Britt's Contest [Round 1 Results!]

Thank you all for your patience! My judge is still having computer issues, but got me their point system by logging in on their phone. Check back for comments for Judge #1 within the next couple of days when they get their computer issue worked out :)

Eight will be eliminated in this round (I know I said 9.. but we had a tie!) I will post the title, the total points, and then the points given along with the comments. Here are the results!

1. In Circles (68)

24 - I liked this poem from the first line. It drew me in with the tone and how the poet addresses the 'you' in the poem. Simple, but it says a lot without revealing too much. Not everything is given away, only hinted at, and this is certainly effective and engages the reader. Perhaps at the beginning the poet is saying that she the 'you' will always see her as having a shadowy side, will have something or has done something they will never fully recover from. The repetition is done effectively and works well, as does the colour imagery. I think there is so much meaning in this poem that by the end the reader realises that they will not know everything about their relationship, but this is ok. It highlights the intensely complicated and ambiguous nature of relationships. Its interesting how the poet puts forward how the two see each other. Its interesting to get two perspectives and how they are described in an abstract way which hint at so much. This one was a winner for me, got me thinking and was well written.

20 - This poem was one that stood out to me a bit more than the rest. I would however do without the 'I guess' part, it seems unnecessary. What I liked is that this poem taught me something, if my research is correct - Enso is a symbol of infinity of Zen Buddhism. I'm not really a religious person at all so I found it interesting how you incorporated it all into your poem. The repetition of 'against my palm' sort of threw me off and didn't sound right, so I'd suggest fixing that part up a bit. Yet perhaps it's a way of emphasizing the symbol and it's meaning of infinity. Not sure, definitely something to ponder about. Whispher' should be whisper I believe. Just a few little things to point out, otherwise, excellent title. Really helps wraps the content of the poem up in a lovely way.

24 - This is amazing, I am speechless, I loved the title I loved the word choice, the message, the impact this poem had on me. I loved the colors in it
the images, the feelings..like seriously I am blown away. A FRONT PAGE. Excellent.

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2. Murk And Murder (67)

23 - The title of this one is appealing and mirrors the almost spooky tone of the poem. The opening image/simile is great and original, and it really drew me into the scene. The poet successfully extends the metaphor to describe the fog. The death or decay imagery is noticeable throughout through not thrown at the reader too strongly; references to 'half-dead grass' and 'rotten leaves' do just enough to paint the grim scene. The metaphor takes on a new twist at the end, when the poet brings themselves back into the scene. I think he/she is referring to the fog as the past, sneaking up to try and uncover things they would rather forget. The poet doesn't lay it out too clearly for us, we have to work to find out the possible meanings in this piece. Unlike many of the other poems in this round, I wouldn't recommend any changes as such and I think it is an accomplished write.

21 - While this poem was a little too predictable for me, I thought it was rather nicely written. It seemed as though rather than showing us through your words what this image looked like, you just told us. Perhaps you should have shown us instead by still using the same metaphor but switching a few things around. Starting the poem saying 'It's December and...' seems boring to me. It feels like there are so many different ways of describing the winter months, yet here you took the simple approach by just saying it. Show us, rather than tell. You do that in a way with the rotted leaves part, but I don't think that's as powerful as it could be. The overall metaphor was excellent though, I can imagine birds pecking at the ground and lingering around for quite a while just like fog does. While this poem had a beautiful tone to it, it was also sort of dark in a way because of the fog. Also, perhaps try to not be so repetitive with 'fog'. I don't think that's necessary. Really love;y poem, one of my favorites for this round.

23 - Super creative, super original, the title is very very catchy, the poem, was just nailed, and right to the point, said so much more than such a little yet big piece would usually tell.

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3. Winter Escape To Barryessa (59)

21 - This had an intimate feel to it that is a characteristic of many good poems. The imagery is splendid, the detail is vivid but not over-emphasised or with the feel that it was forced. It was peaceful in tone and when looking at the title, it gives the feel that this place is a haven away from the real world for these two people. They know each other so well that the poet doesn't have to see the smile on the other's face, I think this was a nice touch and a nice ending. The setting is almost a character in this poem, but essentially it plays as a facilitator to the poet his/her partner as a place where they can operate perhaps as they want to but do not get to very often. For me, this was probably one of the best-written poems in the round, well done.

24 - This is definitely a beautiful piece. I loved how I felt as though I was there also, the imagery was spot on here. I for one, have no idea where Barryessa is so it made me curious. It's hard to find anything wrong with this piece, I was really captivated by it. Very creative and descriptive.

14 - 1st impression, sounded to be personal and then you succeeded in making it much more likable by an outsider. This is one of the best poems I have
read my whole life. I just love every bit about it.

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4. Fire Engine Red (59)

19 - I liked most of the rhyming in this, the kind of internal rhyme gave it a great flow and it was largely managed without being forced or being in a repetitive format. The repetition was similarly effective. I like how a simple task was made interesting and the poem had a certain vitality about it. 'Marvelled at its beauty' was probably the only line I didn't like as I read it: It was just a little cliché I felt especially compared to the rest of the poem. One of the higher quality poems overall in this round though, well done.

22 - Really unique poem here, really had me guessing as to what the poem would be about. Only thing I didn't like about this piece was the ending, I feel it ended on a boring note considering the rest of the poem built me up with curiosity. Other than needing a stronger ending, this is excellent. Loved how you compared the room to the sunset. Also liked 'fire engine red', very specific and gives the poem deeper imagery this way. Well done!

18 - I was very curious to read this when I received it, the title is very wisely chosen, and I was not disappointed. Loved the word choice, loved the organization of your thoughts, was all nailed up!

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5. Farm (57)

18 - I liked the detailed imagery in this poem that is the strongest point of the poem. It is described by an observant eye seemingly familiar with the surroundings. It described an everyday scene, rooted in reality. The ending seemed interesting in that it seemed to be written from the point of view of the horses, but this is a little unclear. The poet is objective and doesn't really praise or condemn the life on the farm and this is a good thing; the end in particular is open to interpretation. It could be viewed as 'oh no not another day on the farm' or equally as 'yes, another day on the farm,' but essentially the farm just is. It exists in all its detail and is similar to any farm the reader may have seen. Enjoyable read.

23 - The description of this piece was above and beyond my expectations. Perhaps you could have done without the 'hot as hades' part since that is a cliche, but aside from that the metaphors and imagery were very well thought out. Quite a clever piece, definitely gave a different view of a farm aside from what one normally thinks of. Several of the images really gave that old and rundown feel of the farm which makes it unique in itself. Some of your images make the reader do some further research, for example I couldn't figure out what verandah and Macracarpa hedge were, but all in all great piece, clearly very well thought out!

16 - this is just amazing, brilliant work. A style that I miss, I need, crave for. this poem is absolutely
a "fresh air". It's so rich, more like a treasure
of poems itself. Claps, whoever you are, you
deserve to be called a POET/ESS!!

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6. Lonely December (52)

16 - This poem has the feel of morality or of a life lesson learned. Im not sure about the meaning of the ending, it intrigued me and I probably took from it that the poet has learned to leave past troubles or difficulties behind and concentrate on the positive and concrete. Leaving the rest unwritten is well worded and appropriate for the end of a poem especially. The second line of the first stanza was a little confusing and made me stop for a second to try and read it correctly. Other than that it was quite an interesting poem that maybe, if anything, left the reader guessing a little too much. But maybe that's just me!

17 - To me this seems as though someone has lost someone dear to them and are finding it hard to express how they're feeling. Yet they know it's something beyond their control and thus it makes sense to let things express themselves instead, by remaining unwritten. Raw poem that's full of emotion, grasps the heart and is a bit nostalgic.

19 - I loved this poem, the sadness was drenched already through the title, and I am addicted to such poems, the word choice, images and definitely the concept got under my skins, this must be my very favorite poem!

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7. Unconditional Stupidity (50)

12 - This poem was a bit different and although I felt not all of it worked, it had some good aspects. Firstly, Im not sure about the start of the last stanza with the 'now not now' part. I think it was a little unnecessary and the father and further line is a bit jumbled too. I like the third stanza after that however. 'I love dying for you' works just about I think, the poem isn't really cliché overall so the poet can get away with it. I don't particularly like the use of the word 'brain' either, I couldn't see how a thing like irrationally could enter your head in such a physical manner. 'Thoughts' or something along the line may have been better. But that is just a relatively small thing. The poem was quite good overall, and I felt as if maybe the writer was experimenting a little. At times it came across as if they were trying a little too hard but overall it fell into place quite well.

18 - I thought this was a decent poem overall. Made me think of how they said love is unconditional but here obviously this person is blinded by your love, hence the stupidity bit. You really made the whole cliche 'I'd die for you' thing more interesting, to truly show that you'd die for them. I must admit however I got a bit thrown off at the 'You are farther and further', I don't believe this works, it doesn't sound right to me. Otherwise a nice job.

20 - Let me be much short, I thought I had my top
favorite poems, and then I had yours coming in!
Well done...I will nominate this once it's posted up.

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8. Kofi (46)

15 - This stood out in terms of content from the other poems: it was totally different to anything else. I really like the first stanza: short and to the point but makes the reader want to read on, like at the beginning of a story. I wondered if the Kofi of the title referred to anybody in particular. I like the ending also, one that is very true and is hinted at throughout the poem: that of the powerlessness of a slave. Perhaps the ending would have been even more effective though if the poem had been a little shorter and had not touched upon choices already. If the reader didn't explicitly know the person was a slave already the ending may have had an even bigger impact. Another small fault I have is that at the back of my mind, the poem doesn't feel authentic as it was written about somebody from their point of view by somebody else. This is not the poets fault as such, just in the back of the mind as a reader. Perhaps it may have been more believable to write the poem in the third person to avoid this, but overall quite an interesting read.

19 - I wasn't quite sure who this person was of whom you speak of, but the metaphors were excellent and really provided quite a bit of characterization of this person, who was a slave it seems. Perhaps he is someone you really respect. It seems as though this came out of a history book, yet in a good way. I really adore the style this poet uses, everything is placed perfectly to have that perfect affect on you as you read each line. Quite the unique topic to use for a poem.

12 - I definitely enjoyed this poem, a poem that
wraps up your attention from the very 1st line,
a poem to reread, a poem to enjoy and smile
while reading, a poem to feel with, a poem to
interact with, a poem to die and know who the hell
wrote it!

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9. Breezing Along With The Breeze (44)

7 - First off I have to say I do not like the ending footnote. It shouldn't be necessary to back up the message of the poem in a summarising line such as that. The title also didn't really appeal to me. Onto the poem itself, and it shows some prospect. The second half of the first stanza I had some trouble with though: 'flavourful' doesn't sound right and sounds like it should possibly be 'flavoured.' Also I found it hard to image fields heaving beneath the earth: aren't fields on the face/surface of Earth? In the second stanza, Im not sure if 'drawn' is used correctly and 'the wonderful World' seems a little cliché. However, the poem is somewhat thought-provoking and the last stanza is my favourite, it wraps it up nicely and brings the reader back to the message.

15 - I don't know if I was all that fond of your title, but the message overall was great. We should all step back and appreciate the Earth for it's beauty and giving us a chance to be surrounded by such beauty each day. Not much to say here, pretty simple and straight forward, leaving us to ponder at the end.

22 - Now that gave me chills, yes I have stopped
to feel the breeze, but reading this original poem
I think I might have to go find new sensations
again. you blew me off and turned some
good desires inside of me. Perfect.

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10. Panalol (42 + 2BP = 44)

17 - I thought this was quite an original piece and I think the play on the word panadol works to a certain extent. I quite like the opening, it's quite simple but descriptive at the same time. I like the third stanza, the use of 'weary' is effective. One fault I would have would be the stanzas are broken up a little too much, I don't see much reason to have so many one lines on their own. Also the end is a little confusing, while the 'your sense of humour has killed me' is an interesting thought the bit preceeding it makes the reader think you didn't get better, and it's a little uncler if you are 'alive' or 'dead' at the end. Overall though it was quite an interesting topic that could be improved further by cleaning up the ending.

4 - This was a lot different than the other poems, but I must say I didn't really understand the point of it. I see there was a play on words perhaps with the word Panalol, since lol means laugh out loud and I'm assuming there is a prescription close to this name, but yours ties in with the sense of humor thing. I guess I didn't really prefer this play on words, it's clever and all but the poem itself doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me.

21 - Now that was super creative, I love this
I love originality! And this is super original,
no bet to be on the top of the poems. I bet this is
a winner too! A front page worthy...

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11. Succumb (41)

20 - I thought this had many possible meanings, and was open to interpretation. On one level I think it was about poetry, or the act of writing, and its failure to be able to portray your emotions the way you wanted. It also probably reflected the poets life, something happening maybe that he/she didn't want to happen and a sense of helplessness that nothing could be done about it. For a short write I think this had quite a lot in it. I felt it was well worded overall (I liked 'stitched in cliché') and I think most people could relate to wanting to scream out across the city at some point. This one made me think. Good job

8 - There were parts of this poem I really liked and others that could be improved upon. Thoughts being tangled has been used so many times, I feel you could do better with that. However, emotions being alien was clever and worked. I didn't really like how the tense of the poem switched at the end. It doesn't quite work, I feel you should just stick to one perspective rather than two. I think the poem ended quite strong though, minus the repetition of 'frustration'. This surely has potential to be better, but isn't a terrible poem. I hope you keep working on it after the contest.

13 - Excellent, this is amazingly written,
very simple, not as creative as the other
poems, but it did leave a great impact.
I loved this part the most where you said
I wish to script this
frustration
into a lovely romance
but all that remains is
bitter, vacant, numb"

Like wow, serioulsy i need to know your identity!

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12. Two Pianos (39 + 1BP = 40)

22 - Even though it was long (maybe unnecessarily long at times) I felt this poem had more of an emotional impact than any other in this round. The poet really managed to allow the reader inside the world of Mrs. Lowe. I like how the public side to her is described, the side all the neighbours knows, and then when on her own, her personal side comes out when we learn about her past and her love. The image of her playing the piano with his picture in the music holder at the end of the day is a great one: sad, nostalgic and intimate all at once. I can almost see her and her sitting room with the two pianos. I like the tone for the most part also, quite matter of fact and isn't overly emotional, the emotion comes from the images. Its quite story-like but I quite liked this: its almost as if it could be referring to any old woman the reader might know. I really liked this piece and although it is a little long, I wouldn't recommend changing it for fear of losing any of the emotional impact or character.

6 - Though it seemed like more of a story to me, it was well described and easy to interpret. Not quite sure if this is a famous pianist
or someone you know in your life, made me wonder. Overall this wasn't a terrible poem, but maybe a little too bland for me. While it has a poetic feel to it, I was hoping for more. Maybe it would read more like a poem if Mrs. Lowe wasn't repeated several times. I can see potential though I wasn't all that interested.

11 - I will not comment on this..I really can't say much when I am speechless. Just one word: Brilliant!

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13. Mysterious Discrepancy (32)

14 - This was indeed mysterious, I didn't feel I knew what was really going on. It seemed to deal with the guilt of a man after committing a crime. What interested me though was the reference to the child at the end: that line was like a twist in a murder-mystery. Its in a way a tantalising manner to end the poem, the reader wants to find out more about the child. But if you go on to describe it, that curiosity is gone so I feel the end kind of works on one level. It had its faults but it was interesting and I would like to see it reposted in perhaps a revised, more structured manner.

11 - This poem definitely reflects it's title. Very mysterious feel to it, definitely had me interested how the different images and such connected. Perhaps you could have made your poem flow a bit better however. Lots of fillers which can dampen the flow a bit, and I think it did. Be careful with that,
otherwise I thought this poem had a lot of interesting content and drew me in.

7 - I love what I'm reading, but it was a bit jumbled,
I can't really say it was strong, though the word
choice was, but the organization of thoughts
and the way you portrayed your metaphors
needed perhaps more lines to be clear...er.

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14. Untitled (31)

6 - This didn't really interest me too much simply because there are so many poems similar to it written before. That doesn't take anything away from the possible importance of the poem to the poet, its just for this contest I didn't think it was the best. There are plenty of clichés, too many for the poem to be rated highly in a contest in my opinion. But it did flow quite nicely and the third and fourth stanzas are particularly musical.

10 - You have some great metaphors here to describe what it's like to lose someone but for them to still be in your life looking down on you. Some I probably wouldn't have thought of myself. I would have however maybe liked it a bit more if you would have spread these metaphors out rather than hitting us with them all in the first stanza, may have been a little more interesting this way.

15 - I love that this was not forced, it was very interesting to reach that closing stanza, seriously I think this is one of those poems that you would want to go and read again!

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15. Shattered Heart (30)

10 - I think the poet did quite well to fit the syllables into the form, but the poem lacked a certain creativity. I got the feel as I read it that it had been machine-crafted on an assembly line to specific instructions as opposed to other poems which were hand-crafted originals. It came out as a solid, acceptable piece but quite common. The form is restrictive, and the poet does quite well with it but I felt they were shooting themselves in the foot by selecting such a form in this contest.

16 - Great attempt at the Nonet. You were the only poet to write a form for this round and did a great job. One of my favorite forms, nice job expressing yourself with such simplicity.

4 - I appreciate it more being a Nonet, but I cannot say this was very creative, it was not bad, but was very normal. nothing much special or new about it.
A well written one...that's all.

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16. Sharpened Tongue (30)

13 - This poem was interesting but just comes up short of achieving its potential. The first stanza was nearly worded well but 'knife of memories' and 'nestled by the point of destruction' seem a little off. Its hard to describe: they just didn't really seem to work like they ought to have. I think 'led' is a typo, Im not sure what was meant by it. The end is quite interesting and revealing, if a little sudden and seems to flow well. Overall I think this poem has potential but something about it I find hard to pin down just doesn't work for me. Maybe there are too many similes and metaphors and not enough description of more concrete imagery. It got me thinking but ultimately faieled to really capture me.

7 - This is another poem that has much potential but may have tried too hard in my opinion. I feel like there was a lot of repetition
of which could have been more condensed to make your thoughts a bit more straight forward. I don't think 'nestled' quite works all that well with how their words are nearly stabbing you with pain like a knife. Nestled is more of a soft word if you get what I'm saying. You need something more powerful here. I just felt as though you kept telling us the same thing over and over. I feel like more thought could go into this unfortunately. Seems a little forced.

10 - the title was interesting, but not as much as the poem itself, were it was unique by its own thoughts,
but was not much creative. Not as much as I thought it would be.

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17. Invisible Terrorist (27)

5 - I think the title possibly gives away too much here, it might be more interesting if the reader didn't know at the start they were about to read about a terrorist. It was an original viewpoint and interesting from that perspective, but I think it was somewhat a missed opportunity to write from such a unique point of view. 'Face it mayflies, your life is oh so short' - I didn't really like this sudden reference to mayflies, and the end with the 'yours sincerely' doesn't really work very well for me. The third stanza has a little too many long words I felt and was a bit too openly political if you understand. I may have liked to have seen this more about his emotions, his personal thoughts, rather than the message or political ideals he follows. There are good aspects to this poem; the images are provoking and interesting. You don't usually get poems that make you see a terrorist walking around amongst people. But overall I think the poem had potential that wasnt fully realised.

5 - Too many spelling mistakes for my taste [check your spelling]. Another thing I wasn't too keen on was the letter format of the poem, I don't feel it was really all that necessary. The poem as a whole though made me think about how a mirror reflects the truth and we have to face it, which is a very true statement in regards to society. I thought the title worked quite well with this since it is what you'd call 'our worst enemy'. Also, the usage of 'egalitarianism' was a bit much. Words like these disrupt the flow and are a bit of a speed bump, make sure to watch out for that.

17 - Very impressive, very unique, a poem mostly with a special creative touch. I loved the idea behind it, though the opening was not as strong the closing stanza but this is on my top favorites so far.
Well done.

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18. Untitled #2 (24)

11 - I liked the opening of this poem, especially the use of the word 'strut' which I found effective. I might lay off the light and dark imagery a little though in this piece. I know its central to the poem but maybe one reference would have sufficed or even better, if an original metaphor could have been conjured up. Overall a lot of descriptions were quite good, such as 'snowblindness,' and it was just about the right length. Im not sure why the lines are formatted the way they are, or if there is a reason behind them. Overall quite an acceptable piece which showed promise.

12 - I really didn't think "Are you there?" "Can you hear me?" - is all that necessary. Everything else though sounded great. I liked your ending. Maybe not the most excellent poem but decent enough to make it to the next round.

1 - I think this was a bit weaak, it was more like
talking rather than writing a poem, though
there is vulnerability but it wasn't expressed
the right way.

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19. Remnants Is All That Remains (24)

1 - Both the title and the first few lines turned me off this poem to be honest. The title is stating the obvious, remnants by definition are the things that remain. I didn't feel the rhyme at the start was all that fluent and having read many other poems already, this didn't create a good first impression. The language isn't very poetic, with words such as 'very bottom' and the & symbol. No punctuation was used and this added to the sloppy, rough at the edges feel to the poem. The message is somewhat interesting, there is a feeling the poet does have something to say, but it was hard to overlook the faults in this piece to be honest.

14 - It seems as though this person has told many sins in their life and now is asking for forgiveness yet perhaps not being granted with it, because they feel as though their actions cannot be undone or forgiven for they don't feel they deserve it, yet still reach out to God with hope that he will. Pretty straight forward piece to me personally, the only thing I'd change is the and symbols to the actual word. It looks sloppy otherwise. Also, it seems to me that 'Remnants Are All That Remain' would sound a bit better. I like your message though, a nice poem.

9 - Well this is sad, this is emotional, this is well written, but this is not one of the best written, if not in a competition this would be purely great, but if compared to the other poems I've read, I can't say this is on my top favorites. But neat work!

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20. What Conquers All? (23)

4 - I didn't like the title here. It asked a question that the poem answered, but the reader knew the answer to the question before the poem began so that made the poem predictable and the ending unremarkable. The descriptions in the first two stanzas are quite vague. Eyes and hearts and minds are all mentioned, who owns them? Where is the person behind them? Some of the word choice was quite good, but overall it was a little confusing and anti-climatic.

13 - The beginning makes me imagine a couple with their eyes locked, looking deep into their each other's hearts with love, and following
their hearts rather than their minds. I liked how there was no sugar coating, just simplicity. I liked how doubts and deviously sounded together, really thought that worked well. The poem makes me think of love and how it endures all. You've penned something quite simple here, only thing I would suggest is perhaps not using so many pronouns but rather taking them out in a way and still making the poem flow. Title was nice as well, makes you think before reading the poem and at the end it's answered.

6 - the most thing loved about this, was the hope
it held at the end of the poem, the closing line held this sparkle, sweet to be seen in such pieces. However this could be better if you work harder on showing rather than telling.

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21. Talking Tall (15 + 3BP = 18)

3 - I found the rhyme distracting in this poem. I think too much focus went on trying to make the poem rhyme and unnecessary 'filler' words were put in to make it rhyme which to be honest is never a very good idea. It is a little clumsy in parts also, e.g. most observers have got me wrong. This just wasn't very poetic. While the content may have significance for the poet, the reader just isn't really able to engage with it, I think mainly because of the rhyming scheme.

9 - I was quite surprised to read this poem, because by just reading the title I thought it may have been about someone having a huge ego and being selfish. But to my surprise it was a bit different than what I expected, while still having a bit of that concept mixed in. Definitely had me guessing
throughout the whole piece, I thought it may have been about the moon but by the time I reached the end of the poem I had different thoughts. Six feet tall made me think of hell since it's said to be six feet under. The poem definitely shifts abruptly this way but keeps you on your toes and thinking. Also really thought the rhyming added to the piece quite a bit.

3 - I love the flow, but only when the poem was flowing, as it felt forced at certain parts. Though it was deep but this could have been better if given perhaps a bit more freedom of thoughts, rather than focusing on the rhythm.

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22. You Don't Have To Like Me (16)

8 - Another poem where I felt the rhyme was restrictive and disruptive. It added nothing to the poem but took a lot away; forcing the rhyme really annoys the reader and diverts them from the poem. Ive seen worse than this poem but still the rhyme is distracting. The poem has no real original quality to it either I felt. That being said, I quite liked the tone of defiance and self-assuredness in this poem that mirrored the content. Ive seen worse, but Ive seen better too.

3 - I don't think your rhyming quite worked here, it was really forced and at the end of the poem the same words were being repeated at the end of lines, which I didn't feel worked either. Of course I understand what you're saying in this poem, but it didn't really intrigue me all that much and I didn't gather a whole lot out of it other than actions speak louder than words, and when you know you love someone and they love you you'll know. You don't have to express that emotion to them. 'If you ever will like me' doesn't sound right to me, a bit off. I think with some revising and such, this poem could be a bit better. Needs improvement in my opinion. So unfortunately, I must score this poem low.

5 - I appreciate the emotions, and the message.
But this was not worked on well, not that hard...
I don't think the writer worked on the metaphors
or the poem itself, as much as the rest of the
writers. But hats off, nope no body has to like you ;) Loved the strength.

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23. Family Idol (13)

9 - I found this to be one of the most difficult poems to read. It had many grammar or phrasal mistakes, and I wondered if they were intentional seeing as they were coming from 'maths.' But it made the poem hard to read and hard to rate also. Making intentional errors in the text can backfire unless they are done sparingly and with a purpose. While I praise the idea of trying something different, and while it made me think, it also made me scratch my head in places. There was a rawness about this poem that was both its appeal and downfall. Certainly different but needed to be delivered in a more coherent way to rate more highly.

2 - I didn't really understand your poem, aside from the obvious. Too many grammar issues and confusion. I found it hard to finish reading this poem because I was a bit lost. This just looks lazily done, things aren't capitalized properly. Wishing this would have captured my attention a bit more but it didn't unfortunately.

2 - I also think though this is emotional somehow,
but it was also expressed the wrong way for me
as a poet or a reader I would have preferred if
there have been some twists or creativity.

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24. Dead Illusion (11)

2 - The symbol mistakes put me off a little but mainly the poem didn't really grab me. The use of the word 'thee' is the first stanza wasn't effective. The second stanza focuses too much on rhyme that for me doesn't really work and I didn't relish seeing it repeated later. It did have some emotion to it but wasn't founded in anything much. What is it that causes her such pain? Overall Im sorry to say this one wasn't really much to my liking.

1 - I must give you props on a strong ending, the usage of a question always leave the reader in thought. The repetition also added to the poem a bit, but once again, I'm afraid spelling mistakes ruined this for me.

8 - this and I am sorry if I will be pain in the ass, but it's really cliche, I did not feel nor find any interesting part, nothing that pulled my attention, except for the vulnerability which is pure! Other than that I felt you could have went a bit more creative. But better than some others regarding clarity and thoughts organization.

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POETS ELIMINATED THIS ROUND:

Invisible Terrorist
Untitled #2
Remnants Is All That Remains
What Conquers All?
Talking Tall
You Don't Have To Like Me
Family Idol
Dead Illusion

Thank you to those who participated, and thank you judges for all the hard work! This wasn't easy! Keep your eye out for round #2 ;)

This is way very interesting!! Thanks britt for running this fun fun contest :D

Good work, judges. Hope we get the comments soon from the last judge.

Should be within the next few days.. coming in from their phone. Yikes.

After reading the comments it is easy to see why poem #7 scored 50 points... jk

Wow, this is a awesome contest and I am glad to see there is a bunch of participation. The judges are doing a very wonderful job and so is Britt. :)

Thanks Jad :)

I hope to have my last comments in today. The judge is doing all of this by phone :/ Yikes

COMMENTS HAVE BEEN ADDED! They are the first set of comments for every poem. :)

Thanks for the updates Britt! :)

Most insightful comments!

Nice comments. I am glad to see such good feedback from the judges. :]