Style Invitational Week 1231: TankaWanka 3 Haiku with a little extra. Plus winning ‘life form’ neologisms. (Bob Staake/For The Washington Post ) By Pat Myers By Pat Myers Entertainment June 8 // (Click here to skip down <#report> to this week’s winning neologisms from Week 1227) *Trump got elected! The keys to this nation sit In his tiny hand. But will he be defeated By the stuff he has tweeted?* It’s time again for our own variation on the ancient Japanese poetic form called tanka, which is pretty much like haiku with two more lines tacked on, for a total of five still-little lines. The Invitey twists that make it a TankaWanka: a current-events subject and — sorry, but we can’t get enough — rhyme. You're guaranteed to be the focus of the party with this week's second prize (dweeb not included). *This week: Write a TankaWanka about something that’s been in the news lately. The poem must consist of five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7 and 7 syllables in that order. And at least two of the lines must rhyme, * as in the example above by Willy Wanka, a.k.a. Gene Weingarten, The Style Invitational’s Pooet Laureate. You may add a title, perhaps quoting a news headline, if it helps the reader understand what you’re talking about. *Submit entries at this website: * *bit.ly/enter-invite-1231 * (all lowercase). Winner gets the *Inkin’ Memorial ,* the Lincoln statue bobblehead that is the official Style Invitational trophy — one of the last few before we come out with a new design. Second place receives a prize we’ve given out at least twice before, one we’ve enjoyed at Loser social events, for obvious reasons: It’s the *Basket Case Headband Hoop Game, * in which some ping-pong-ball-size foam basketballs are tossed into a net suspended over someone’s noggin by the means of said highly dweeby Headband Hoop. Donated by Loser Nan Reiner. *Other runners-up *win our new “You Gotta Play to Lose” Loser Mug or our Grossery Bag, “I Got a B in Punmanship.” Honorable mentions get one of our new lusted-after Loser magnets, “No Childishness Left Behind” or “Magnum Dopus.” First Offenders receive only a smelly tree-shaped air “freshener” (FirStink for their first ink). Deadline is Monday night, June 19; results published July 9 (online July 6). See general contest rules and guidelines at wapo.st/InvRules . The headline for the results is by Jesse Frankovich; the honorable-mentions subhead is by Tom Witte. Join the Style Invitational Devotees group on Facebook at /on.fb.me/invdev ./ “Like” Style Invitational Ink of the Day on Facebook at /bit.ly/inkofday. / *The Style Conversational *The Empress’s weekly online column discusses each new contest and set of results. Especially if you plan to enter, check it out at wapo.st/styleconv . And from The Style Invitational four weeks ago . . . *FLORA & FAUXNA: THE NEOLOGISMS OF WEEK 1227* The neologism challenge for*Week 1227* was to coin a new life form whose name — in the spirit of genetic diversity — had no two of the same letter. An animal called the *turdle* was described by many Losers, remarkably often as having orange fur. And of course there was the noisy, preening *trumper swan. * 4th place *Phickle:* A food that’s sometimes sweet and sometimes sour. (Selma Ellis, Rolling Meadows, Ill.) 3rd place *Oldfish: *A critter that has managed to stay alive for a whole week since you brought it home from the pet store. (Mark Raffman, Reston, Va.) 2nd place and the book about old-fashioned sex aids: *Ruskito:* An insect that not only sucks your blood, but hacks your DNA. (Frank Mann, Washington) And the winner of the Inkin’ Memorial: *D.J.T. Rex*: A carnivorous biped distinguished by its diminutive forelimbs and backward vision. (Seth Tucker, Washington) No’s Ark: honorable mentions *Dogirafe:* The only canine that can fetch a Frisbee stuck in a tree. (Shani Alexander, Wanneroo, Australia, a First Offender) *Peonay: *A flower that reacts to dog urine by emitting a mild electric charge. (Dave Prevar, Annapolis, Md.) ** *Amorel:* A fungus that could potentially burst into a mushroom cloud. (Kevin Dopart, Washington). *Begona:* Flower used for breakup bouquets. (Duncan Stevens, Vienna, Va.) *Crankodile:* A pale, emaciated reptile found lurking around meth labs . (Warren Tanabe, Annapolis, Md.) *Adolfin:* Mascot of the alt-right. (Frank Mann) *Flounderp:* Dumbest of all the fish. Just look at it. (Nancy Della Rovere, Silver Spring, Md.) *Gunviolets:* A kind of daisy that pushes up all over America. (Kevin Dopart) *Iowasp:* This cicada-like insect emerges in large, noisy swarms in four-year cycles. (Kevin Dopart) *Kremling:* A Russian weasel noted for its tiny paws and orange fur. (David Peckarsky, Tucson) *Mesquito:* A parasite that feeds off the neighbors’ barbecues. (Duncan Stevens) *Mikajoe :* A two-headed hyena that does a mating dance for three hours every morning. (Ira Allen, Bethesda, Md.) *Spiceroy:* A butterfly attracted to Mid-Atlantic bushes, now on the critically endangered list. (Kevin Dopart) *U-tern:* Bird that flies north for the winter. (Mark Raffman) *Vladger:* Known for gobbling up its neighbors and leaving a bad smell on anyone it contacts. (Mark Raffman) *Yo’ma:* A flower that despite being exceptionally unattractive, malodorous and oversized, is pollinated near-constantly. (Seth Tucker) *E. moji:* A bacterium manifesting itself in poop, soft-serve ice cream, and a face with stuck-out tongue and winking eye. (Dave Matuskey, Sacramento) *Bergil:* A small, furry rodent that’ll steal your heart. And your lungs. And your kidneys . . . (Jon Gearhart, Des Moines) *Beaglu:* A dog that never leaves your side. Literally. (Jeff Shirley, Richmond, Va.) *Escrow:* The avian species that best feathers its nest. (Brad Alexander, Wanneroo, Australia) *Felis up:* A particularly aggressive species of orange tomcat. (Warren Tanabe) *Pornbush:* An almost extinct species of foliage. (Tom Witte, Montgomery Village, Md.) *Ost-rich:* A bird that buried its head in the sand and found oil. (John O’Byrne, Dublin) *Pseudoryx:* A troublesome species of antelope, also known as fake gnus. (Kevin Dopart) *Rodnstaph:* A virulent yet comforting bacterium. (Gary Crockett, Chevy Chase, Md.) *Shyena:* An animal that only giggles, with its paw over its mouth. (Beverley Sharp, Montgomery, Ala.) *Tse fly:* An African insect and principal transmitter of the somewhat-less-than-dreaded catnapping sickness. (David Garratt, Silver City, N.M.) *Umble python:* A snake that only eats crow. (Chris Doyle, Denton, Tex.) *Fleamingo:* Imagine how far this bird could jump using /two/ legs. (Ray Gallucci, Frederick, Md.) *Wombath:* The latest pet craze — because everyone likes a wombath at the end of the day. (Mae Scanlan, Washington) *Funkgi:* Aromatic organisms often found on unwashed feet. (Bella Portillo, Silver Spring, Md.) *Girhalf:* April’s baby. (Mary Kappus, Washington) *Hefalump:* A heavily wrinkled biped often seen in the company of bunnies. (David Garratt) *Masturdon:* A lumbering, shaggy-haired mammal given to nocturnal bellows and preening shows of dominance. (Chris Doyle) *PACterium: *Organism that dies quickly in the absence of money. (Mark Raffman) *Peach mint*: Some in Congress would like to send this herb over to the White House. (James Colten, Washington) *Shampire: *All-talk, no-action monster. “I’m going to suck so much blood. It’ll be beautiful.” (Duncan Stevens) *Sycolephant:* Large animal with a long, brown nose (Larry Gray, Union Bridge, Md.; Tom Witte) *Whombat:* Fussy, annoying creature unable to adapt to a changing world. (William Kennard, Arlington) *Tydebola*: A virus that sterilizes itself. (Neal Starkman, Seattle) *Melonia:* A fleshy fruit that lives in a symbiotic relationship with off-your-gourds. (Kevin Dopart) *Parsleigh:* What Gwyneth Paltrow leaves out for Santa. (Rick Haynes, Boynton Beach, Fla.) *Muhel:* A rabbi who stubbornly refuses to perform circumcisions. (Roy Ashley. Washington) *Dzykfjxqugh’s brown palm civet:* A small, nocturnal Asian mammal named for the renowned zoologist Thomas Dzykfjxqugh. (Jesse Frankovich, Lansing, Mich.) *Still running — deadline Monday night, June 12: our contest for short descriptions of how a Creator came up with some creations. See bit.ly/invite1230 .*