Rondine

The guidelines:

• 12-line poem
• 2 stanzas (7 lines in the first stanza; 5 lines in the second)
• 8 or 10 syllables per line, except in the 7th and 12th lines
• 7th and 12th lines are a refrain of the first line of each stanza
• The refrain comes from the opening word or phrase of the poem
• Rhyme pattern looks like this: abbaabR/abbaR

Sample poem by Robert Lee Brewer

If I were you, I'd not be me;
instead, I'd be a complete fake
or, perhaps, I mean to say flake
as in snow dissolved in the sea
as in something that's hard to see
and still there'd be nothing to take
if I were you.

For instance, remove my name Lee
from anything I plan to make
and insert your noble namesake
and replace all traces of me
if I were you

Remember:

• Write a one-stanza Rhodine on any topic considering the above-mentioned guidelines.
• Login to your profile on our website and draft your poem.
• From the drop down under Prompts choose “#PenMuse-75″ (Check 'Memberships' to see if you are already subscribed to the event)
• Attach a cover image for your story in LANDSCAPE with the dimensions: 1200px X 675px. Please use pixabay.com, pexels.com or unsplash.com to source lovely covers in jpg or png. In case your story has a cover of poor quality, is watermarked, or is a graphic image, it will delay the publishing process.
• Allow your story to be admin approved within 24-48 hours.
• If you wish to check syllables, then please click this syllable counter here.

 Rules:

• The submitted poem must have a title (Keep it simple with no punctuation marks; all words more than 3 letters must be capitalised)
• There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit-though only the first submitted poem will be qualified for contention.
• Previously published or plagiarised works will not be considered for contention.
• Poems found to have been shared on another platform or blog before the declaration of results stand disqualified from the event, and the writer of such content stands to be disqualified for the next Penmancy event.
• AI-generated content will not be recognised; neither highlighted nor mentioned during the result announcement.
• In case a poem is received after the submission deadline, it shall be considered as a guest entry and shall not qualify for the event.
• Entries that don’t follow rules will be published and shared on the page and group but are disqualified for winning.

Winning criteria:

• The winner will be chosen on the basis of the judges’ scores (out of 10)
  • creativity/content and originality, [12 points]
  • coherence of form and structure (harmony of words, presentation), [12 points]
  • clarity of imagery and language/grammar, [10 points]
  • emotional impact, [10 points]
  • topic/relevance to the theme, [6 points]
• The entries adjudged through this process shall be binding. No scores will be shared with the participants.
• The entries adjudged by a panel of judges and event organisers shall be binding. Judges’ scores to be deemed final and may not be contested. Final scores are not disclosed to the participants.
• All writers are required to read and comment on 5 poems other than their own and encourage their fellow writers with valuable and constructive inputs. Comments like “nice”, “good work”, “brilliant piece”, etc. do not provide the necessary critique and are not helpful for anyone.

Timelines:

• The last date of submission is June 20, 2025
• Winners shall be announced on June 27, 2025
• The announcement of winners may be postponed or preponed depending on the number of entries received.

P.s.-The event does not have any book giveaway associated with it.