Masterpoet Tournament: Heat 1

* 13 poems submitted. This heat is now closed. *
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Poets of PnQ, welcome to the Masterpoet Tournament. In our last contest, our beautiful member, sibyllene, was showered with glory as she displayed her impressive mettle against some of the best in the site. Who shall be crowned next?

Please pass this challenge to anyone you think is suitable. Club managers, please provide a link in your clubs. This challenge is perfect for poets of skill, poets who are going through a slump, and poets who are after detailed comments.

I have three well-respected mystery poets to act as judges. They will be grading your poetry and offering select comments that will be revealed after each heat. I, as master of ceremonies, shall also be highlighting poems for general analysis to incorporate a workshop feel to the challenge. Additionally, I shall award bonus points and penalties as specified for each heat.

The Rules are fairly simple.
1) Poem must be new. Please don't post it on your profile till the contest is over.
2) One poem per participant per heat.
3) Poem must adhere to the theme selected for each heat. There shall be four of them.
4) Each heat lasts 7 days. Poem must be submitted to me via PM strictly within 5 days of announcement of the theme to qualify. The poems shall then be passed anonymously to the judges. Judging shall take 1-2 days.
5) A percentage of winners from one heat shall progress to the next until a 'Masterpoet' is declared. Identities of all participants shall be unveiled after this (unless there are individual objections to this).
6) If you do not wish for your poetry to be publicly analysed, please specify that when submitting your poem.

That's all! All the very best, enjoy yourselves!

HEAT 1 THEME: Free

Submit absolutely anything you like for this first round. There are no bonus points and no penalties. Show us what you're like.

Your poem must be submitted to me by Friday night.

This is great, Abby, I hope many members will dare to participate!

I am having a writers block, but hope it will lift before Friday:0)

Game on.

Will I lose points if the poem is about a certain judge?

/wrygrin.

it'll be called

"stalkers lips"

This is good ! another challenge ... XD

You're awesome, Abby.

Oo, disclose the round topics one at a time! Build suspense!

This looks like it will be fun : )

Posting this in RTVW also.

Great idea ! Looks like a lot of fun.

Thanks Luanne and Britt was posting this in your clubs. RTVW and PBP poets would add some great competition and calibre to this challenge.

Britt, the format of this contest will be very similar to the last..a topic, quote/picture prompt, title. But there will be some twists as well...

Can I still join?

I'll give it a shot :-)

I'll put up one that I did for a different contest. but it's my favorite one that I've written.

http://www.poems-and-quotes.com/dark/poems.php?id=1149686

Nicotine Dreams

Poems have to be in by October 10th, yes?

Oh right, no, my bad. The 8th it is!

Poems due by 8th indeed. (In Australia, it's actually the 9th, but we accept you're behind the times.)

Aight scallywags. It's been a couple of days and the poems are starting to trickle in. But I don't want a trickle. I want a regular torrent of our talent. I want us to knock the breath out of our judges so they won't know what to do with themselves but gasp for air and wear sunglasses to cope with the dazzle.

I am getting messages from people intimidated by the strict time limits. That's fair enough. But remember, this is a challenge. It isn't just about beating other members, it's also made to be a personal one. Test your pen's stamina and rejuvinate your creativity! Can you do it?

The point is, it doesn't have to be a masterpiece. So whatever you're working on, anything, half-finished, send it through. Send through a haiku, an acrostic, a piece on coffee. You can even choose to remain completely anonymous or not have your poem critiqued. This is your only opportunity to participate in this swashbuckling contest over the next few weeks. Chances are, you'll get through, or receive an interesting comment or two.

Let's doooo it.

Ah, your post just took the pressure off about submitting a polished masterpiece. I was getting sweaty and anxious, hahaha.

Alright, I'll submit something in a little while. No lie.

Come on noobs, I hit send to a PM to Abby and wrote the poem in about 6 minutes.

If you have a sparky thought that must be written down...just let it go.

Urgh, almost done with mine but I need to rush out the door this second to not be late for class! Will finish later.

---
Update: Right, well I'm about to submit mine. It's complete crap but better than not submitting anything at all. I know if I put it off any longer, it'll slip my mind like it did last time.

We're half way through Heat 1 and four poets have stepped up to the plate. Here's how the poems are shaping up so far:

Sounds of Silence

You must learn to quiet me in my sleep -
I conjure dreams,
(nightmares that come to a screeching halt)
that shatter the realm of silence from my pillow,
the kind that make even ghosts get goose bumps.

The potent disaster flips images like a slide show,
and I can't seem to rip my eyes from the sight.

Shudders ripple through me - the kind I cannot stop,
I'm forced to focus on any calming picture;
failing miserably at any feeble attempt I can make.

So if you must, secure me down in shackles;
(I'm already in my own personal prison)
let the waves surge through my reflection -
I must learn to submit myself to their objections
or forever lose the sense of myself.

---

Tomorrow's Yesterday.

Knowing tomorrow's yesterday is not cliche
It is so much easier just to say today
Tomorrows come where yesterdays are found
Nothing is lost when our world turns around

Many new lives begin with a single beat
Not meant to end before it is complete
Joys of yesterday followed by tomorrow
May be welcomed by souls of untold sorrow

We may not live to see what tomorrow brings
Unless we let our spirit soar on angel's wings
Loving with our whole being and all of our strength
Reaching for new heights of an infinite length

Time is a mystery born to tell the tale
Of what is no more, and things that prevail
Many philosophers have had the driving urge
To find out where opposites meet and merge

Soon the future will arrive to become the past
Creating for us all the dreams that somehow last
Though the seasons will come and then they will go
Will there always be something left behind to grow?

Seconds increase to minutes, and then the minutes to hours
Hours to days, weeks to months, the years have powers,
To turn once again yesterdays to tommorrows today
How else could it be now, is there any other way?

"My Dear Friends as You Pass By
As You are Now, So Once Was I.
As I am Now, You Soon Must Be.
Prepare Yourselves to Follow Me."

----

Strange Rider

On Saturday,
a man rode in on horseback
with leather for his skin,
His weary brim
hid his eyes, but not the
scars upon his chin.
I saw him from my windowpane,
a gasp fell unrestrained,
and though I sat two stories high,
he heard me all the same.

On Saturday,
a man rode in on horseback
with sweat stained on his chest,
His iron spurs
thick with rust
bore a vague, familiar crest.
He saw me at my windowpane,
a sigh fell unrestrained,
and though I sat two stories high,
I heard him all the same.

---

A light return

...and time again so writing
out of my mind as it is
it was always ticking in me.

It shines a "ken"
brilliantly into my deepness
lower the more I be moving
I'm sitting then to get it going.

So trembles pen so
poorly wrought for etching mind
like rivers in glasses or
those feelings in words which
adverse to verses and closing lines
don't run as free as glassless rivers.

time again is ticking in me
out of mind it not yet is.

I'm game, I'll give this a go.

Nice poems so far everyone-
come on keep them coming!!!

I want to write one too, but it's hard when you are no longer whom you used to be. I am seriously going to try, though.

Two days left to Heat 1, and three more poets have battled writer's block, school assignment deadlines and hormonal mayhem to cross the line! Have you submitted your poem to take part in this contest? Remember, it can be ANYTHING new. Don't miss out!

(I feel like I should wear a loud blouse with purple eyeshadow and stand with a microphone and mini amp in front of a cosmetic jewellery store, blaring nasal things to passers-by. C'arn ladies 20% off for the next half hour lovely chanel number five perfume only $5 etc)

I'm game as well, getting my done momentarily. :]

It's 7.15pm on a Friday night in Australia and I'm going out for the night. We have had a total of 11 entrants...so far. When I wake up tomorrow, drowsy and possibly with a dull ache in my head, I would love to be pleasantly surprised with any last scraps of poetry you can manage to squeeze into this contest.
In any case, I look forward to leafing through your poems, holding some to the light, reading the judges' comments and preparing for a monster Heat 2...

Here are the other submissions:

The Picture

Framed and hanging on the wall,
a couple smiled for the camera
Wearing ficticious makeup of delight
blended with a warm counterfeit shade
of affection and devotion.

Actors in the play of life, happy, devoted as
invisible tears flow upon blushed cheeks,
perfectly dressed children at their feet
beaming graciously, forced to act appropriately
for an impatient minute or two.

In the same room, anger rages over
simply situations. void of compassion.
Children running wild un-hearing the
command to behave or quiet down.
Where is this place you ask?
Your town U.S.A.

----------

India

Can I visualize for you?
Will my words seemingly dance off the page
Like some erotic dance
Full of grace and allure
Are my ineffectual words as vibrant
As a sun drenched saree on the summer breeze
Can you see that bustling Rickshaw
On that writhing, hot, dusty street
As spicy as the flavours that permeate the air
Of herbs lily and lilac
Rotting flesh, dung and decay
Do you feel the warmth of the friendly smile
Upon your cheek
Perhaps the shyness of the pretty girls
That catch your eye
Can you feel the expansiveness of the raw desert in your heart
The touch of antiquity and history as rough as sandpaper on your skin

Tell me you felt the pulse of this beating animal
Vibrating though your feet
Warming upwards through limb and vein
To pass your lips like a stolen kiss

Yet I feel my words are empty bereft
Of what I've felt, smelt and seen
In my soul my words seem pitiful
Of the India that resides within

----------------------

Just a Thought

Love passes like the day
lighting up new paved ways,
etching memories in place
weaved together as if laced.

Shaping hearts into one beat
Always something to keep:
The treasured times alone
Stitched, metaphorically sown.

Breathing two lives in each breathe,
Acknowledging all that's left
In this forgotten broken heart,
Trying to hold it back from being apart.

My start was my final ending
as all things start rending,
turning waste of all things fought
though all along it was just a thought.

----------------------

Within My Wisdom

Ancient dreams
still dance
through my eyes
amid each fragile moment
that passes me by, faster than
the wind in winter..

Although it seems like the world
has changed but
the dreams are standing yet

>for I still long for them

I do not build cities
nor I can move mountains
with the blink of an eye

but each tear I shed
turns to be a glimpse
for something eternal

Each move I make swirls
through your vision as
the most magnificent
chaos you ever
saw within the darkness
of your heart

Each step you take
leads you again toward
one of my old dream lands..
To conquer, to revive
the spirit of your house

I do not write history
but each word I say
pulls your name into
the pages of my book..
Each book I finish
opens new roads for
a second life..
A new decade
A new world

>Where you no longer exist

I do not do magic but
within my ancient dreams
I see you like a lonely mountain
whispering for the wind..
Staring along the seas of void
as I live for the moments
of clarity

Although I do not light the forests at night
nor I hail the spirits of the dead.
But I have immortal dreams..
Emerging from my past, toward my future
Flowing; unlike you amid each fragile
moment that passes me by like the wind
in winter

>for I still long for them
>Where you no longer exist

Within my own wisdom..

----------

Gentle Wishes

Love -
born 'neath dying moon
betwixt May flowers
blooming June

Passion's whisper,
sweet lullaby
tracing hearts
within the sky

Rose petals fall
from a dying bloom
forever forgotten -
all to soon

Mind echoes -
of memories dark
tomorrow`s birth
a question mark

As midnight stars
begin to weep
upon my palm
a wish to keep

For if I may
sleep tonight
tomorrow I know ...
shall be alright

Inspired by :
http://www.snr.ac.th/wita/Music/catch-a-falling-star01.jpg

---------------------

Shattered Glass

Upon the carpet
a sledgehammer lands,
as fresh air gulfs in.
Birds sing and traffic is crazy,
unfamiliar smells dazzle my senses.
Jumping though the window,
my feet land on solid ground
-a feeling surreal-
Looking behind me,
my old, familiar room calls out to me
"please stay"
but my feet already carry me
right into freedom's arms.

-------------------

Traffic.

dashed lines
(a passageway
'tween obstacles
of life) -
are but temporary zones
stretching across an
inquisitive mind.

time lapses as
thoughts stream
like oncoming traffic -
suppressing chances
of passing within
restricted boundaries.

it is but a test
of stamina -
hidden beneath
layers of courage
of which only you -
can discover.

Fear of the unknown

Can your beautiful trap lose its prey?
Cast out on the wind, It's sanity would stray.
Cascading answers would fuel It's fears.
Candid revelations sold out by our piers.

There darkness would cloud It's eyes.
There outspoken desires are all but lies.
There intricate vessels feel no pleasure.
There bloodied veins hide It's treasure.

It would slip through the night-time shadow,
It's untamed force travels within airlfow.
It's supernatural behaviour would be in question.
It's only memories are filled with suspicion.

You stripped away the walls of It's mind,
You had a goal; for It's soul to be intwined.
You have beliefs which are zealously outlawed.
You are blinded by love; It is flawed.

Sixth senses would lead It to each nest.
Six drops of enriched blood from your test.
Sickly, It would caress the air with its breath.
Sixteen degrees of cold stenching death.

They would feel It's being as an energy flare.
They wouldnt feel emotion, they'd just glare.
They are but resurected cosmic spawn.
They would fight It into the coming dawn.

All surrounded by the tremendous light.
All consumed by the essence of new sight.
All nuetralizing each others plight.
All would become one in the sun so bright.

Secrets would be revealed; those of balance.
Secrets behind It's life; it was not by chance.
Secrets are our power and our only purpose.
Secrectly I fear that It could hurt us!

------------

Butterflies (Haiku)

Redolent of blooms
flourishing with blush color
intertwined with lust.

-----------------

Midnight Friday has been and gone around the world and this heat is now closed. We had two more poems submitted, giving us a total of 13 challengers for Heat 1. I thank all of you who have participated with a bright red ribbon that says "My pen has the biggest guts".

Now, the poems are being sent to our three grand judges. They will be numerically grading the poems and leaving any comments if they wish to do so. I shall be displaying them in this thread with the results by Sunday night. Heat 2 will also commence then. Remember, if you do not wish to see your poem being openly discussed, that is perfectly understandable. Just PM me if you have any concerns.

The three poems with the lowest scores will be...
ELIMINATEDD......

So good luck all.

I'm pretty happy with the level of participation considering that it's back-to-school time and many active members have thoughts of Cindy on their minds. It bodes well for even more participants for the next contest... who wants to conduct it?

The judges have already started giving me their results. Should be interesting... Following the display of results, you are more than welcome to leave your feedback on their feedback, even if you are not part of the contest. I want tears, cheers and beers.

I'm going to start doing my analysing thing today on a couple of submitted poems that take my fancy. What about you guys? Feel free to also leave your thoughts on any as well.

(I feel like I should wear a loud blouse with purple eyeshadow and stand with a microphone and mini amp in front of a cosmetic jewellery store, blaring nasal things to passers-by. C'arn ladies 20% off for the next half hour lovely chanel number five perfume only $5 etc)

^^

I was reading this thread and came across this message above, lol. You are something else, Abby, ha ha ha ha ha!

I'm in the USA right now, so you can send my award to Chicago. Plus, when you want me to do a video acceptance speech, I'm down for that.

no but seriously, I'm in the USA..but I'll check here every 2-3 days.

Bravo to the winners!

bravo to everyone who entered

I'm taller than you and you love it, hug...to Abbalus.

Jim Croce- Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (with lyrics!)

It would not hurt to listen to this song lol

I'm starting to regret not submitting something betta :)

My first two judges handed in the results two days ago. I'm still waiting for one last judge who, though online, isn't communicating at all, despite initially agreeing to the format of the challenge.

Sorry about the delay, I'm not happy with this. I feel it is unfair when the deadlines were so strict for all who submitted the poems.

Understand your frustration, a deadline is a deadline even for judging

The last interclub challenge took months, members lose interest in entering when this stuff happens, so chop chop judgeeeeeeeeeee

Aside from the fact that there are a lot of misspellings in some of these poems, I also find the basic ignorance of the proper use of the English language to be troublesome.

Example: (Not all of these appear in these poems, but some do)

Your, you're
They're, their, there
Hole, whole
Then, than
Know, no
Son, sun
Accept, except
To, too, two
Its, it's
Sole, soul
Bear, bare

"Master" poets, in my opinion, should be held to a higher standard.

Well, I don't want to call out the offending poems and make it personal, because it isn't.

Yes the spelling is important as it can change the meaning or make a poem look unsightly,

yet on occasion in the heat of the moment to get a poem in on time the odd mistake can be made...

But fair call.... as he rushes off to check his over....

I checked mine too. I think I'm safe :P

Dixiedaisy, you would make a great editor

Dixiedaisy, thank you for being the first to input your feedback. I feel you have raised a very valid point. Grammar is very important in communication without irritation- unless it's an intentional distortion of grammar for the sake of poetry. Even then, you've got to know how to use sound grammar in order to abuse it.

I have noticed a few poems here that have quite a few mistakes. But this is only Heat 1, our poets are still in the process of finding some new ink and flexing their fingers...?

I am waiting eight more hours for our third judge to respond to me (world time difference). If there is nothing, I shall be awarding the points myself(there is currently a three-way tie up for elimination). If there are any objections to this, please raise your voices now.

Apologies again to our 13 challengers. I won't let it happen again. Momentum is key to this tournament.

Awww, Well Thank You Dahlin' (misspelled on purpose, using my southern drawl) lol

Seriously, I just think when you are posting something for a contest we all have a responsibility to check our work carefully.

What a bummer the judges are not taking this seriously enough:(

Maybe you could ask some other members, Abby? I am sure someone like Dixiedaisy would do an excellent job.