Weekly Contest Results 3-10-14

Sorry for posting late. I was hoping our 5th judge would pop in at the last minute for a 5th set of votes & comments. As it is, we have 4 sets. Better than last week :) I want to give a special thank you to the judges who volunteered just 2 days ago. You guys are awesome! I also want to thank the other judges this term who have consistently turned in comments early. You make this job very easy.

Here are our winners!

WINNERS:

Follow the inconsistencies
by Maher
24 pts

"What a powerful and creative write this is!! Just Brilliant!
I rather enjoy the structure and flow of this poem. It has a uniqueness all on it's own, which makes it stand out from the rest and that is one of many reasons why I chose this poem as my top choice.

The message and word display was just incredible!

The political and patriotic message, along with sadness tones and the ending of a life and the meaning of life all wrapped into one poem just left me speechless. Beautiful and powerful poem this week By Maher." (10)

"There is a couple of mistakes in this that stops me giving 10 points and plumping for 7 instead.
Byproduct should be by-product. Secondly and the one I learnt thanks to my spell check is 'withers' it is not the plural of wither. 'withers' is the gap between the should blades of a mammal. 'to wither' or simply 'wither' is the correct pluralisation. So line two makes no sense in the literal written sense even though it reads 'correctly'
Why I liked this poem enough to give it 7 points despite it largely going under the radar on this site is;
The title matches the layout of this piece. The punctuation is used here and there but not everywhere. (inconsistent) Every line is capitalised which word suggest that every line is a new paragraph. However the poem itself is a great example of story telling at its best.
('Doomed to be bland' is something I wished I had thought of myself)
I love the rhyming feel, although again inconsistent and I am not sure that there is a rhyming scheme at all. Most of all I love the darkness and the message. This is almost a fantastic poem.
(The final stanza is a perfect stand alone poem)" (7)

"After reading comments to this author's piece, I see why they did not choose punctuation, so the message seem rushed and broken up. I loved that the author has several messages that all convene the overall significance. What I liked is that the author introduced the poem with an elderly man who has experienced life and possibly holds wisdom of the world. Then, the author took a more "collective" approach by appealing to society "we" who is understanding the "dark". It made me think of inheritance and how those who grow up without an affluent background must work hard, and also understanding the dignity of men, are we really "doomed"? Good transition, that I believe has validity, in the second stanza to the focus on leaders. It is our choice who we choose to help lead our country. Bad outcomes may have fault in the leaders and their decisions, but also in the people's. I enjoyed the specific lines that evoked emotion such as: "to live low and forget their names", "bred but to serve and train", "bound by a contract of the mind". The end had me questioning is freedom ever free? I also realized that aspects of the world are inconsistent, trust isn't always there within our society. A speculative piece, good job." (7)

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Peace Is Not A Way Of Life
by Mark Spencer
24 pts

"It is the last stanza that caught my eye, it is almost a poem on its own or an epitaph that describes human nature and our daily struggles with peace as a planet. Somebody somewhere at any time is provoking violence or war. Whether it be physical or emotionally, there is always somebody who cannot look at a peaceful option.
I love how this whole poem has a real polished feel to it. (I will overlook the missing 'l' from labelled) it is not a biggy IMO.
The flow of this is gorgeous and has a real lyrical feel. The first stanza takes you by the hand and leads you beautifully through each stanza that follows. Every stanza hammers home the point you want to make and the constant use of the word 'peace' really drives home this.
Best of all your rhyming comes across as very natural. Not many rhyming poems get the plaudits they deserve. This feels like a proper poem and I am pleased that I can give it 10 points on my watch. Awesomeness personified." (10)

"The straightforward statement in this poem, immediately drew me in: "I wrote a poem about peace And claimed it is a goal." I wanted to find out why the author claims - with such conviction, that peace is a goal rather than a way of life.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the author's approach to writing this poem with rhymes that sound for the most part natural. I also enjoyed that the author is focusing on one particular example and that he is letting us know which.

For instance,

I know of whom they speak.
They talk of those who walk away
In search of what they seek.

They choose to leave our way of life
And live off of the land.
But sometimes when their bellies ache
They will hold out their hand.

They want to live like Bonobos
And love without a care.
The things we covet in this world
Should be openly shared.

And in their world they think they're right,
While you and I are wrong.
But they'll still beg for our money,
In exchange for a song.

Overall, My interpretation of this poem is that peace is not a way of life because to achieve peace we must work hard to attain it. Dreaming about it won't give us peace. Dreaming can only give us theories but until we put those theories to work, then will be closer to achieving peace. Though peace will still be only a thought until it finally proves that it exists. I mean since past ages, everyone has attempted to achieve peace, but do we have it? I wonder what method will be right to attain it?

I also have a feeling that the author is like almost saying,( I could be wrong) please come back to reality. That to achieve peace, we should be on the same plane that's why until we achieve it, it will only be a goal we will continue to aim forward.

In my opinion, there are different kind of peace. World peace, it's hard to achieve, but if each individual can start to find peace in their own being, that could be a start. I mean I do feel that peace of mind is the closest type of peace that can be achieve. Though to do that, it requires hard work and a lot of other elements. Well done." (7)

"Mark has crafted an inspirational delight with this wonderful Rhyme poem about Peace! I was touched, moved, and inspired with the message he expressed within this poem.

I adore a powerful rhyme poem that can move me to tears!
The flow was not choppy or blunt; It just moved within a rhythm that the reader can fall to the floor in awe with.

"Peace is only an opinion,
A theory, nothing more.
It can't be found in ages past,
Or dreams that came before."

I highlighted this passage from the poem to just express the wonderful display of word usage within this poem.. the message speaks HIGH volumes of powerful expressions and emotions.

Truly an elegant poem here by Mark Spencer." (7)

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Elongation of THE Music
by RealMeaning
14 pts

"Jazz... I don't listen to Jazz often but this poem incites me to do it. I love the passion that oozes from each word in this poem. And what to say about the voice? it has a voice that is hard not to notice, its a bit subtle yet welcoming. I specially enjoyed reading this piece aloud. It invites me to read it over and over again. I also enjoyed the contrast between the obscurity and flame: " a different cave into the soul of tune." " to the embodiment of flames"

This piece gives me a little bit of background of how jazz was created, at least from the point of view of the author. And to me, it's sad. Why is it that the majority of art that has the most impact to us is created due to pain? It brought me back to the time when skin color was highly discriminated. It must have burn awfully, yet jazz brought warmth. Jazz was the medium of expression which resulted in something beautiful. Well done." (10)

"I am not used to reading dark poetry from this author and found it an intriguing write. I liked the introduction with speaking of the creator of jazz, how it differs from all music, comes from the soul, yet how there is a twist. That somehow that passion rooted in it is so deep that it haunts everyone. That everyone is carved with its name and influenced by its tunes. This was such a fascinating write because I feel a character could apply to this, going beyond the personification of jazz? A person who has led people astray, has caused people to think about life more deeply and possibly more negatively than before.. because that "excavation into your soul" shows what's beneath the surface, the purpose of life, root of pain. That is just my perspective. A lot of depth in this write I appreciate." (4)

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Nightmares in the nights
by Everlasting
10 pts

"The brevity was quite striking in this piece, and it made me evaluate what my own fears are. I liked the author's metaphor of saying fears are vultures, I haven't heard that before and it is a distinct image. She chose her words with care and purpose, like in the lines "to clasp its claws, pierce minds then eat hearts in pecks and bites." Each word had this punch to it, each word an action that further takes away/strips our humanity. The ending was clever as well as the play on "pray" vs. "prey"... that made me picture how our weaknesses can be an ideal spot for our fears to swoop in and control us. This piece overall focused on what fears do in my opinion, how they wait and try to ambush you, yet how you must use your mind and reason to overcome them." (10)

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Leaving reality
by Meena Krish
4 pts

"Take a poem, strip away unnecessary words and you are left with this gem. It flows like a professional piece, it has the gall to rhyme, but only a hint. I love the break up of stanzas by inserting asides. The descriptive narrative is very well done with real intelligence. I love the last two lines of the final stanza. Leave a real lasting image. Great write Meena, only wish I could say more." (4)

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Fever
by Kakera
4 pts

"This young lady is very talented with her writing.

Her emotions and flavoring style of writing is very unique and yet she adds such a simplistic tone that the reader can not help but get sucked into each and every line.

The message is heart wrenching... but the creative display of word usage is one of the main reasons why I chose to highlight this poem...

"I'm writing lyrics to your whistles" --------
what a creative line!

As is many of the lines throughout! I truly adore this poem :-)" (4)

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The Midnight Sky
by Karla
4 pts

"I enjoyed the stroll I was taken by reading this poem. I was taken into the scene that's what I like the most. Though there is something in this poem that puzzled me for a moment, "there is a rainbow crossing the midnight sky" For some reason, it made me think of an aurora borealis. It was a beautiful thing to picture. Though, I feel I should take it literal and think of it as a rainbow. It's still a beautiful image that spreads against the walls and "the walls" made me think of the streets, and overall, this poem reads to me like a balm. The midnight sky is the one hearing this someone. And i know that it helps a lot to have someone to listen to us. In a way, it help us heal. Plus crying does that too. Well done. This poem is beautiful." (4)

Congrats all. And well done to all you lovely judges :)

Congratulations winners, and thank you for my HM!

as well as who nominated my poems.

and The Mods too.

Congratulations Winners & HMs!

Very Nice poems elected as winners this week!

Thanks Judges & The Mods :)

I appreciate choosing poetry instead of politics. The real winners are you guys. And if you know me I am not saying just because you chose me.
Also thanks to those who nominate my poems only based on there true honesty because I have never return their favor even the time they really deserved it. You are the winner of real poetry in my eyes. Because poetry is all I ask for and let it be never any of my works get there without deserving it because that would turn the taste of winning more bitter than any loss.
Thanks to the mods also even to those who really do not know what they are doing sometimes.

Thanks to the new volunteers & other judges for following through
Thanks Jane for holding down the fort two weeks in a row

Congratulations winners & PMs

"Thanks to the mods also even to those who really do not know what they are doing sometimes."

I'd never claim otherwise! I can barely find my ass with both hands.

Thanks to those who thank the mods. We don't need gratitude to do our jobs, but it does feel nice :)

Haha few extra hands would do ...:) :)

Congratulations Winners & HM's and thank you
judges for the comments, time and patience.

Congrats winners & HM's, great work and thanks for your dedication Jane!