It's a Personality Contest - Round One Comments & Scoring

DO NOT POST YOUR POEMS YET, PLEASE!
VOTING FOR ROUND TWO STARTS TOMORROW
SO ALL POEMS SHOULD REMAIN ANONYMOUS STILL

Remember, the results here are for round one. Round two will be added to these results for the final result. I scored it as follows:
Popular vote: 1st place = 5 points, 2nd = 3 points; PLUS I scored my top 4 @ (6, 5, 4 & 3).
All poems were in the proper format. I commented on each poem. The results are at the bottom.

1 A Parents Wish (Tanka).

Pondering the time
wistfully lost together,
I rejoice at the
chance to once again hold you
close and proudly call you son.

~~~ Comment:
Sometimes a seemingly straightforward poem grabs you when you read it a second time. How do you actually interpret "the time / wistfully lost together"? The special emphasis it places on the simplicity of merely being together, no thought to future separation.

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2 A whole Life (Tanka)

Morn's dulcet whispers,
a smile breaks the wind of woes,
secrets of solace
open arms would always hide.

Him, only him, a whole life.

~~~ Comment:
The broken end couplet is not strictly tanka, but then again it is within the Western interpretation. The double emphasis on this soothing sets the tone for a comfortable, long term relationship that ties in well with the end line and title. In a way, they sandwich and isolate the fleeting reference to woes, perhaps in passing acknowledgment of inevitability, yet placing them into a greater, more hope oriented perspective.

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3 Faithful for the Journey (Tanka)

Faith, you confront me
with truths mankind disregards -
love's anthem repressed.
But you build churches within
my bleak soul; I sing, again.

~~~ Comment:
Doubt steals into our hearts along with the world. No one can truly face the truth and bear it before oneself as a beacon - we're just too fragile. But with hope and self-forgiveness comes new life and the ability to rise up again, facing the light, even if for just a while longer.

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4 Introspection (Tanka)

The voids of hearts fill
only at the darkest hour
light seeps into eyes
breaking through darkness within
Finally one and complete

~~~ Comment:
One cannot be the loneliest if true understanding is reached. Loss, broken hearts, pain, abject surrender all pass into meaningful experience which leads to a definite point of departure - not from this plane of existence, but from the constriction of unreal suffering. Profound depths are plumbed and at the end is discovered: One is All.

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5 Light of Compassion (Tanka)

These hands deal comfort
as blue eyes fall to sickness,
whispering joyful,
medicine; compassion reigns
true, from the heart of a nurse.

~~~ Comment:
Simple human contact heals even if in combination with medical treatment. It is the touch that gives motive force to other cures, the caring person whose face bears witness to all humanity holds dear.

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6 Passing Obsessions (Tanka)

Passing obsessions
mysteriously connect
to the universe
synthesized so randomly
until order is achieved

~~~ Comment:
Chaos prevails in human affairs. We meet, we share experiences, one offers a viewpoint, tinted by his or her past, the other takes this suggestion as a framework of what has occurred, accepts it , rejects it or suggests modifications. Eventually, they share a certain reality. So it is with the greatest galaxy and the smallest quark where humans are perceptive.

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7 Peace (Tanka)
along a stone wall
grows as if it were grapevines
a hand tired of life
just stretching to reach the skies
to later, give fruits and wine

~~~ Comment:
Those who seek true peace must give up a dialogue based on the idioms of war and learn new dynamics based on nurturing and fruition. The most basic human act - reaching out - gives life to results that far exceed its grasp.

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8 Real Love (Tanka)

Heart of precious gold,
gentle eyes of loyalty,
soul of innocence;
an unconditional love
that burns an eternal flame.

~~~ Comment:
Gazing into devotion engenders feelings of love. The politics of child rearing and leaving the nest may never have to take place with our canine partners, so long as love is reciprocal.

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9 Soulmates (Tanka)

Everlasting love
forfeits selfish sacrifice
of worth, giving hearts
a renewed utopia
bound by intertwined essence.

~~~ Comment:
The worst thing a person can do for his or her mate is to stifle their own abilities, in order to build up the other person. Not only does resentment take the place of love, the other person also loses respect. Develop every talent and the pair of them become a true force in the universe.

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SCORING:
# [1st] + [2d] + [me] = Total*
4 [xx] + [ x] + [5] = 18
9 [ x] + [xx] + [4] = 15
5 [xx] + [ x] + [' ] = 13
1 [ x] + [xx] + [' ] = 11
6 [ x] + [xx] + [' ] = 11
7 [ '] + [ x] + [6] = 9
3 [ x] + [ x] + [' ] = 8
8 [ x] + [ '] + [3] = 8
2 [ x ] + [ '] + [' ] = 5

*Total= (1st x 5) + (2nd x 3) + (My Rank)