Breakup Nonet

The Prompt

For this contest, we challenge you to write a nonet poem about a relationship breakup. Capture the emotions and reflections of a breakup in a concise, powerful way. Whether it’s the pain of parting, the journey of healing, or the lessons learned, use the structure of the nonet to tell a story. We look forward to feelings all the feels in your heartfelt poems and hope that the writing process for this challenge can be cathartic.

What is a Nonet?

A nonet is a nine-line poem that starts with nine syllables in the first line and decreases by one syllable per line, ending with a single syllable in the final line. This form allows for a gradual narrowing of focus that packs a punch. Here is the syllable structure of a nonet:

Line 1: 9 syllables

Line 2: 8 syllables

Line 3: 7 syllables

Line 4: 6 syllables

Line 5: 5 syllables

Line 6: 4 syllables

Line 7: 3 syllables

Line 8: 2 syllables

Line 9: 1 syllable

How will we count syllables?

For clarity and fairness, we will use this syllable counter to judge the challenge:

UPDATE: We have received some feedback that the syllable counter is inaccurate. Please see our resource here on how we count syllables. We recognize that there are different ways of pronouncing words by region and dialect, and we appreciate that! We do count syllables using this syllable counter, however, we allow room for a one syllable difference based on varying pronunciations of words.

In order for your submission to qualify, it must be:

• A nonet. The poem must be nine lines, starting with nine syllables in the first line and decreasing by one syllable per line, ending with a single syllable in the final line.
• Submitted to Poets community. Choosing a community is a final step in the submission process. Your poem may be rejected for word count requirements if it is submitted to any other community.

The Prizes

Special shout-out to Maureen Y. Palmer for inspiring this challenge idea in Share Your Ideas to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges.

For your poem to be eligible, it should be submitted to the Poets Community, follow the rules above, and adhere to our Community Guidelines. Poems published on Vocal and entered into the contest up until 11:59 PM ET on August 1, 2024 will be entered for consideration. Official Rules for the Challenge can be found here.

The Breakup Nonet Challenge is exclusive to Vocal+ members. To learn more and upgrade to Vocal+ visit https://vocal.media/vocal-plus.

To be eligible to win the grand prize, second place, or runners-up prizes, you must be over the age of 13 and residing in a country where Stripe is available at the time of entry. A complete list of countries where Stripe is available can be found here—winners will need to have a Stripe account created and connected in order to receive the prizes. For this reason, entrants located outside of any of these countries will not be eligible to win.

Any content that is determined to be generated by artificial intelligence will be disqualified and will not be eligible to place in any challenge. Read more on our stance here.