This may be the weirdest and most unlikely contest in recent memory, but that's not going to stop us from entering: Microsoft will award a complete home-entertainment system to whoever writes the best haiku...on the subject of Windows Server 2008 R2.

You remember haikus from English class, right? They're three-line poems that follow a 5-7-5 format: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. Here's an example, submitted by user bmelo:

Solid foundation
for virtualization
and easy administration

Actually, according to the rules, you don't have to follow the haiku format, but it's "encouraged." After the submission period ends on Jan. 15, 2010, a panel of judges will choose nine semi-finalists, then let users vote on which haiku is the best.

The winner gets a 52-inch Sony HDTV, a home-theater system with Blu-ray player, an Xbox 360 Elite, and other goodies, all worth nearly $3,700.

All entrants can download a free copy of the Microsoft e-book Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2, which we wrote about last month. Just click the "Download a Free E-Book" button in the bottom-right corner of the contest page.

So put on your poetry hat and think about ways WS08 R2 will "free up your time for simpler pursuits" (like watching TV and playing Xbox).

Follow Migration Expert Zone on Twitter!