Sunday Challenge - 19th October 2014

Yes, it's that time of week again!  It's time for another "Sunday Challenge."  This is going to catch on, guys, I swear...

After missing a week last week (due to the rare occurrence of having a social life), I started thinking about what this week's challenge could be.  Eventually, it was my dad - a rather good poet (but don't tell him I said that) - who came up with the idea of challenging myself to write a poem in a short space of time.  He said an hour.  I decided that was too easy and gave myself 30 minutes, because clearly, I live life right on the edge.

Naturally, given that I'm a writer of sorts, I figured this challenge would be easy.  So, to make it harder on myself, I asked friends on Twitter and Facebook to come up with subjects for me to create my masterpiece of poetry about.  I had various suggestions, including "bollards."  Frankly, the world is not yet ready for a poem about that.  I settled on a suggestion from my friend Mary: "Dresses."

She suggested it because yesterday I saw this:

...And I basically went into raptures.  I love 50s style fashion and music.  I love dresses.  And I love purple.  This dress was a siren, calling out to me: "BUY ME.  YOU DON'T NEED PETROL, YOUR CAR WILL RUN ON AWESOMENESS IF YOU OWN ME!  LOOK WHAT A BARGAIN I AM!  YOU DON'T JUST WANT ME, EMMA.  YOU NEEEEEEED MEEEEEEE."

I caved.  The dress was ordered and it's currently winging its way to me.  And yes, of course I already own a 50s petticoat to go underneath and make it extra... Um... Swishy.

SO.  I had my subject matter.  I knew what I had to do.  I set the timer...

Aaaaand nothing happened.  I stared at a blank screen for the first few precious minutes of my allotted thirty, wondering whether I had any right to call myself a writer at all, considering I was failing so completely to write anything.  My mind was crowded with ridiculous questions: "What rhyme scheme should I use?"  "Will it matter if it doesn't rhyme at all?"  "Does anything rhyme with petticoat, apart from Alan Dedicoat?!"

In the end, I just started thinking of silly things and how hilarious it is when my love of dresses gets... Well, a trifle obsessive.  And I came up with this bit of ridiculousness, written in under 17 minutes:

A Letter of Love

I knew the day I found you,

That you must be "The One."

There is beauty all around you,

I was utterly undone. 

We two became one and suddenly,

There was even more to love!

I adore you utterly,

You fit me like a glove.

You make me feel so beautiful,

In every single way.

If only it were suitable,

I'd wear you every day...

Like Internet dating, I found you online,

And added you to my cart.

And now you are completely mine,

With a special place in my heart.

Am I crazy?  Maybe.

I guess the answer's "yes."

But I've written this poem to say...

I bloody LOVE my new dress!

It isn't brilliant, but hey,,, I did it in under 30 minutes and I wrote on a subject I allowed someone else to choose, so... It's not that bad!

Here's to next Sunday and another challenge!