Poetry Contest: Blow Me Away!

Blow Me Away! Results

Contest Creator: Amaryllis

Most people associate September and October with the changing of the leaves and all the things that autumn brings and, of course, Halloween. Down south, we see September as the beginning of a period of limbo that lasts until November 30. We hold our breath and wish for the best. It’s called Hurricane Season.

In past years, we haven’t been lucky enough to have a storm-free season and the quiet ones make us worry more than sigh in relief because we know that too many years in a row with silent seasons leads us to a hurricane season of epic proportions. However, no matter how many storms we face, how many we weather, and how much we lose…we don’t want to leave home because it truly is where the heart lies. Many of these storms take on a life of their own so this contest is going to be centered on the heart of the storms.

I’ll be looking for a poem, letter, story, or photo that captures the essence of hurricane season; of the heart of the people that survive it, fear it, and respect it. This can be about a storm itself (personification accepted), surviving a storm, the wreckage after the storm, helping those who have survived storms, or any other angle you can think of that cuts to the core of humanity vs. the nature of hurricane season. I know that some of you might have survived or seen snow storms and earthquakes and other natural disasters, but this is not what I am looking for, this is for hurricane season only.

For those of you that don’t experience this season or don’t know a whole lot about it: this includes hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical disturbances, depressions, and storms, flooding, violent winds and gusts, and storm surges. This includes loss of property, loss of utilities for lengthy periods of time such as electricity, clean drinking water, and gas, loss of being in touch with loved ones and friends due to evacuations and relocations, loss of faith, loss of hope, and loss of life. This even includes the false alarm storms that cause us to have to choose our most important possessions, pack them up, find money to get out of town and then find out that the storm passed with no incident and the stress that can bring about. This also includes coming together as a family and community to overcome these things, to beat odds, to survive. This includes the love and pride of being a fighter, having where you live and where you come from be such a part of you that you are willing to always stand against nature and that which you cannot control.

Write or express any or all of these things in any form or length of poetry. It does not have to be a new work. If you already have a piece that embodies this concept, please enter it. If you don’t live in a hurricane season zone, don’t let that stop you from entering, you can certainly find a viewpoint in the paragraphs above to express and enter. If you have an idea that isn’t listed above, please dp mail me about it to see if it falls into the theme of this contest so you can enter.

The prize is 20 dc and this contest will be judged by myself and at least one other impartial judge (who does not live in a hurricane season area), but I am hoping to grab at least one more to help with the judging. A second place prize of 6 dc is possible if there are enough entries.

Put some heart and thought into it and enter a piece that will blow me away!

Entries