What do we do?

~boundpoems is a group dedicated to exploring new frontiers in poetry by imposing iron-clad constraints on the very poem you are attempting to break open. Contradictory? Why, yes, it is! And yet, how very exciting!

But wait! What do we really do?

~boundpoems will give you an assignment. A type of mission, if you will. And you will (if you choose) write a poem under those restrictions or instructions.

Then, once you're done (or think you're done), send a note to us, and we'll feature it for free! No selection process; just a showcase of poems -- spread out as far as the eye can see (hopefully).

What's the difference between this and writing formal poetry?

At the root of it, nothing much! But there's something to be said about adhering to the rules of new "forms" of poetry. You might discover something interesting about your poems -- something in it sounds distinctly "you", perhaps. You might discover something new about the way you write -- something in the way you conceive of an idea and go about executing it in poetry. You might find out that you enjoy writing under these constraints so much that you dedicate your whole writing career to this endeavor (we can only hope).

In any case, there are untold benefits -- and nothing to lose at all.

Give me... an example. I'm still not sold on this idea yet...

Here's an example:
Write a love poem. But here's the catch: you can't use a single pronoun. Sounds simple? Check this link. [link]
And then get back to us.

There are tons of other possible constraints -- thematic constraints, formal constraints, and combinations thereof. We can ask that you don't use the letter E in a poem. OR we can ask that you use only words that contain the letter K. We may ask that you use a limited vocabulary. We may ask you to take the last words of a sonnet and use them as first words of a new poem!

And we probably will.

Alright -- this sounds intriguing. How do I participate?

No joining rules per se. Just watch us and tell all your cool friends (and your uncool friends) about us.

If you write a poem inspired by the current constraints? Note us! And we'll put it in a news-feature and our journal.

So let's start us off!

Your Mission

Write a poem about loss without using any articles. If you don’t know what an article is, here’s the good news: there are only three of them in the English language. A, An, and The. The bad news? Well… you’ll find out once you start trying to write the poem. The poem should be between 10 and 25 lines. Go wild!

To make this absolutely clear: Write a poem dealing with loss without using A, An, or The.

Since April is National Poetry Month and I’m sure many of you are doing NaPo as well, we are holding the special option of sending in a new poem to us every day with this constraint. If you want to, of course. At the very least, it might serve as a little inspiration for good ole NaPo.

Call for icon-maker
Since the founders of ~boundpoems are technologically backward and have questionable aesthetic values, we are holding an open call to anyone who would want to design our logo for us!

Send us a note! If we choose your icon, you will get a month-long feature in our journal and a feature in our coming news article and the satisfaction of designing our logo!

Keep in mind:

1. Our name needs to be legible
2. Simplicity is beauty
3. It should be clear that we are a writing group (and not someone who just has an interest in bondage and poetry)

Mission Reports (in order of receipt):

1. [link]

After a Job Loss by ^fllnthblnk

2. [link]

Two by *intimachine

3. [link]

What We Lost by ~Tuttlebird

4. [link]

Cardinal by ~nevernude

5. [link]

The Dream of the Attendent Ant by ~Elmara

6. [link]

Lilies and Death by *Fallen-Red-Ninja

7. [link]

Little Fishy by *Fallen-Red-Ninja's second poem is a variation of the challenge

8. [link]

The Cartographer's Lover by ~nevernude's second poem is a variation of the challenge

9. [link]

Stale Happiness by =XburiedinblackX

10. [link]

Drink'n it Down by ~VetchVespers

11. [link]

Stars by ~crazyinyoureyes

12. [link]

Names in Nameless Places by =neoeno

13. [link]

Little Drummer Boy by ~crazyinyoureyes



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