Smoke and Mirrors Poetry Contest

PoetryPlease dug into its archive to come up with a great new contest concept:

Smoke & Mirrors.

"Smoke and mirrors" refers to a deceptive or inadequate explanation/description of something, the source of the expression being based on a magician's illusion of making objects appear or disappear using mirrors and a confusing burst of smoke.

So, what does any of this have to do with poetry?

We want you to write a poem where the main topic of the poem is cleverly concealed. The point is to write about one thing while you're really talking about another. There should be no obvious hints as to what the real subject is; rather, you should let the imagery speak for itself. There can be subtle hints left throughout the poem, but never should you address the real topic directly. Again: let the imagery speak for itself.

Your poem could be either serious or funny. If we get enough entries, we may divide the judging into serious topics and funny topics, with a first place winner in each. You may indicate in your submission which category you'd like to be considered for.

So, how do I submit?

We're going back to the old style, with anonymous entries and open voting by the members. That means, you must submit you entry by note with "Smoke & Mirrors" in the subject line and your entry in the body. Do not submit your entry as a deviation. Any entry not submitted anonymously will be disqualified. After the contest closes, PoetryPlease members will be invited to vote for their favorite entry. After the winners are announced, entrants are welcome to submit a deviation of their entry.

Speaking of the contest closing...

The deadline for this contest is in one month, on September 15, 2009.

What are the prizes?

As is the tradition with all internal, members-only contests, there are no prizes (besides bragging rights), but if someone would like to donate something, please let us know by note. The winner(s), of course, will be featured on the club's front page.

Questions?

Send us a note!

Official Rules:

1. Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated.
2. You entry must fit the theme, but creativity is encouraged, so only obviously misguided entries will be disqualified.
3. You must be a member of PoetryPlease to enter. To become a member, click here.
4. Your entry must be sent by note no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on September 15, 2009 in order to be accepted.
5. Your entry must not be (or ever have been) submitted as a deviation.
6. All entries are to remain anonymous until after the winners are announced. Any breach will disqualify the involved entry.