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Wed, Oct 1, 2025

3:31pm EDT

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Closed: INVICTUS ~ 25 Years Strong…

by Brian K Compton

Rated: 13+ · Message Forum · Contest · #1390406

Hosted by Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Group (RWB), a contest celebrating invincibility.

The Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Group Presents ~

~~ Invictus ~~
~~ Poetry commemorating Writing.Com and it’s 25th Birthday Celebration ~~

2000-2025

Time Remaining ~ ~
[Refresh to load countdown.]

invictus —
Latin adjective, "unconquered, unsubdued, invincible," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + victus, past participle of vincere "to conquer, overcome" (see vincible).

https://enlightio.com/invictus-definition-examples

“Invictus” serves as theme, acknowledging the website’s enduring strength. This discovered poem is contest impetus and offered for inspiration ~

Invictus ~

BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

There is a history to this poem, its author, the strength it offered Nelson Mandela while imprisoned 27 years during South African apartheid, who said:
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

Another:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise

“… I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.”

~ Maya Angelou

Can you leave a lasting mark? For our poetry challenge, test your mettle ~ write about something invincible ~ as Writing.Com.

Rules:

Any Style Poem – though, haikus, senryus or other short forms would not fit this activity.

Up to 55 lines in length

offered ONLY in BITEM format { bitem:xxxxxxx }

Poem should be new. I'm okay if an old poem inspires a new, but shows growth from the original. Just be sure to create a new item.

No edits after deadline, to be fair. I will not disqualify, but other entries will get fullest consideration foremost.

Artificial intelligence can inform an entry like any writing tool. AI written poems would not be in the spirit of theme honoring Writing.Com. Sole judgment is mine.

Final Rule: Have fun, seriously!

~ ~ ~ CONTEST set for September 1 - 30 (consult timer above) ~ ~ ~

SUGGESTIONS:

Poems should fit theme, be inspired by anything like the poem, its history or longevity of this website, expressing as much as possible without direct telling.

Prizes:

The Commemorative Contest will offer a Grand Prize, NOW minted, the Invictus Merit Badge (annual prize), plus RWB MB, appropriate 25k ribbon, plus 75k gift points. Furthermore:

~ 1st: RWB 25k ribbon and 50k gps
~ 2nd: RWB, 10k ribbon & 25k gps
~ 3rd: RWB, 20K gift points

It will take 12 entries to unlock GRAND PRIZE.
1st place only when 8 entries offered
2nd with 10 entries
3rd if 14 or more entries

The grand prize ~ Invictus Merit Badge ~ is forthcoming. (possibly to be offered annually).

ENTRIES: