
I’ll be there when they awaken from their sleep.
I’ll be there when it’s time to be laid down to rest.
In fact that is probably at my best.
I’ll be there with you to experience birth.
And ’til death do us part for all that it’s worth.
I’ll be passed on to others for generations to come.
Waiting somewhere inside if they become numb.
I’ll be there when your feelings are all ruled by fear
But, alas, my existence is to be only a …….
Prayer?
*Facepalm* No no, it isn’t prayer. I have it now! Very good riddling.
tear?
Would you climb steeps as you are steered?
Would you till fields on others’ farms?
Would you be sheep? Would you be sheared?
Would you be healed by others’ harms?
Would you be servant to a lord?
Would you be thrall before a thane?
Would you bear fervently his sword?
Would you lose all to wear his chain?
Would you endure these wretched ills?
Then you shall find no place in me
For I ensure the sway of wills
No law shall bind, no ruler be
If crook and fold delight you not
If freedom be your true desire
Come join the bold, wear proud the blot
Come dwell in me, and call none sire
What am I?
-Rupert Palmer, South Africa
Democracy?
A very good guess, but no. Democracies still have rulers and laws.
Anarchy then?
Anarchy then?
Not quite. The answer is not a political system (or lack thereof), but a specific place.
atlantis?
No, not Atlantis. The correct answer is Hell, The Inferno, everlasting perdition. Thanks for the guesses!