Weekly Contest Results, 20 October 2014

Five judges made their choices this week, with two clear winners and a tie broken by the site between two novel 10 point poems, selecting the whimsical Identity Crisis. Beautiful Soul would have been a clear winner had his votes been on a single poem rather than three. He joins a worthy group of multiple HM poets on the site.
Everlasting - Luce, refuses to be bound by any conceivable restrictions - she is one of the most creative poets on the sites & I'm proud that she calls Houston home. Her "lamppost" carries both the weight and the light of its world, refusing to be categorized. MaryAnne's entry, "The Winds ..." shows that her own powers of emotional expression are profound indeed, providing a poem of remorse, reassurance and, perhaps, resurgence.

In The Street Of My Heart by Everlasting 27 points
The winds that shook my shoulders by Poet on the Piano 14 points

Identity Crisis Zabadak 10 points
His First Words by ThugPoet 10 points

Window by ddavidd 7 points
Coordinates By Hannah Lizette 7 points
Battling The Bear by Lune de ma vie 7 points
Shadowing Humans Zabadak 7 points

Broken Wings by Beautiful Soul 4 points
Savior by Beautiful Soul 4 points
Shadows Of The Mind by Beautiful Soul 4 points
At Peace in a Poem Maple Tree 4 points

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In the Street of my Heart by Everlasting (10 points)
Let me begin by saying that this piece not only fulfilled its given prompt beautifully, but it was eloquently penned in the very best of ways. The length is something many people would probably dread, but with a piece as wonderfully crafted as this I truly cannot see that happening as often as it might with other pieces and poets. This is also one of the most universally vague pieces I have ever read. By that I simply mean that each of us can take it in our own way and still know exactly how you feel because this is so vivid and full of your heart. Honestly, I fell in love with the voice you created in this piece, it was so completely soothing even though it is so completely heartbreaking at the same time. This is one of my favorite pieces on the site so far. This truly stuck with me. I'm not sure why, but the way you penned this is nothing less than gorgeous.

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In The Street Of My Heart by Everlasting-10 points
I was pulled in to the romance between a lamppost and a building it probably is a romantic story about two people that are star crossed lovers but then again it could be just what is stated either way it pulled my heart out of me the story while a bit long it was so grand to read I really hope it wins!

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In The Street of My Heart by Everlasting (7 pts)
The title was quite creative and what compelled me to read this poem out of all the nominations. I was definitely not expecting this to be a poem written in the perspective of a lamp post, though in hindsight there were several verses that hinted at it. There were a multitude of things that I utterly love about this poem such as: the perfect diction for this poem as it exuded a sense of 'intimacy', the concept of the poem (it still made me curious as to who suggested, or what prompted you to write in the perspective of a lamp post), and the subsequent personification of a lamp post that Luce just nailed. There were also some very brilliantly written verses in here such as 'I can feel my ashy skin/warming up to your smile.' and 'I've been broken one too many times'. I honestly still can't get over how amazing this poem, and especially because it was a perspective poem, which I have a soft spot for as a when I first got into poetry, I wrote numerous perspective poems and moved onto free-verse and the odd formed poem here and there. I honestly had a hard time choosing between this poem and Maryanne's poem but chose the latter because I felt it was more 'polished' in terms of punctuation, format and also because I was able to easily able to empathize with the emotions she felt when writing that poem. Regardless, this poem is just absolutely magnificent! Kudos to you Luce for being so creative!

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The winds that shook my shoulders by Poet on the Piano (10 pts)
I was immediately drawn to this poem - the raw emotion of the poem appealed to me. The author narrates her various events and her emotions in a manner that seems to mimic a "poetic diary" as the readers are pervious to her personal feelings. There were numerous imageries that were quite remarkable but the following two were quite memorable: 'the sun had been abducted too soon', '..shame stung my sides and all I/ yearned for was condemnation'. The first image is probably one of my favourite, it's a quite clever way to state that the sun has set earlier than usual (which is a bit synonymous with winter, so this also acts a pathetic fallacy in a way, as these thoughts mimic 'snow' in the 'winter' of the author's heart). I originally read the latter as "shame hung from my sides and all I', when I was first reading, but regardless it was still memorable since it conveys a moment of weakness and personifies shame to a slight extent. I don't want to dissect this poem to a great extent, since it's self-explanatory but it resonated with me, and it was quite moving. I just wanted to let Maryanne know that I absolutely love stanza about the author trading everything she worked for temporary relief, it can easily be related too and it had me curious as to the significance of the number seventeen, as well as what was being traded. The outro "Remember, dear,/Rome was not built in a day", is what made this poem stand out the most from all the other poems. I do think however it should be "Remember dear," as the original punctuation makes the flow a bit choppy in comparison to the flow of the last verse. Amazing write!

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The winds that shook my shoulders by Poet on the Piano 4 points
MaryAnne has this elegant way of expression. This week I was captivated by unique metaphors to describe emotions. To be let down and feeling tossed aside, brushed aside has an overwhelming effect on a soul.. She has crafted those emotions and much more this week. There is beauty in these words and pure, raw feelings; Written with grace. Love and adore this poem!! (4)

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His First Words by ThugPoet 10 points
Mr. ThugPoet has penned a very rare and unique kind of nature piece this week. I was in awe when I started reading and this is one I will read over again from time to time. Using "Grandma" as a wise old name for a tree is just brilliant. The description of "wrinkled bark" was a delight to read. I got a sense of the writer using the family tree message and using it within the tree of life.. what a beautiful way to describe the ancestry and love. The tones of each line are elegant, vibrant and a delight! The ending is what I admire overall. The way the author uses the word to describe the generations of love for Trees and quite openly- Mother earth/ Mother Tree. This piece, not only is it nature, but it's metaphorically an inspiration life piece. A gem in the mix of words. Pure poetry at its finest this week. (10)

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Identity Crisis - Zabadak - 10
This poem really stood out to me through the rhythm I found within it. I find the poem fluent in flow, but also fluent within the connections between each line. The author has shown their pride in their home country, and gave the reader's some information about the history of ups and downs through the years. I admire anyone who can tackle the Scottish slang language, whilst also writing in a very unique style which reminds me of some famous Scottish pieces. Very talented poem, with a very upbeat feel to it.

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Window by ddavidd 7 points
David's unique style and flare for words captivated me this week. I got a lump in my throat while reading it for the first time, I knew I would be highlighting this poem for that experience alone. I got the sense of longing and missing a loved one.. to call her out of darkness and even looking upon the eyes of another loved one for comfort. The depth of loneliness and love mixed in one window. Gazing out of a window can be one of the most powerful ways to describe emotions, sadness, darkness and longing... Breathtaking poem!! (7)

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Coordinates By Hannah Lizette (7 points)
The title caught my attention because a piece with a title so unique really could be about anything. It's the kind of piece that seems like it'll be all over the place because of the format but ends up being so beautiful it makes you cry. I think this piece was so completely unique that it captures the attention of readers of any genre. The imagery was phenomenal, unlike anything else and yet it was still written so that the audience can actually see this, they can visualize it and understand exactly what you mean. I love that the style you chose was so simple but the piece itself was eloquently elaborate. extraordinarily penned.

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Battling The Bear by Lune de ma vie-7 points
Emotional, made by a great poet, very well written and not to mention that it's very relatable to everyone in general that has dated and even those that haven't dated since you can see the confusion and the pain when you harm the person in the relationship yet you don't know how. A good read!

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Shadowing Humans - Zabadak - 7
This unique poem offers a view on the human race, society, and how one human shadows another throughout life. It expresses the relationship between younger generations to the older generations and how the footsteps left, are the ones in which will be followed. Each line seemed to hold a deep meaning to take further in your thoughts, and contemplate how this really does happen. The truth in this poem is captured well and stands out. A creative idea and thought provoking subject.

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Broken Wings by Beautiful Soul (4 Points)
For being such a short, simple piece, the way you penned this is quite extraordinary. You used such a unique combination of descriptions and the simple words really made this feel so much more easy to read without getting lost in the wording so much that the message gets lost as well. I love the way emotion and voice came through in this piece and left such an amazing impact. As a piece that truly leaves an impact it is amazing how you were able to condense the meaning and elaborate the description and scene. Amazing write.

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Savior by Beautiful Soul (4 pts)
Before I continue, I just wanted to state that I had the hardest time picking three poems, as there were so many poems that were nominated that were extremely well-written. It took me a couple of hours to make my decision, so good job P&Q poets! That being said, this is another prime example of the numerous outstanding poems this week that were nominated. James did an amazing job with this piece - another emotional poem that captivated me. I fell in love with this poem from the first couple of verses "you were the match to burn the bridge/over troubled water in my life.'. I absolutely love the imagery and the poetry of those words, and as well as in "I became a rainbow inside your achromatic world,/you are a bungee cord to my suicide attempt'. This poem although had a bit of clich s, still did an amazing way conveying James love and appreciation for the subject of his words, in a poetic and creative way. Well-penned!

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Shadows Of The Mind by Beautiful Soul-4 points
Very nice it was appealing to the mind, was dark to the heart. Intriguing and makes me wonder can I trust my shadows or should I be wary of humankind.

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At Peace in a Poem - Maple Tree -4
The cliche of depression is the base of this poem, but the author has managed to create new ways of describing how this illness can affect the human mind. The poem shows one person's mind becoming uncontrollable, almost feeling mad with lack of control about the emotions, but it also raises the outlets of such emotions within poetry. The direction of the poem seems to be narrated to the author themselves, almost keeping note of ones mental state and progress within that state, wondering how much the medication would truly help or change the emotions which the author clearly struggles to hold back. A very emotional write which shows the therapy poetry can be as an outlet. Very moving words.

Congratulations To the winner's and Hm's :-)

I am truly honored to be amongst the list of you fine poet's~

Judge: Thank you for that lovely comment, I love it when the reader gets me.... it's very touching, thank you.

Congratulations to all, Lucero so proud of you!!!

Congrats all you amazingly talented people!!!!! :-P <3

Congrats all, thank you judges for the comments

Congratulations to everyone! Well deserved wins and thank you to the judges for the time you put into the commenting and decision making! :]

Decent poems this week

and thanks for the comment whoever she is
I love you too.

cong to EL though I hope the resent shifts in your spiritual identity do not imprint a revers hors shoes trace on your fabulous poetical future.

and thanks also to judges, and to Larry for the neatness and great punctuality

Thank you so much judges for the critiques, and for Larry for posting. Congratulations to Luce and Zabadak and all the HM's, great work!

Ddavidd: "and thanks for the comment whoever she is

I love you too.

cong to EL though I hope the resent shifts in your spiritual identities do not imprint a revers hors shoes prints on your fabulous poetical future. "to whom is this directed?I do hope it isn't a continuation of previous thread posts....? :-)

Don't worry it is not

Congrats to all! :')

Great writes! Congrats Everyone!

Thank you judge for the HM and amazing comment. :)

Congrats to all! Beautiful poetry selected, as always. <3