The annual Roy Chesney Poetry Contest

How many of you in and around Siloam Springs write poetry? How many of you like the idea of winning $500?

Did that get your attention? I hope so, because this is for real!

Don't say "I'm not a poet!" I'm not a poet either, but I do write poetry. For a quick example I'll make up a short one right now.

Looking up I see tree branches flowing with the wind;

But I also see my chickens whom I need to tend.

After consuming this flavorful evening meal,

I'll close and lock the coops with my usual zeal.

That will never win a contest but see how easy it is to write a poem. Oh yes, that form is called a quatrain, but there are various forms of quatrain.

Decades ago, when I heard the word "poem" I always thought of rhyming quatrains. That's all the poetry I knew, and is why my poetry always rhymes. But rhyming doesn't necessarily define poetry because there are over 50 types or styles of poetry.

Poetry is categorized by various factors, such as: the words in a poem; whether it rhymes or not; number of lines in the poem; poetic topic; and many more. Eleven of the many types of poetry are: Acrostic, Alliteration, Ballad, Epic, Limerick, Narrative, Ode, Quatrain, Haiku, Free Verse, and Sonnets. (You can look these words up on the internet.) Louis Houston's favorite form was Free Verse, while my favorite form is Quatrain -- four lines per stanza with two or four lines ending with a rhyme.

I was introduced to the quatrain format in church hymnals. For example, look at the first verse of this song:

Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word;

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.

Tell me how angels in chorus, sang as they welcomed His birth,

"Glory to God in the highest! Peace and good tidings to earth."

Beautiful and meaningful, isn't it?

So, are you interested in entering the Roy Chesney contest? Keep the $500 in mind and keep reading.

With the assistance of Tim McCord (Market President of Generations Bank in Siloam Springs), the Siloam Springs Writers Guild is conducting the annual Roy Chesney Poetry Contest; formerly called the Poem of the Year Contest. There are four reasons to enter the contest. Are you ready?

The first place prize is $500. Second place is $200. And third place is $100. Does that pique your interest? It should!

Oh yes -- there is another prize for a group of people who have never previously entered a Siloam Springs Writers Guild annual contest; it's called "First Time Entrant Winner," and that prize is $200. However, if this winner actually wins the first place prize, he/she will receive the $500 prize and first entrant runner-up will get this $200 prize.

Now are you interested? Good! And if you've never heard of Roy Chesney, either look him up on the internet or contact SSWG President Ted Weathers at [email protected] and he'll help you get the information.

Here are the basic rules for entering the Roy Chesney Poetry Contest.

Oh No! Rules! Don't get excited; there are rules for everything from brushing your teeth to going to the moon. The contest rules are really simple.

1. The contest is open to anyone who lives in Siloam Springs, or within 10 miles of town. Look on the map and find our town. Then draw a 10-mile diameter circle around the town. If you're in that circle, you qualify. (Don't cheat.)

2. The Siloam Springs Writers Guild must receive the entries between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31. Not before or after.

3. The theme is: "Siloam Springs."

4. Pick your choice of poetic style, form, and length.

5. Go to www.ssWritersGuild.org or [email protected] for complete instructions.

So, what are you waiting for? Choose your favorite style of poetry, pick a categorization, and start writing a poem about our town. It is, after all, one of the best small towns in America. Submit it within the month of August and attend the Siloam Springs Writers Guild meeting on Monday, Oct. 8, and see if one of those prizes comes your way! Start today because the deadline is August 31 -- and there is no grace period.

I wrote that little poem in five minutes; you can take two or three weeks to write a much better one. And you might win!

-- Gene Linzey is a speaker, author and mentor. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.