Simulacrum Contest- Round 1 [ RESULTS]

Hello,

Sorry for the wait...

Two of my judges couldn't make it for X-reasons, therefore, everyone received 25 points from one judge and I filled in for the other one. I tried to be as fair as possible. But between you and my judges.... this was tough, and so we tried to be as tough as possible... by the way, you will know which one is my comment.

# 1

Salem

Amber shades are mere reflections
of a time long ago, hidden twixt
the iris of a mystery, such as a
lost book of shadows in a burning haystack.

She was labeled witch, but the memory
of her strength lives on, midst the flames
of devilish ignorance and mice to cheese,
the trap was set, the innocent shall succumb.

Death trapped her purity, as the marigold
faltered in the wind of transparent anger;

the sin was an explosive, which ignited
her spirit to feather fall, like a cloud of
confetti, landing upon a silent town called-

Salem

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Judge # 1

I loved the similes the author used throughout this beautiful verse. They were so very well placed that I had to hunt them down! Some very nice, mystical images were provided which I did enjoy very much.

One thing I would question, in the last stanza did you mean explosive? Personally, I think explosion would have been a better choice. [24 points ]

Judge #2

An interesting poem that caught my eye with its unique choice of diction; there's a sense of elegance that radiates from each word of this poem. The poet has a unique plot to it, from my understanding it is about the slow demise of a girl (perhaps the poet ?). It was written quite well; however I only counted two similes. One of which is "Death trapped her purity, as the marigold/faltered in the wind of transparent anger;", though I'm not entirely sure whether this was meant to imagery or a simile (I think it would have been worded better if the author used 'like a' as opposed to 'as the marigold...". Another one was " The sin was an explosive, which ignited/her spirit to feather fall, like a cloud of/confetti, landing upon a silent town called-" which I found extremely effective in the context it was used. There was another line that could have passed as a simile "mice to cheese," could have been worded as "like mice to cheese" which would have conveyed that the girl's strength can only flourish in ignorance". Another line was " such as a/lost book of shadows in a burning haystack", though it uses the word 'as' in it's current context it isn't a simile since you're giving an example (which is implied by the presence of the word 'such', in my opinion). Had the author omitted the phrase 'such as' and used 'like' it would have been a simile. All in all, this was a great write; my only suggestion is that there are some phrases that could be omitted, or reworded to improve the flow. (19.5/25)

Everlasting:

The title immediately makes me think of the "Salem Witch trials" as well as it makes me wonder if the author would successfully relate the image to "Salem's town."
To my surprised, the author did a great job with the approach taken. The poet took advantage of the "honey-red" color of the eye and implemented it within the poem. The use of "Amber shades are mere reflections of . . ." creates a reminiscing effect which makes me believe this piece is based on the narrator's recollection of events and not of the character, per se. I am glad these events are narrated by a third person, and not in first person point of view. Especially after reading, "death trapped her purity," it would have been strange to imagine this woman narrating her story to us, unless she was a Witch (the type people were scared of) looking at her to be future. However, that is not what I gathered from this piece rather I thought this woman was a victim of ignorance and a victim of a trap; a trap set to her to make people believe she was a witch. The author used the metaphor "mice to cheese" to imply that ignorant people prosecutes her just as the mice prosecutes the cheese, and her as an innocent would perish. "Witches" seem to be the cheese of this poem and the mice "the devilish" ignorance. Or perhaps, what the author really intended to say metaphorically, it's that the lady was the mice who was lured by the cheese, so she could fall prey to their trap.

As far as similes go, the author used " as a lost book of shadows in a burning haystack," " as the marigold faltered in the wind of transparent anger," "like a cloud of confetti." All of these similes have something in common which are the colors yellow and red and makes the similes work with the image. However, I do have two nit picks. One in the simile "Like cloud of confetti," when I think of confetti I picture all type of colors (blue, violet, green, purple, etc.) and if I look at the picture I only see yellowish and reddish ones, which semi-distorts the image for me. Also the transition from stanza one to stanza two sounds a bit off. I mean the tone changes drastically, at least to me. I feel they don't mesh too well. Aside from those, the poet did a great job. This piece shows great narrative skills as well as creativity. If I think about it, this author focus was on the color (flames, anger, marigold, amber, burning, ignited, explosive, mice, shadows, and even cheese have the colors of the image, (red, white, black, yellow.. ) except the confetti one that includes more colors like blue and green which I don't see in the picture. :-s) However, I think the simile "like a cloud of confetti" was used to imply, the people were celebrating her demise. Well done.

P.s. on the last paragraph "The sin... the "The" would work better if it was in lower case, it seems it's a continuation/part of the third stanza.

Similes: 6/6
Length: 3/3
Creativity: 5/5
tone: 2/3
ideas: 3/3
Based on picture: 4/5

[23 points / 25 points]

TOTAL Points: 25+24 + 19.5 + 23 = 91.5

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#2

And looking backwards once
---------------------------------

I find her gaze lowered as a cowed beast with purpose,
and yet she whispers.
Words like raindrops on string, as snowflakes on ice.
She melts me through and I lower myself.

When I find her gaze raised the sun is there,
her eyes blaze like marbles on fire,
my own like pools of drowned out desire.

Still we're as planted trees in a long dark winter.

Judge # 1

I found the punctuation at the end of every line very distracting and I have to wonder if there was a purpose for them that I somehow missed? It interrupted the flow as I stopped and started again and again. The content of the poem was interesting and some lovely images were incorporated. [19 points ]

Judge 2

Another fantastic poem; I absolutely love the 'plot' of poem. The author played it safe by not straying too far from the picture (by that I mean, totally creating a new plot based on that picture), rather the author used that to infer and make some assumptions. It worked wonders - I find that this poem flows extremely well, but some adjustments have to be made in terms of grammar. For instance, "When I find her gaze raised the sun is there" the author should place a comma after the word raised, as it is two separate clauses. I love the way the author chose to conclude this poem with "[s]till we're as planted trees in a long dark winter". The girl in the picture, in my opinion, has a tinge of sadness in her eyes, so I liked this ending. I counted six well-placed similes that, in my opinion, enhanced the poem a lot. A great write. (20.5/25)

Everlasting:

The title "and looking backwards once" incites me to believe, the narrator is reminiscing about the past. However, the last sentence "Still we're as planted trees in a long dark winter" as well as the first sentence, "I find her gaze lowered as a cowed beast... " makes me believe the author is gazing at her from a distance.

The first sentence portrays her as someone shy, or perchance, intimidated by the narrator or the atmosphere. Also this sentence "yet she whispers . . . words like raindrops on string," could imply, the words she whispers are repetitive or compacted, yet so tantalizing, they "melt" (metaphorically) the narrator. However, the simile that follows "as snowflakes on ice" has puzzled me. I have tried to picture its meaning, but I figure is best to dwell not much in it and simply enjoy the images. In addition, I have a nit pick ... the part about "she melts me" took me by surprised specially since it was used after the sentence... "Raindrops on string" and "as snowflakes on ice" I do not see the relationship of how they could "melt" in a literal sense. For instance, if I had have the idea of the author being "cold," at first, then as the author gazes at her eyes to find the sun in there, he melts. Then I could understand the relationship of the simile with the metaphor. I wish I could explain better.

As far as similes goes, the poet used more than 3!!!
... "as a cowed beast with purpose," "like raindrops on string, as snowflakes on ice," " like marbles on fire," "like pools of drowned out desire," and finally "as planted trees in a long dark winter."

The author took advantage of the color of the eye and used contrasting images to create a story in the poem. It looks like the author has compared the eye of the girl to marbles on fire and his eyes to a pool of drowned out desire (perhaps tears, have made him lose his desire/hope to be with her). I found some of the contrasting thoughts hard to follow. I can't quiet make the story of the poem, but I did find the transition of the tone smooth; of ideas, on the other hand, a bit ramble but that's due to the similes. Which in my opinion make this poem interesting without doubt, they allowed my imagination to wander, but at the same time, it makes it a bit confusing.

Overall, my interpretation is probably incorrect... but here it goes... it is either the narrator reminisces about the past or looks back at the girl. I got the impression this poem is base on a love story. The narrator sees this girl as something unreachable, and has lost hope to be with her. However, they are enrooted by nature's choice and surviving. The last sentence "Still we're as planted trees in a long dark winter," has different ways to be interpreted but I interpreted it as regardless, they have a connection, even if she is unreachable.

I felt this poem to be not entirely based on the picture rather the picture enhances the story. In my opinion, the poet did a great job with the similes. Also this piece has rhythm, it might be due to some rhymes, I am not sure but I like it.

Similes: 6/6
Length: 3/3
Creativity: 4/5
tone: 3/3
ideas: 2/3
Based on picture: 4/5

[22 points / 25 point]

TOTAL points: 25+19 +20.5+ 22 = 86.5

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#3

Microscopic Eye [Capturing The Unseen]

I watch you play in the garden of time
idling between the gaps of years.
At times, creeping
like the second hand on a watch
of a frazzled businessman,
upside down in mid-air
dangling; levitating
caught in a trap
mid-tame.

Sometimes, a hermit
praying like the mute sands
in a coiled hourglass.
The more sand,
the more potent
its mysticism will last.

Foreboding like a silhouette of a woman,
sashaying behind every curtains and closed doors,
one that has escaped...
my grasps,

the tiniest of dust.

Judge # 1

This one held my interest from start to finish. I believe it's about someone playing around with an hourglass. If I'm correct then I think it was a very interesting topic to come up with . I don't think curtains and closed doors is correct, I think they should both be singular. Also, there are 20 lines in the verse and the host asks for less than 20.

[25 points/25 points ]

Judge #2

This poem is one of the more creative ones; the author took a risk and developed a 'plot' that stood out quite a bit from some other poems. I truly love author's diction; word choices such as 'frazzled', 'sashaying' made this poem a bit more personal. I think the author was a bit inspired from events in their life to a small extent - there's just something about this piece, that screams that. I counted three similes that was extremely effective. I love the ending - it ended with an 'abstract' phrase that works extremely well. (22/25)

Everlasting:

This poem is a peculiar one; I admire the courage the author has. Especially, since this piece's prompt is based on the picture. The only part I can link to the image is the "eye." However, the title clearly states, "capturing the unseen." Therefore, the author has made the rules and is showing us what our eyes cannot see within the picture. It is creative, no doubt. Who would have thought to write about time? And to use similes such as "like the second hand on a watch," like the mute sands in a coiled hourglass," and" like a silhouette of a woman." All of those similes have a relationship in some way or another. It is quiet interesting. The tone of the poem also transitions smoothly, and the ideas seem to be connected. However, if I look at the picture and I read the poem, I feel disconnected. As much as I try to see the images depicted on the poem within the picture or vice versa, I cannot do so. What I gathered at first read from this piece is "there are things we cannot see but because we don't see them doesn't mean they are not there." In addition, if I dwell in it for too long, I find other things. My mind can't put them into words. It's abstract and I like it. I also like the effect it creates, one can picture someone observing even the tiniest of dust. It's thought provoking. Also, the ending was so fitting. Great job.

Similes: 6/6
Length: 3/3
Creativity: 5/5
tone: 3/3
ideas: 3/3
Based on picture: 3/5

[23 points/25 points ]

TOTAL points : 25+25+22+23 = 95

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#4

Window on a Stark Landscape

You have the world before you
with the rich golden haze of fortune;
imagined buildings glow,
arrayed like gold bullion in your gaze.

Ticker tape machine and oil rig -
iconic portrayals of the means
for total control of your destiny,
as stuff that forms your dreams.

Even your hair is gilded like straw
from Rumpelstiltskin's magic spinner.
Standing here with you I am
enamored of this wondrous vision.

Yet you endeavor on a lonely plane
not seeing the one who would remain
beside you sharing in your aspiration:
I abide in the blind spot of your eye

Judge # 1

My interpretation of this verse is of someone who sees another as unreachable. The subject appears to have so many of life's golden privileges. They appear aloof and unobtainable to the author who is perhaps in their daily life but remain unseen. Reminded me of an old song by Peter Sarstedt called Where do you go to my Lovely.

[23 points/ 25 Points ]

Judge #2

Another well-written piece; I love the creativity of this poem, as well as the flow and the plot. I was a bit puzzles when I saw 'Rumpelstiltskin' but after a quick google search, it makes perfect sense as well as enhances the poem to a great extent. I counted three similes "arrayed like gold bullion in your gaze", and, " for total control of your destiny,/as stuff that forms your dreams." "Even your hair is gilded like straw/ from Rumpelstiltskin's magic spinner". This poem is truly magnificent, and was a great read. (23/25)

Everlasting:

I read this poem about 5 times, and it was until the 5th one that I saw the beauty and creativity this poem holds. I kept wondering what "rumpelstiltskin's" meant but thanks to google I was reminded of that story. I found the incorporation of his name extremely creative because rumpelstiltskin is related to gold. I thought this piece focus on the golden and black colors of the picture. The black in the ticker tape machine and the oil rig. What I like the most about this poem is the first stanza and last stanza; I could imagine what the narrator portrayed with the words.

The similes use within this piece are "like gold bullion in your gaze," "as stuff that forms your dreams," "like straw from rumpelstiltskin's."

My interpretation: the author is telling and showing someone "you have the world before you" everything you want and dream of you can achieve. Sort of like saying, I am here as your support, but this someone could not see that and left. However, the author accepts this someone's decision, even though the author's view is so clear. It's hard to believe this someone couldn't see it. Therefore, the narrator accepts the decision based on this someone's blind spot.

Similes: 6/6
Length: 3/3
Creativity: 5/5
tone: 3/3
ideas: 3/3
Based on picture: 4/5

[24 points/25 points ]

TOTAL points: 25+23+23+24 = 95 points

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#5

Black and Amber

You share the amber of fields of barely
with a glance of your eyes, alluring as
the ring on the finger of a hobbit
who is hiding in a field of maize.
I was something I could never see in them.

Like electricity, hot and white-golden,
your abstraction did a little to belittle
the industrial space surrounding you -
the attention of the industrial worker in me
became a little less industrious.

But the island in your iris,
the nothing of a sugar ring doughnut,
was opaque as the one-way mirror
of an interrogation chamber.
It was the blackest of black holes to me

Judge # 1

I think the author meant barley in line one? This is only a small typo I know but, with it being in the first line, it just glared at me.

In the second stanza the word industrial is used twice and industrious once, neither are very poetical to my ear at least. I can see where the author was going with this verse but it didn't really mesh as well together as some of the other entries.
[21 points ]

Judge #2

Another extremely creative, well-written poem. I'd like to commend the author on their narrative skills - it differed greatly from the others as it was consistent, and the author truly submerged themselves in keeping that going. In the second stanza, the flow was just a bit 'choppy' when compared to the first but the author managed to regain that flow back in the third stanza. I counted three similes; one being" alluring as/the ring on the finger of a hobbit/who is hiding in a field of maize./I was something I could never see in them." Another being " Like electricity, hot and white-golden," and the final one being " But the island in your iris,/the nothing of a sugar ring doughnut,/was opaque as the one-way mirror/of an interrogation chamber." I particularly like the first one the most, but they were all extremely effective in enhancing the poem. (22.5/25)

Everlasting:

This poem also focuses on the colors of the picture; I feel the golden color of the eye was the focal point of the first and second stanza. The author used " the ring on the finger of a hobbit" and if I am not mistaken the ring is golden, the barley as well as the field of maize has yellowish colors, and the author even took advantage of the color black on the last stanza... "the blackest of black holes" and it's interesting.. the black hole is found in the pupil of the eye within the image. I found that last line extremely creative, if I look at the picture, it does look like a black hole. It looks like the pupil is absorbing the colors of the picture.

The similes used within this poem were " as the ring of a hobbit," "like electricity, hot and white-golden," "as the one-way mirror of an interrogation chamber."

The tones of the poem as well as the ideas are good. I do have a nit pick, the part about" the industrial worker" I don't know how to relate it to the picture or to the colors. Though, that line gives this poem a personal touch.

My interpretation: it seems like the eyes of this someone were filled with many wonders that kept pulling the narrator in, yet the author could not see anything in them, at some point the author's attention diminished.

Similes: 6/6
Length: 3/3
Creativity: 4/5
tone: 3/3
ideas: 2/3
Based on picture: 4/5

[22 points / 25 points ]

TOTAL Points : 25+ 21 +22.5+22 = 90.5

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# 6 Ashe

Eyes caught ablaze like inferno
gaze beheld by flames waltzing by seaside,
smoke billowing as people pass up
the joys of relaxation for the sake of appearance.
Smooth rocks rolling, soft waves
soothing small talk chatter among fresh faces.

I caught your gaze;
but you looked away,
I'd say I frightened you like forbidden fruit
or a serpent sneaking ever closer
until I could whisper in your ear.
Devilish as fleeting thoughts are apt to be,
who's to say that you're wrong?

Eyes ablaze like inferno
I caught you walking away today.
What you've never known has caught
on fire, and off the tip of my tongue
rolls a bead of salt that I held for you
from our first meeting by seaside.

Judge # 1

There was something about the first stanza that I didn't like. I felt there were too many adjectives used and it made it appear rocky not like the smooth rocks described more jagged rocks.

The second stanza was much smoother I felt and I did enjoy it. The third was also nice but I would have liked the repeat line to have been kept consistant. [ 18 points ]

Judge #2

Another creative poem; I love the flow of this poem its' really unique. I liked the repetition the author used - it made the poem much more 'personal'. I counted three similes all of were extremely effective. The first being " Eyes caught ablaze like inferno", second being " I'd say I frightened you like forbidden fruit" and the final being " Eyes ablaze like inferno". I could see how this was inspired by the picture a bit more than the rest of the poems. It's an extremely creative poem, and I absolutely love the diction of the poem. So kudos to the author on that. (21.5/25)

Everlasting:

Another piece that caught my attention. The use of the word "inferno" immediately links me to the picture. The reddish colors appeals to my senses. I like the second stanza the most. Though, the impression that I got from that stanza is that this someone sees the narrator as a forbidden fruit/ unreachable? Or as a serpent/ harmful? The narrator isn't sure; however, nice use of imagery. It reminded me of Adam and Eve.

Though, this piece started with the eyes and eventually, I caught myself thinking of the sea. My focus drifted and towards the end what I remembered the most was the sea then on second plane the eyes. And I think that's because the imagery used was focus more towards the atmosphere in the sea and what the narrator was thinking and doing, which in my opinion was well done. I like it.

The similes use if I'm not mistaken are "eyes blaze like inferno," "like a forbidden fruit or a serpent," "devilish as fleeting thoughts are to be,"

Overall, I like the story and the above all the imagery as well as the narrative skills.

Similes: 6/6
Length: 3/3
Creativity: 4/5
tone: 2.5/3
ideas: 2.5/3
Based on picture: 3/5

[ 21 points/ 25 points ]

TOTAL points: 25+18+21.5+ 21 = 85.5

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#7 Host

Looking into
an amazing abyss,
all eyes dazzle me some,
like an explosion of thoughts.
Though the Golden Ones
are just a mirage,
a glimpse; seeing past,
present and future,
as a Singularity,
like Eye Am.
Now I wander about
like the other one,
with views not seen,
undiscovered by most.

Judge # 1

This is one of the shortest poems in the contest but it still held my interest. I'm wondering if the use of Eye Am means something other than the way I'm taking it, as clever word play? I did google to see if there was something else I was missing but couldn't come up with anything that seemed relevant to this verse so, I'll stick with the word play theory.

[ 20 points ]

Judge #2

This poem was quite creative; I loved the double meaning. I do however feel like it's a bit lacking in content and was written to just meet the criteria of the contest. I found three similes; " all eyes dazzle me some,/like an explosion of thoughts.", the second being " as a Singularity," and the third being like Eye Am." (the double meaning I was referring to). I feel like had the author expanded on this plot just a bit more, this poem wouldn't be that lacking in terms of content. It was written quite well regardless. (14.5/25).

Everlasting:

This piece managed to intrigue me, it has similes " like an explosion of thoughts," "as a singularity," " like the other one."

The author took advantage of the eye and made it the focus. This short piece along with the title, created a scene in my mind. I pictured a host while hosting, seeing the eyes of every guest, and within each eye the host could see many thought provoking views. However, the gold ones were like illusions, they looked real but not exactly, those golden eyes were unique. I got the impression that in those golden eyes, one could see everything yet nothing.

I searched Google to see if I could find something about the simile "like eye am" and I found that it has healing abilities... I am guessing it has to do with the colors of the picture. I wish there was some sort of note, hinting the reader what "eye am" is. Rather I wish I could find more information because the last part confuses me. This is a short and thought-provoking poem as well as well written. I found It creative.

I also thought that perhaps "like eye am" could have been used as "like I am." And the author focused on the sound instead? being clever?
Then if that is the case, it could make more sense. The host sees golden eyes and within those golden eyes, the host can see his/her reflection/image, but no one else does. When I was reading this piece, I felt as if the narrator was the one from the picture. A woman behind a lens, observing every gaze. Thought provoking.

Similes: 6/6
Length: 3/3
Creativity: 4/5
tone: 3/3
ideas: 3/3
Based on picture: 3/5

[ 22 points / 25 points ]

TOTAL points : 25+20+14.5+22= 81.5

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#8

"Between the Blinks of Instants "

Eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes , eyes
I just see your eyes, nothing else
Eyes are your reminiscence
The light
The hallo
The peek of seconds
peering into everlasting.
Beyond time,
where
there is no end and beginning,
the clear pond
of all the chandeliers.
I forever flame and plead in that temple,
Like fire that assembles all the flammables
I always am remembered in the grace of that glance
Extinction
is an instant of tear
from your eyes,
a blink of existence
between the instants of extinction.

Judge # 1

I quite liked the repetition of the word eyes in line one but, believe adding some exclamation marks after each word would have given more emphasis to the statement Eyes! Eyes! etc.

This was another clever write where the poet managed to hide the similies very well. It's very easy to use the word like but this has only been used once so, kuddos for that! Another poem with 20 lines though I will point out.

[22 points ]

Judge #2

This poems need a bit more work; it could use some more punctuation as well as some adjustments in terms of grammar for instance, "Extinction/is an instant of tear/from your eyes". Overlooking that, the poem has a lot of potential, the plot and theme is quite creative and I urge the author to re-write this poem with the aforementioned suggestions as it would be quite the read. (13.5/25)

Everlasting:

This piece has so much emotion and I love that about this poem. I do have a semi-dislike part though, and that's the beginning line. The repetition of eyes, eyes.. was too much for me. I feel that using three will do the trick. Though, I think I understand why it was repeated 5 times, and that was to make it clear that the narrator can only see eyes ( your eyes). So I'm in a dilemma, perhaps the repetition it is needed.

As far as similes goes, this poet if I am not mistaken only used one " like fire that assembles all the flammables." Sadly, I wish I could have seen two more, though, the metaphors used were really good.
The transition of the tone is smooth as well as the ideas. What I gathered from this piece is that a blink could imply the extinction of someone. If this someone only thinks of those eyes, and in those eyes, the author is reminded of his/her existence, then a blink from those eyes could lead to the author's extinction.

I thought this was creative, the author used fire, flames, chandeliers, flammable, those are related to the color red. Using pond and tear, those can be seen in the picture. There is an area in the picture where it looks that there is a pool or water. I feel the author took advantage of that part as well as focusing on the eye of the picture. Well done.

Similes: 2/6
Length: 3/3
Creativity: 4/5
tone: 3/3
ideas: 3/3
Based on picture: 4/5

[19 points / 25 points ]

TOTAL Points: 25+22+13.5+19 = 79.5

********************** SCORES ********************

Poem #1: 25+24 + 19.5 + 23 = 91.5 points

Poem #2: 25+19 +20.5+ 22 = 86.5 points

Poem #3: 25+25+22+23 = 95 points

Poem #4: 25+23+23+24 = 95 points

Poem #5: 25+21+22.5+22 = 90.5 points

Poem #6: 25+18+21.5+ 21 = 85.5 points

Poem #7: 25+20+14.5+22= 81.5 Points

Poem #8: 25+22+13.5+19 = 79.5 Points

*************** FIRST ROUND WINNERS *****************

FIRST PLACE:
Poem #3 "Microscopic Eye [Capturing the unseen]" with 95 points

Poem #4 "Window on a Stark Landscape" with 95 points

SECOND PLACE
Poem #1 Salem with 91.5 points

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P.S if the participants have any problem with me being a judge on this round, feel free to voice your opinion. I can redo the scores with just the scores from my two judges. Though, it won't change the eliminations from this round. Perhaps it could decide one winner from this round. Also the scores won't be cumulative. Next round everyone starts from 0.

************* FIRST ROUND ELIMINATED ******************

Poem # 7 "Host" with 81.5 points

Poem #8 "Between the Blinks of Instants" with 79.5 points

Grats all.

Congrats to all poets!

Very good comments for the most part.

Yeah, lesson learnt... don't host a contest on X-max.

But for the next round, I have two new judges. Which in total will be four. Hopefully, I will be excluded from commenting to make this more fair.

I didn't know this was going to be a multi round competition. I sort of blagged my entry in about 3 minutes just to support you. I'm pleased I made it through but take me out of the running for the next round please.

Good luck to everyone else!

Thanks for the support.

A real man would go two rounds

"A real man would go two rounds"

A real man would do what he knows is right and not listen to the opinions of others who don't know his reasons.

/wink

This one is tough