The Challenge
Write a poem that feels like it’s almost something—but not quite. A love poem that sidesteps romance. A haiku that’s one syllable off. A sonnet that forgets itself halfway through. A metaphor that teeters on the edge of making sense.
Rules
- Embrace the near miss. Let the poem be beautifully incomplete, deliberately offbeat, or playfully imperfect.
- You can choose any form, but it must almost follow the rules. A villanelle with one missing refrain? A limerick that forgets to rhyme? A free-verse piece that wants to be a haiku? Go wild.
- Bonus challenge: Use the phrase “but then—” somewhere in your poem.
Why?
Because sometimes, what’s left unsaid is what lingers the longest.
I’m not sure if this fits the challenge but I will post it anyways. The rules seem to be quite broad.
The Job
It all started out like one other day
Get on to work when I’d rather just stay
Here in my bed in the dark and the warm
Not liking my customers and the way that they swarm
But then as if someone magically said
“Get up you old bum, get out of bed”
I felt a big rush of energy and joy
Like a freshly put battery in a newly bought toy
I dressed in my best, as its all that I had
Being too cheap to buy other clothes
I hated to shop for myself and buy anything new
I felt it was a waste when I worked everyday.
But I straightened my shirt and twisted my tie
I looked like a stand-up, polite kind of guy
I thought I looked sharp, sharp enough for a girl
If she asked me to dinner I might give it a whirl
I headed to work where my boss, he was late
He must’ve been out with that girl on a date
‘Cause he came in real happy, like a pig in some shit
I really despised him, didn’t like one damn bit
He told me I’m fired, that I should go home
It’s like sending a pharaoh away to his tomb
I packed up my stuff and looked away now in shame
I should have just called him correctly by name
It all came right back to me just like a punch
No more low wages, no more short lunch
I’d have to go back to my other old job
So I left with a sneer and soft, muffled sob
©CBialczak 2025
Stine Writing 
hi, Christine 😁
Just wanna let you know that this week’s W3, hosted for the very first time by our delightful Anupama, is now live:
Enjoy❣️
Much love,
David
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Thank you! We have decided to have Hospice come in to help care for my dad so he doesn’t have to be traumatized with ER procedures he has no idea about. They will allow him to stay at his own place regardless of what happens. I am saddened by a bit relieved. Hopefully he goes back to his place today, he’s been in the hospital since last week!
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🤗 🤗 🤗 🤗 🤗
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This had such a great storytelling arc. The false hope makes the final twist even more painful—definitely an ‘almost’ success story turned failure.
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Thank you. Just for fun with a realistic edge!
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Next time you think you want to just stay in bed- Do it! This was fun.
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Sometimes in the past I have had similar days and yes, I should have listened to my own intuition!
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Haha! Christine, I enjoyed this! 👏
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Thank you
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So smart, Christine…well -written 🫶
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Hehe! I’m not sure it met the prompt criteria but I loved it!! A great story poem!!
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Christine, this has such a great rhythm and wry humor! I love how the hope builds—only to slip away at the end. Almost something… but then—💥😅
Much love,
David
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This is an open-mouth-insert-foot poem, so well done!
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thank you
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Oh very cleverly done 👏… 💞
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