December 2021 Poetry Challenge

by Rebecca Cuningham

First, I’d like to thank the poets from the previous month’s challenges. I’ve enjoyed reading your poems in 2021! For December, we’ll write poems about the equinox, solstice, or change of seasons in English or Spanish. The form for this month will be the Flamenca.

Reto poético de diciembre 2021 Primero, quiero agradecer a los poetas que participaron en los retos poéticos de los meses anteriores. Disfruté mucho de leer sus poemas en 2021. Para diciembre, escribiremos poemas sobre el equinoccio, el solsticio o el cambio de estaciones en español o en inglés. La forma poética este mes es la Flamenca.

What is a Flamenca poem? The form comes from the Flamenco songs of the Roma people. The structure is a quintain; five lines. The number of syllables; 6-6-5-6-6. Challenging bit: The second and fifth verses share assonance; the rhyming of stressed vowels (equinox; thought) or words with the same consonant and a different vowel (night; naught). This was a new subtlety that took a bit of concentration to resolve, but was fun to try.

¿Qué es una Flamenca? La forma viene de la música flamenca del Pueblo Roma. La estructura del poema es un quintilla; 5 líneas. El número de sílabas; 6-6-5-6-6. El desafío: El segundo y el quinto verso tienen asonancia; el rima de vocales en la sílaba tónica (equinoccio; meditación), o uso del mismo consonante con una vocal diferente (noche/niche). Esta regla tiene una sutileza que requiere un poco de concentración para resolverla, pero fue divertido intentarlo.

Example:

Flamenca
Our winter equinox
Swiftly brings darkness too
While each culture makes
Light filled celebrations
Candle burns, hope renews.

–Rebecca Cuningham, 6 December 2021

Traducción:

Flamenca
Equinoccio invernal
trae oscuridad
cada cultura con
su festival de luz
Renace la esperanza.

–Rebecca Cuningham, 6 diciembre 2021

El tema es el equinoccio, el solsticio o el cambio de estaciones. Favor de escribir un poema para todas las audiencias. Los escritores que tengan su propio sitio web, favor de publicar tu poema en tu blog y haz un enlace a este artículo antes del 12 deciembre. Los escritores que sean damas y caballeros andantes, favor de añadir tu poema a los comentarios abajo antes del 12 deciembre. Publicaré un artículo con todos los poemas el próximo martes, 14 diciembre. ¡Inscríbete! ¡Gracias y feliz proceso de escribir! ¡Olé! –Rebecca

Your theme is the equinox, solstice, or change of seasons. Please make a G-rated poem. If you are a blogger, please publish your poem on your website and link to this page by Sunday, 12 December. If you are a poet at large, please post your poem below by 12 December. I will publish a post with all your poems next Tuesday, 14 December. Come join in! Thank you and happy writing! ¡Olé! –Rebecca

To see the poems, click the title below. Para ver los poemas, haz un clic en el título abajo.

Flamenca Poetry Challenge December 2021
Winter tree. Photo: Rebecca Cuningham
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Rebecca Cuningham

63 thoughts on “December 2021 Poetry Challenge”

    1. Thanks for your comments, Rosaliene. I’ve found my love for poetry has grown deeper in the last year and a half I’ve been hosting the challenges. The poets have written thought provoking and deep verses. I have enjoyed working on my own translations as a way to expand my Spanish vocabulary and practice my writing in Castellano. Gracias.

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  10. Ah, Rebecca – it’s been the busiest of weeks, and today, for the first time in months we’ll be with Team Spain – my (English) daughter, and her (Spanish) partner, and their baby, my granddaughter. So I haven’t had much time and will have even less to think about trying to write poetry. So here is a first attempt. Flamenca’s a form that interests me, so I’ll give it a better go some time after Christmas.
    It’s winter solstice time,
    the stark time of the year:
    darkest drear long nights.
    Then festivals arrive
    and stars and light and cheer.

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    1. Dear Margaret, thank you so much for participating despite your busy schedule with your daughter’s family! Give them Saludos from Wisconsin please. 🙂 Your Flamenca is very nicely done, including the assonance! I like the themes and range of emotions you expressed. Felices fiestas!

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    1. Hello Suzette, Thanks for participating in the December poetry challenge! I like the descriptions and images. Crystal chariot of snow is wonderful. Nice subtle assonance with the 2nd and 5th lines. Gracias, Rebecca

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