Top 6 “Six-Word Memoir Poetry Slam Contest”
For SixContest #144, we asked you to wax poetic in six words. Sixers welcomed the emotive and lyrical aesthetic and even invoked their inner e.e cummings by experimenting with punctuation and line formatting. Poetry allowed Sixers to evoke powerful imagery (“Rows of bent backs, migrant workers” — BanjoDan) and abstract memories (“Mystical July/ Mid-summer juvenescence/ Fleeting rock-stardom.” — JanAlexander). Many Sixers accepted the challenge of the “American Haiku” and embraced the 5, 7, 5 syllable format (“Infuriation. Constant riddle fixation. Wordle addiction.” — PapaCraft). We introduced the contest with three categories: Most Heartfelt, Funniest, and a Six-Word poem that is also a haiku. Then, thanks to the hundreds of inspired contest entries, we decided to add three more categories: Best Backstory; Free Verse Poetry; and Most Meta. Here are our Top 6 memoirs and winners of their respective categories!