I wanted to join that contest and the topic was love. I´ve been calling love the sweetest of all illusions for more than 30 years now, so this was my starting point and the rest was just flowing freely. My process is a mix of wanting to say certain things and the words at the end of a line which require another word at the end of the next line to rhyme sometimes taking over the narrative and forcing the next line. I prefer the framework of rhyme and rhythm to the more freestyle forms of modern poetry, same like I can listen to Duke Ellington all day long, but a few minutes of Free Jazz would drive me mad.
It don´t mean a thing if it ain´t got that swing!