Weekly Winners 5/30

There was a bit of a mix-up this week, where one judge asked to have a vote placed for them, but it wasn't gotten to quickly enough to beat the automatic posting of the winners that occurs on Monday. As it stands, "Of Nature and Nobles," "Rain Tonight (Mixed Poetry Forms)" and "The Poet's Mind is an Exercise in Search and Rescue" are on the front page. According to votes, however, Yakzzz's "I Just Hope" should be among them. I urge people to give particular attention to this poet, as she's written a front page win, but isn't on the front page.

Congratulations to all nominees!

Of Nature and Nobles by Narphangu

"This poem had a good grasp at the simplicity in life and it is so easy to think back when reading this poem about how we used to do the exact things described in this poem. This poem also had some nice imagery that really opened up the window for me to feel, see, and even taste the poem with the descriptions the writer creates." (10)

I adored the similes used throughout the poem.
"Drunk on tulip nectar" and "fill the empty fridge with crates of indoor discontent, then lock it" are very creative lines and my favorite two in the poem. I loved the imagery and thought process of this very unique and intriguing poem. Two thumbs up on the delivery and impact." (10)

"This writer has a great love of words and whimsy... so much so that I'd caution her to exercise some more control over her imagery here as the vividness is almost too glaring and overstated. The reader cannot quite breathe as they are rushed from one gushing scene to the next. Here, though, it is forgivable. There is a delightful, drunken frenzy being portrayed at the prospect of Spring that simply cannot help bubbling forth." (10)

Rain Tonight (Mixed Poetry Forms) by Meena Krish

"The talent and creativity being exhibited by this poet through this piece is more than commendable. Loved the delicate touch of the title (which is the theme), that's probably because I love the rain. Four different types of poetry forms in a poem without forcing the words to fit is truly a talent. Keep it up!" (10)

"By far one of the more creative poems that I have seen. The forms were correct in every way from what I saw and the fact that incorporated four forms into one poem is simply astounding." (7)

I Just Hope by Yakzzz
Link to poem - http://www.poems-and-quotes.com/sad/poems.php?id=1164532

"This poem was sincere, the pain was evident and I thought the poet used beautiful metaphors to depict emotions. The tone was what caught my attention, elegant, thoughtful and yet it still depicted much sorrow. The imagery was pleasing to my imagination and I found myself reminiscing with the writer. A well written piece that held my interest from start to finish."

-To elaborate a little more on what I wrote last week, I thought the metaphors in this poem were strong, the writer has written from such a personal level and yet the audience is able to relate to her words. Stanza 9, first line, "its" ="It's" & also some words are capitalized when they shouldn't be, and some aren't capitalized when they should be. None the less a poem with an impact. (10)

The Poet's Mind is an Exercise in Search and Rescue by Thomas

"What I loved most about this poem was the title setting the stage for the delivery of the poem. I loved the inquisitive nature of the poem itself. Are we geniuses or just mad?" (4)

"Quite a unique and startling write, given the subject. Ending was a bit forced though." (4)

Honourable Mentions:

Cancer by silvershoes TC

"One would truly have to read deeper into this poem to than just a surface read to catch the depth, power and meaning behind this write. On first read, some just may not truly get it, on second read, I found myself being able to relate with so much of this poem. Not to diminish from the power of the disease I believe there are a lot of things in our lives that could be described as a cancer. This poem is relative on both levels in that respect. I became bound with emotion the more I read it. It will hit home to a lot of people that take the time to actually read it. Wonderful but tearful read." (7)

Berry Picking by Larry Chamberlin

"This is a let's-read-around-the-fire poem. Its subject and description somehow reminds me fondly of Les Murray's "The Broad Bean Sermon". It is gentle, charming, modest and genuine. Its merit lies in its evocative minutiae. I liked the descriptions, the reminiscing comparisons, the purple grin. It was pretty pie-good." (7)

Now by the Queen

"What first caught my attention when reading this poem was the length and the fact the poem didn't stumble once. It's hard to pull off a flow as the writer has here, especially when each stanza is long and filled with many beautiful images and emotions. This poem was both simple and complex, simple for the wording and yet complex with emotions. Elegant throughout and I found it evoked much emotion within me. The tone is perhaps what caught my attention next, it was soft, sweet and yet it held such sadness. I felt myself on a journey with a little bird, however I did realize that the bird was a metaphor but the idea of the bird helped create an innocent feeling over the atmosphere." (7)

Insignificance by Courageous Dreamer

"Again the writer uses nature to create beautiful imagery into the readers mind. I found myself enchanted by the image of copper leaves skimming cement, and the idea of wind chimes created an elegant sound into my mind and worked with creating the tone of the piece. The only thing I suggest for this poem is the fact I didn't feel the last line was necessary, you already mentioned insignificance in the last line of the first stanza and I assume you are probably going for repetition but it wasn't needed as the reader has already grasped the concept of the poem by the time they get to the ending." (4)

Sinking Soldier by Abed

"I think what drew me to this poem was the over powering simplicity and how this happens so many times in life is sad. The pain this poems describes is really felt by some people and I feel this author has written the emotions out well." (4)

Obsidian by Karla (4)

Congratulations to everyone, all well deserved. Keep up the fantastic work.

Congratulations to all.

Congrats! I agree with Joe.

Congrats all!

Congrats too all, I concur with Joe and Auzy: great stuff. Also a big thank you to the judges for taking the time and the effort to pick their weekly favorites with so much care:0)

Congratulations winners, HM's and Yaki :D

We have four winners! o.0 Well, congratulations to the four of you and I hope you all know that those poems were fantastic and very deserving. Thank you judges and nominators for making all this stuff possible. Congrats! :]

Congratulations to all the winners

verb (used without object), pored, poring.
1.
to read or study with steady attention or application: a scholar poring over a rare old manuscript.
2.
to gaze earnestly or steadily: to pore over a painting.
3.
to meditate or ponder intently (usually followed by over, on, or upon ): He pored over the strange events of the preceding evening.
pore verb (used without object), pored, por·ing.
1.
to read or study with steady attention or application: a scholar poring over a rare old manuscript.
2.
to gaze earnestly or steadily: to pore over a painting.
3.
to meditate or ponder intently (usually followed by over, on, or upon ): He pored over the strange events of the preceding evening.
The Poet's Mind is an Exercise in Search and Rescue
by Thomas

f"or oil, or something like that.
Doctors pored over my body
searching through the various"

I don't want to go to the penalty box for adding fuel to a debate , but could it be possible that the judges noticed a period after oil and the authors use of the word pored is correct?

Omg bob its yakzzz you put the 'yakazzz' on purpose didn't you -_-' silly old you! Thank you alll!!!

Well done to the four of you. An enjoyable collection of winning poems this week :)

Congratsssssss :)amazing poems..like each week..well done

Congrats to the 4 winners and HMs

Nice front page, well done all. Wow, the judges' awards were all over the place this week (except for Narph's poem). Just one vote dictated a winner! That doesn't happen often.

I suggest that the mods appoint new moderators soon- at least two that live on different time zones would be preferred so this sort of mishap is minimised. And without ovaries, just to make things fair.

I'm surprised at Bob's admiration of Yakzzz's poem. I would have expected an "I-sore" response from him. Personally, I felt the majority of the writing in this piece, though sincere and better than the average quality on this website, was quite unoriginal. It was a heartfelt outpouring, which I appreciate, and the emotions were clearly depicted- but that was all. I was told how the writer felt, I was even shown how the writer felt. But the writer didn't make ME feel. I was simply an observer of a private monologue. There are, of course, differences in writer's motives- some write for themselves, some for others, some for both. Skilled writers should always keep their readers in mind. An emotional poem tends to be quite selfish because of the writer's natural focus. But I think much of the challenge in writing a poem is to use common emotions (sorrow, loss, love, hope, awe etc) and work them to express feelings which are not actually emotions at all, but something, directly or indirectly, new.

I know that many won't agree with my opinion on Yakzzz's poem, but I am interested in people's thoughts on how personal emotions should be handled in poetry that is written for other readers.

Fair post until you went a bit ad hominem on me at the end. Let me know which lesser winning CLUB poems I've raved about. I don't do it very often.

Your rules for poetry keep estranging me. No more than two 'I's per poem? Ouch. That is quite a blanket notion. To a poet, there should be no word that has less value than another because the poet should know how to make each word count. There is a difference between this and an 'I-sore' poem that is merely self-centred.

I must say that I find the new style of congratulations more interesting . Even the best of poems are rarely remembered after their proverbial fifteen minutes of fame . I will confess that I was not familiar with Thomas's use of the word pore, and a poor rating is mostly unpleasant for a poet that attempts to pour forth his or her spirit in an accepted style of poetry. To be honest as far as useful critiques I am over rated with the gold award because the general public love of true feelings are not unconditional for strangers.

The creator saw the light was good, but could not leave well enough alone.

Mirror who is the fairest?
Yakzzz you are bad, but your poem is excellent :}
http://youtu.be/ROprP41yB_E

Too much "I" use don't really bother me as long as it plays a role in the poem, or it creates a personal effect from whoever the speaker of the poem is.

"filler" words aren't really as bad as filler lines or filler stanzas.

Your rules for poetry keep estranging me. No more than two 'I's per poem? Ouch. That is quite a blanket notion. To a poet, there should be no word that has less value than another because the poet should know how to make each word count. There is a difference between this and an 'I-sore' poem that is merely self-centred.

^^

When I first joined this site I was told this "rule"about the filler words (articles). I could accept this to some degree, after all: there should be a difference between every day language and poetic wording. But to have a poem without (hardly any) articles seems forced to me too. Many well known, famous poets use(d) articles abundantly, yet make/ made beautiful works of art. On here I see Sibbylene do that too, yet she is one of the most gifted poets on here ( this is my personal opinion, which I am entitled too and I felt this way about her before she became a mod and no, she and I are not befriended)

I think it is about the WAY a poet uses language and the MESSAGE he or she has to share with the world that makes for an interesting read. I don't think a dull and boring individual could ever come up with something memorable, even if he or she knows how to use the language/ apply formats flawlessly.

There is that basic rule of "getting rid of everything unless you can't", and I actually take an issue on that especially if you put it strictly.

The music and sound of many poems actually benefit from the use of articles. The repetition of "I" in most poems (published) actually leads the rhythm of the piece. Sometimes an extra syllable is needed.

You cannot constraint your taste on such an arbitrary rule. If I honestly commit myself to detesting poems with too many "I"'s I'd probably have to clean my library almost half of its content.

but ofcourse, there are some considerations and exceptions...

Congrats winners.

"seldom is it used tactfully here."
Ah yes, with 'here' being the operative word, I agree with you. Most submitted poetry is rarely any good here, in terms of reading it. But I was referring to the good stuff, and writing good stuff. Here, my feelings lie with ABC and Ingrid.
Speaking of good stuff, I think you are hinting at my open and shameless love affair with all things sibyllene. Yes, she is one of the very few I rave about on this site, so I may be biased. But show me one poem of hers that is less winning than the poem I referred to above, and I'll... disagree with you with flair.

Heh heh, that is good stuff. You had a holiday? What for? We have one coming up for the Queen's Birthday. Except her actual birthday was back in April. We don't celebrate it then because we have too many other public holidays at that time and we want to spread them out. Poor old Queenie with her globally shifting birthdays.

I'm glad you agree that sibyllene's poetry is undeniably terrific. I was rather prepared to argue with you about it, damn. She is a master at making "filler words" unnoticeable. So you must mean Jane? Which poem did I rave about?

Yeah, Bob, rave is a bit of a strong word in that case, HA. I don't recall you did anything to point out any weaknesses either back then. We must both be very accepting people.

Big head, huh. So he mustn't take after his father at all then...? ha. Apparently, we are genetically programmed to think things with big eyes and large heads are cute so that we nurture and protect them. I reckon your baby is getting that by the bucketload.

Congrats to all

I realize that I'm an average poet, that people are biased toward me because I'm a mod, that friends are accepting of my subpar skills because they're my friends, and that Bob, you think I'm a bad poet because you don't like me and because I use lots of I's and free verse.
Abby doesn't rave about my poems. Don't know where you got that.

Anything else? If you're going to hint at me, go the whole 9 yards and use my name. Thankssss.

Congratulations winners, all deserved as usual!

Thanks guys. :) Congrats winners and HM's, I thought everything nominated was really strong this week, so no surprise on the four winners thing.

You need to calm down, Bob. Who cares if you think I'm a bad poet? I don't. Can't recall if you've ever said it directly, but you do seem to make side-wise comments often enough for me to piece together your opinion.

"I simply said you had won the contest with less and abby didn't say anything about that but she felt compelled to comment on Yakzzz's poem..."

Why bring me into it at all if you can't handle my response? Very funny.

The main reason I felt 'compelled' to comment on Yakzzz's poem was because of the recent change in approach to these weekly threads. If Bob wants me to compare its merits with a poem from Jane, I can easily do that. But it's not what I intended from this discussion. I wanted people to offer their opinion on my opinion, and to discuss how strong and personal emotions can best be handled in poetry. Not this mindless drivel again.

"I simply said a club member won with lesser...."
You provoked the issue as soon as you said that.

I agree with you. I'd appreciate it too.

And yes, I shall now return to the strapping bosom of my protector and become enfolded by her armoured wings as she observes the Bob creature skulk off once more, and her sword winks in the milk of moonlight.

And yes, I shall now return to the strapping bosom of my protector and become enfolded by her armoured wings as she observes the Bob creature skulk off once more, and her sword winks in the milk of moonlight.

^
LMAO!! What a poetic response :')

"Now you're acting stupid"
Disrespectful. Typical Bob.

"I didn't bring you into it, you did and so did abby, I simply said a club member won with lesser....."
No, you brought me into it. You're not as sneaky as you think, sorry.

"stop cluttering up the thread with your bullshit whimpering"
Another disrespectful comment. Please take your own advice and stop cluttering threads with derogatory posts.

"I'm not going to argue this dumbshit with you"
Do you know how to argue with someone without being vulgar?

Omgg.... Don't meant to be rude or anything...but we all know bob....we love him for being bob...stop taking things so seriously....jeez,people can't even control themselfs behind a computer screen..-____-'

You are asking a mod to not take the rules of PnQ seriously. I don't care who it is - if you are disrespectful, you will be penalized. Bob is already given more lenience than most members.

I was merely pointing out the hypocrisy, not threatening you. Insult me. I have no interest in penalizing you for doing so, just make sure you keep directing the slander at me... the second you turn it on someone else, I will be there to stop you. Enough is enough.

This is an older poem by Meena Krish, a Haiku and I want to show it to you. Meena is a low profile kind of person, but I think she is a great poet and this particular poem won a long time ago, rightfully so, as did this weeks win:

The Ocean( String Haiku)

Under her blanket
discovery awaits of
long ago treasures

Many a story
and forgotten memories
slumber in darkness

She is majestic
a lovely woman in blue
with erratic moods

The way she dances
and her seducing physique
irresistible

Why do I go off topic? I think we should talk about our hobby more;)

Thank you for the win and congrats to the other winners and HM's. Thank you also judges for taking the time and effort you put in each week. Thanks Ingrid..

If I may interrupt, I think it would help the members if a link to the poems (mainly the HM's) are also posted in the initial post. Thank you.

I'd really like to read them.

As for the weekly winners, Narp and Meena's poems were above average and very well deserved. Thomas' is arguably the third best the past week, so kudos too. I'd probably put Yakzzz' part of the HM's at most. But that's just my opinion.

Good idea, at least for the 4th winning poem this week. I'll add the link tomorrow when I'm near a computer.