Practicing My Free Throw

I am excited and honored to be included in March Madness Poetry 2013.  Looking at this year’s bracket makes me more than a bit nervous.  I’ve read and admired poems by many of these talented writers, and can’t help but wonder if I am out of my league.

Take my first round-competitor, for example.  She’s named Ana Paest. I immediately googled her and found she has her own Wikipedia page.  She’s listed in the Oxford Companion to English Literature, the Oxford English Dictionary, and Encyclopedia Britannica.  She’s had many famous fans, including Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, T. S. Eliot, and Dr. Seuss.  And as if those were not reasons enough to feel intimidated, her name means “struck back” in Greek!

At the risk of sticking my metric foot in my mouth, I’ve written a few lines to my fearsome competitor:

Ana Paest, Ana Paest, will you rise to the test?
Will you best me with meter and rhyme?
While your name, clever jest, leaves me rattled, distressed,
I won’t rest: I amb biding my time.

Let the games begin!

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Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is at The Drift Record.

27 thoughts on “Practicing My Free Throw

  1. Ha! That’s great, Buffy! Talk about slow on the uptake — I didn’t even put Ana and Paest together and actually went to Google “her”! Probably shouldn’t have admitted that, but there it is. 🙂

    I just submitted my GAIETY poem. Good luck with CHAGRIN!

    1. You’re not alone–I googled her too. Hope you are happy with your gaiety poem–can’t wait to read all of them. I’ve got a few lines of mine done, but at the moment am filled with chagrin. And Ana Paest apparently has already turned hers in! It’s going to be a hair-pulling kind of day…

  2. Hahahaha. Anapaest. Iamb? You totally got me laughing. I’m nervous too, as I am battling against the poet who defeated one of my favorite poets in the second round last year.

    1. Thanks Gloson and good luck to you too. I mentioned the competition at a school visit last week, and one of the students asked if any young people were competing. You’ve already got a fan in Michigan!
      I think that being in and following the competition will be great fun and a great learning experience. Even if I get knocked out by the formidable Anapaest in the first round, I still win by participating.

  3. “Nonchalant As I Want”
    ——————-
    You may flaunt with your wry taunt;
    Daunting?
    Hardly!
    I smell vaunt.
    You haunt not this debutante
    Who will eat
    you up like
    a croissant!

    1. Thanks for reading and commenting, Ruth. I can’t claim credit for the name Ana Paest–that actually is the “name” of the person I’m up against in the first round. (And I’ll admit to being slow-witted and googling before I got the joke.)

  4. Wow. I haven’t heard of this March Madness event until now. The challenge sounds difficult, and the competition intense. You must be extremely brave, or very crazy. 🙂 Good luck!

    1. Steve,
      Based on what I have seen you post at Burkins and Yaris and around the Kidlitosphere, you are going LOVE this. I became seriously addicted last year. I am happily a fan, but who knows, maybe next year. This was really my first entree into the Poetry Friday crowd thanks to Heidi Mordhorst who first told me about it!! It is amazing to see what these talented poets create in such a short time period. I hope they are sleeping at least a little. Good luck, Buffy!!! Curious about Ana, but time will tell!!!

  5. You are too funny, Buffy! You are brave, too. I didn’t throw my hat in the ring for the March Madness challenge – too much pressure. I admire your courage and your poem. I’ll be reading all the poems as the contest gets under way – looking forward to seeing yours. Thanks for the smile today. =)

    1. I can understand your not wanting the pressure…that might have been the smarter course. I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s poems, too. I’m in it for the challenge and my main goal is to not write anything too horrible. Hopefully I can meet that standard!

  6. Maybe you could have a scary nickname to intimidate your opponents? Buffy “Synesthesia” Silverman? Buffy “The Poet Killer” Silverman? I’ll keep thinking…

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