Calling all opinionated poets

If you’ve ever tried to submit a poem to Opinion, you’ve probably gotten a reply noting that we simply don’t print poetry. We didn’t print the poem that came in the shape of the World Trade Center towers after 9/11; we didn’t print the poem that came in this month after the Trayvon Martin verdict; and we didn’t print any of the hundreds of poems that came in between those events.

But we’ve decided to make a one-time exception. We are inviting Op-Poetry submissions from readers, and on Sunday, Aug. 25, we’ll devote a page of our print section to the best of what comes in. And we’ll feature more of it on the Opinion website.

There aren’t any rules, and this isn’t a contest. But the Opinion editors will read all submissions and select what we consider the best to showcase. Any subject appropriate for an Op-Ed is fair game for your Op-Poetry — politics, culture, international relations, you name it. You should know going in that we are unlikely to pick anything for publication that contains foul or offensive language. We’re old-fashioned that way. We’d also encourage brevity, since we just don’t have room to publish the next “Gilgamesh.” And be sure that, after reading your poem, we know where you stand on the issue you’re writing about.

With all that in mind, if you have an opinion that can only be expressed in rhymed iambic pentameter or lively doggerel, in a haiku or limerick, now’s your chance to express it. Unleash that inner poet, and email your submission to opinionpoetry@latimes.com by Aug. 16. Include your name, address and phone number with your submission.