It’s time for our next Challenge, with this first quarter of the year here already! 2021 marks Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores in publishing for over five years. Our birthday’s in January, if you’re wondering…
To celebrate, we’re running the Open Mic Challenge in a different way, presenting you with five topics or aspects to write on a chosen theme.
This month, our theme is on Johnny Appleseed, who in another age, would have been considered a saint.
Win this image.
Our editor, Fran, shares this about Johnny Appleseed:
photo by Binyamin Mellish at Pexels
March 11th is Johnny Appleseed Day (John Chapman, born Sept 26, 1774). A nurseryman who started out planting trees in western New York and Pennsylvania, he traveled west (In his day, the ‘West’ was Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois!) planting and selling apple trees and seeds to settlers, for over forty years.
Legend says he led a simple life and wanted little. He rarely accepted money and often donated any money he received.
photo by Rodolfo Clix at Pexels
There is a link between Johnny Appleseed and early Arbor Day celebrations.
Eat apples and plant apple trees!
But if you can’t, send us your best Johnny Appleseed inspired poems and flash fiction 😀
Your challenge is to write a poem of any kind, from sonnet to free verse, of 19 lines or less, or a flash fiction story of less than 300 words around:
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Original Legends on Johnny Appleseed
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Science-fiction inspired by Johnny Appleseed
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Fantasy inspired by Johnny Appleseed
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Eldritch inspired by Johnny Appleseed (no horror, please)
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Myths and Fairy Tales inspired or linked to Johnny Appleseed.
What seeds will you plant in this challenge?
I’m planting my entry right in the comments! Join me with your poem or flash fic. Can’t wait to read them!
photo by Kaboompics at Pexels
HOW IT WORKS
See the CRES Submissions Guidelines for what we like (hint, no horror).
Enter your 19 line-or-less poem as a comment below this post. Limericks are always welcome!
Or enter your 300 word or less speculative flash fiction story as a comment below this post.
One entry per a person, please.
The Winner gets two Bs, a prize, and a pic: Bragging rights & a Badge, a gift subscription to Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores online magazine, and a .jpg of the challenge pic 😀 Also the chance to be a part of any anthology we do.
Vote by commenting MY VOTE or similar under your favorite entry. Other comments on entries are welcome!
If there’s a tie, we’ll get Fran, editor of CRES, to make the final judgement.
Please keep entries and responses friendly to all ages and as lighthearted as possible.
Challenge ends on 30 March 2021. Winner will be announced soon thereafter.
May your trees grow strong and enduring 😀
photo by Any Lane at Pexels
photo by Jill Wellington at Pexels
Not quite a limerick, but it will do 😀
When Johnny planted his first apple seed,
he didn’t know how things would be.
He wandered far and wide,
often without a guide,
until he realized what the land might need.
Nice! It shows how big things can end up happening from just one first seed!
If we all went around planting seeds the world would be a better place:)!
Johnny gave his friend Davy Crockett
Apple recipes in a locket.
He said, “Davy, I don’t lie,
Apple cider and pie
Are gifts from the sky!”
Because though he set apple trees bloomin’.
Johnny was not human.
He’d arrived on a rocket
With alien seeds in his pocket.