Weekly Contest Winners - Feb 29th, 2016!

Happy leap week, friends! Of course we get leap year and it has to be a Monday, right? ;) So sorry this is a day late posting, I had technological difficulties and then adulting got in the way of PnQ... ugh! Don't they know better?! ;)

So here the winners and HM's are! This is also the last week for our judges and we have a new batch of victims...I mean, judges! :) Thank you all for your hard work this term, it is so appreciated and we are very grateful for your volunteerism!

...and the winners are!!! (and everyone was so good this week we had heaps of ties, by the way! Hard week to judge!)

Touch of Paradise by Shruti S
Bonds by Karla
What She Says by Narph

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Touch of Paradise by Shruti S

Rain, snow, tears, or the remembrance of a loved one, perplexing at its best....had me relating it to many times I've been alone with my thoughts ....nicely done (10)

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Bonds by Karla

she made me think i could be
whoever i wanted to be as long as
i believed.
but i am afraid of praying:
the raw wounds in my knees,
the words i repeat in exile,
the holes in my weird faith.
i know it loves me like
a distracted god.

^absolutely stunning, read this poem about 9 times and tried to make a case against it because of the ending doubt of the Author questioning herself on how to end the poem, if the last stanza had been omitted this would have gotten my top vote, even still an amazing write.........(7)

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I really love and admire Karla's formatting within this piece. It brings this poem to life..

For me, it goes in depth of a woman's heart, detailing thoughts and memories.

The nature tones are what makes this poem stand out and bring it to life.

The visual display and word usage is outstanding!

The ending stanza is what clenched this piece.. the emotion is felt word for word. As a writer, the closing can be very emotional and Karla expressed these emotions to a tee. Just a lovely piece!! (10)

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What She Says by Narph

What I like about this is how the writer didn't feel the need to extend on this poem. It ended where it should have and that shows a lot of constraint. I find it's very easy to over write and in this case, Narph has said so much in so few words. It's the nostalgia that poem will creates for those reading it that I really enjoy. I think each individual who reads this will find their own interpretation of this poem, their own nostalgia. For me it was pretty simple, it reminds me of being in primary school where we were often given stars for good behaviour, for being creative, or for simply being kind. The star became a symbol for me, for all of those things. The last line, a reminder to be and do all of those things, even when life becomes a little more tarnished. As per usual I've probably taken my interpretation off on a tangent, but hey that's the beauty of this poem. (10)

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HONORABLE MENTIONS:

I. Mise en Garde de l'Amour by Senyru - 7 points

I enjoyed this poem because of the intimacy the poet has created within few words. The description is elegant, and yet the title (from what I got from google translate haha) differs quite a bit to the words used in the actual poem itself. It's as though you were able to reach most of the audiences senses with your tactile descriptions. I think the emotional impact that you have been able to create here is what will keep readers coming back to this poem. I know I have read it quite a few times over the last couple of days and I will most likely continue to read it over days to come.

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A letter to my imagination by Everlasting - 4 points

I liked this poem due to the way the writer speaks to her imagination. The personification of imagination really gave this poem a life of its own. It was as though the poets imagination was an old friend who has been around for many years. I became swept up in this poem, particularly because it felt like I was reading a letter that had a very personal touch to it. It was almost like I was prying into a conversation that wasn't meant to be heard by me, but I am glad I was able to hear it.

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Journal Poem under a Skylight by Narph (10 pts)

This piece is somewhere between prose and a honest journal entry, the author walks us through what I assume is true personal events and reflect on it in a poetic way. Its laden with verses that keeps echoing throughout my mind such as 'took my hand to the studio, put a paintbrush in it,/said,/go" and "but honestly,/I just love you. couldn't care less about poetry/if you're not there to read it.". The central concept of loss is apparent and cuts deep. Well-written piece.

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Kia Tonu by Slighte (7 pts)

I think what drove me to this poem is how brutally honest this piece is, it shows the speaker's struggle with PTSD, and pours it out onto the page, and although I think this poem needs a bit of editing regarding the repetition of words/phrases, I fully understand the reason as to why the author did not edit it, and post it unedited. Beautiful piece that exposed me to the nature of PTSD, something that goes unspoken about.

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Kata by silvershoes (4 pts)

This piece is dripping in strong imagery and narrative.There's so many verses from this poem that stuck with me, such as 'The exasperated sigh of a father is not like other men's.', 'pain that bites chunks out of my heart, and /eats away my self-esteem. Beautiful piece.

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Beware The Rainbow's End (English Sonnet)
by Ben Pickard

Powerful Sonnet by Ben this week. Breathtaking and beautiful. Word display was nicely done and Sonnets are difficult to write. Ben makes it look easy.

the depths of sorrow are felt within every line. Just fantastic! (7)

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Just Like You
by Spontaneity

This poem by Spontaneity is breathtaking, true grit and emotion from the heart. she details her pain in every line with elegant word usage.

The poem flows nicely and powerful expressions are structured in a way that is nice to read. Truly enjoyed this poem! (4)

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Holding the poems by Satish Verma (10)

I am truly enthralled with your poetry. I have tried to decipher many of your poems and often I am left amiss about understanding your approach. I find your words are intriguing so it still captures me. I sat to do my comments and judging and just kept returning to this poem, trying to decipher any hidden meanings and word usage. I realized while doing so, the beauty of being a judge is my discretion. It is how the poem makes me feel and what I take from it. This is my analogy: You will never enjoy life if you don't live for the moment and take chances. One cannot live in the past nor future, each day is new and hits us with new curve balls every day. I suppose if one were to read between the lines it would show you learn from your past and everyone holds their own poems deep inside, whether we choose to write them or not. I am so in love with this write!
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Goodbye by Ben Pickard (7)

Knowing the circumstances surrounding this write, it makes it that much more beautiful. The writer has found a way to say goodbye to a beloved friend and gives justice to the subject of the poem with very elegant wording. Who am I kidding? Trying to pretend this poem is not/has not affected me, like I am unaware of the situation except by default is downplaying the poem and it's heartfelt meaning. Ben, you have an undeniable way with words and it shows in this gem of a dedication you have created for such a loving, caring woman. I do agree with one of your comments as far as the fragmented sentencing, however you did not change the poem, I am glad. I have heard Cindy read poetry and she had this magical way of making every poem sound gorgeous. She knew the natural pauses and had such a clarity in her voice when she read them. I just imagined her reading this poem and the tears came flowing. If this comment makes you aware of who I am as a judge, so be it. This is my last round judging this term and I can't hide my feelings for a phenomenal poem, let alone a beautiful sentiment to a dear friend. I am glad that her sister was able to read this to her at her bedside, I know Cindy loved it and she is smiling down and thanking you with the sincerest heart she had. Thank you again for this beautiful poem.

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Scattered Leaves by Maple Tree (4)

Wow, another poem that is so hard to pick apart knowing that the sentiment of it is directed to Cindy. I have found myself on a weekly basis struggling to pick anything other than yours or Ben's poetry. Yes, I have voted for yours and he quite often throughout this term. Why? Because 1. Consistently you have had numerous poems nominated as has he 2. When you have top rated poetry that connects to so many people it is hard to overlook for others who may not connect as well with what is going on in your life at the moment. So this week I decided to do a little differently, I completely chose on how the poems made me feel. Not for any poetic value or judging. This poem coincides with her gentle spirit and her longing to see her husband from whom she's been missing terribly. I thought it was an interesting touch to add the word "mongest" instead of mongst, probably for the simple reason of syllable count and the flow of the poem. Lovely touching poem for a beautiful woman, though you haven't made that statement it truly affected me like it was meant for her. If indeed my identity is now known, please understand why there was a shortage of comments on your poetry from me.

Note from a judge...

My three picks this week shouldn't have any numerical value as all 3 poems made me feel equal. Each one with distinguishing feelings towards Cindy. The only reason I gave my top pick a 10 was because I don't believe it was meant for Cindy. Wanting to give a fair shake at "someone else" was my only reasoning for this. I will go back and add all my comments from the judging season to all the poems I have voted for. I have enjoyed so many poems this judging term that I didn't vote for nor comment on. There has been supreme entries this term and I have been blessed to read each and every nomination this term. I didn't miss a single week, even though I was out of the country for two of the weeks, I felt it was my duty to still do my judging. I sat on the cruise ship the first week, out in the middle of the Carribean and really thought about my choices. That week I chose Decrepit by Poet on the piano, I will not settle for the dregs by Ben Pickard and The French bread poem by Mr. Darcy. That was a really reflective week and to sum it up simply by the title to these poems chosen that week. Eat, drink and be merry, we never know what life will bring. Do not settle for less than you deserve and live life to the fullest. My hope is that we will continue to see the quality of poetry we have seen this past term. I honestly enjoyed every poem and never questioned why any of the poems were nominated. Wonderful job nominees, Thank you for making it pleasurable to read the poems for judging, although it was difficult at times choosing. God bless you all and thank you for a wonderful return to my home at p and q! Love, Kay (dixiedaisy)

Congratulations to the three winners. Shruti - I am so happy for you; your writing gets better and better and is already highly accomplished for one so young.
Many thanks for the lovely comment on my poem for Cindy and yes, I know who you are and I am honoured you like it so much.
Finally, thank you to the judges as a whole for presiding over this term through the ups and downs and giving so much of your free time to it.

Stay well everyone,
Ben

Congrats to the Winners and HMs.
Thanks, Britt for posting.

I'd like to point out that Narph was apparently liked by the judges. She had two of the 4 poems tied for 2nd & 3rd place. She had a 50% chance of winning by the site breaking the tie.

Congrats to all! Thank you judges of course, and Britt for posting!

Thanks judges.i'm honoured.'bonds' is my most emotional poem.it's about my mother:she's very sick,i really didn't know how to end my poem because i was crying. it was hard to write what i was feeling.most of times i write what i think, not what i feel.
thanks so much again.
congrats everyone.

Thanks guys for the nominations this week, and thanks judges for the votes. I really love reading your comments and perspectives on my work. Life is a little rough right now and poetry's become something of a coping mechanism. I'm just happy that people still read the things I write, it gives me hope, truly. xx <3

PS, congrats hms and winners! Lovely work this week. :)

Thank you for the HM. Congratulations winners.

To the judge who gave me an HM, thank you for reading and for being able to hear it even when it may feel like "you are prying " believe me, you were not.

Congrats to all of the winners! And thank you for the HM. I am honored! :]

Congrats to the Winners and HM's!!

Thank you judges for your time and effort and thanks for posting Britt :)

Sorry, am late. Congrats everyone. And thanks too.
:)