Weekly Contest Results 4-25-16

The judges did not agree on a single 10! Just goes to show how varying taste can be, or perhaps how many excellent poems we had this week. We have 2 clear winners -- Maple Tree and NightFlyer -- followed by a 4-way tie broken by the site. Congratulations to Maher for being the chosen one :)
Well done to all. Thank you, judges!
-Jane

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WINNERS:
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Earth Day Offering (Shakespearean Sonnet)
by Maple tree
Total = 7 + 4 + 4 = 15

"I would have given this a 10 if it was written in old English to match the Shakespearean theme.
But to write a sonnet is difficult enough so it gets my 7, Syllable count checked and is correct.
Nice detail throughout as I would expect from Maple tree.
Another one of her poems that takes you on a journey as her words whisper around your ears." (7)

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"Simply said: this is a very magical poem. I got a soul-searching vibe from this. I loved how nature was embedded deep into the persona, her own body, almost feigning personification. Nature was truly brought to life in this poem and I loved the crisp descriptions. As for the format, I barely noticed anything, which is a good thing because it means that it was easy to read / didn't feel forced. The rhyming might not be "fully correct", as there are mostly half rhymes, but I wasn't bothered by it. Syllable count was also spot on, except I'm not sure about the second stanza's second line, probably because I pronounce "devoured" with 2 syllables only. The only true remark I'd have regarding the format is probably the third stanza's fourth line, where the grammar was adjusted to get 10 syllables (slow should be slowly), but that's just a nitpicky remark as a result of reading more analytically. But like I said, for the casual reader the poems feels nice to read." (4)

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"The opening line sets the tone of magic: "darkness falls from the moon." It gives the image of clouds sweeping past, uncovering a full moon, setting the poet's heart aflutter with melancholic yearning to be absorbed into the surrounding beauty of the night. Castle of leaves and twigs, grounds her into the natural state of being. The normally dreary use of death, decay and ghost are converted to mother nature's acceptance of the supplicant." (4)

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On Haunted Trails
by NightFlyer
Total = 10 + 4 = 14

"Taking a walk such as described in Haunted Trails can be a profoundly emotional experience. Nightflyer captures the sense of foreboding impressiveness of the walk. The use of ethereal images consistently increases the other-worldliness of the piece, while battle references focus the reader on the nature of the locale. Naming the battlefield at the end places the whole into perspective with a spine-tingling appreciation. Here men gave their lifeblood to germinate a cause in which they believed, here a nation was seeded by this lifeblood." (10)

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"Night Flyer talks of spirits and haunted trails with such a tasteful and beautiful way..

Very creative and heart warming.
Beautiful rhyme by this gentleman... what a beautiful piece!" (4)

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Quiet Friends
by Ben Pickard
Tiebreaker total = 10

"This must be one of the best rhyming poems I've read in a while, since the flow, rhythm and rhyme are effortlessly executed, and actually benefit the content for once. Sometimes I read poems and they seem to be rhyming for the sake of rhyming, but here the rhyming played such a crucial part in the poem as it set the tone immediately and took you on a quick ride along the story, just as it's supposed to be when you imagine it's essentially about a drunk night where everything just swooshes by. I can imagine all the hustle and bustle so well simply because of the rhythm/rhyme. Loved the bittersweet yet merry voice of the persona, trying so desperately to be with his friends, yet feeling so many emotions at once: sadness, anger, glee, then sadness again, disappointment and desperation perhaps. Everything was there, which made the poem very rich without making use of fancy adjectives. The ending truly hit me in the gut, simplistic and poetic, just the way a punchline is supposed to be. Such immense sadness could be felt in contrast with all the merriness beforehand. Well done." (10)

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Ghost of a Love
by Poetess
Tiebreaker total = 10

"This is prettiest and deeply emotional and touching poem I have read in a while.

So pretty! I love the mystery and the powerful and touching ending..

This poem was well written, the format was lovely to the eyes and I was drenched with elegance. Truly a powerful poem!" (10)

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Lost Boy
by Ren
Tiebreaker total = 10

"Sad that most would relate this poem to someone on heroin, "I'll fly away" type thing, and even sadder still is the need for us all to escape life...This poem had so much more within, so childlike and yet maternally mature......" (10)

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Etch The Past
by Maher
Tiebreaker total = 10

"This poem intrigued me, as a piece of story telling it is immense. Very descriptive and metaphoric.
Some really impressive lines scattered here and there.
What caught my eye was the punctuation. It has a ton.
You could remove all of it and the poem would read and flow beautifully.
But that is not the point.
It has to read choppy. It has to be an uncomfortable read, this works with the content.
A brave choice and one I am scoring 10 points for." (10)

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HONORABLE MENTIONS
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Melted Concrete
by Ben Pickard

"Be still my heart! What a rhyming beauty!

This nature poem is crafted with grace, the message was designed with such a beautiful format and I was speechless with this poem!" (7)

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Your Day (Chaos of Stars)
by Lune de ma vie

"This poem is a nice combination of magic and reality. The first two stanzas feel very surreal, they have some sort of classical vibe with all the stars and the moon creating ethereal imagery. I thought the transition to more realistic imagery was done very cleverly. The first line o the third stanza states: "Memories storm my mind", storm being the keyword of a more exaggerated verb that fits the classical vibe I was talking about before. But this "storm" fits perfectly well with the "flashes" and the "camera", subtly growing into something more personal: the seaplane, the lighthouse, the picnic. Truly divine, but also very intimate if you know what I mean. I loved the transition to the "chestnut chocolate eyes" too, it's all very romantic yet genuine at the same. Each stanza seems to add another spark to the poem, but not to the extent that things get over the top. Well done." (7)

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Beware The Air
by Ben Pickard

"Must be a theme with me this week, everything seems to be relating to drug use, loved this, be careful what roads you travel down, the air is not always fresh and clean....." (7)

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Softness of spring (Haiku)
by Mr Darcy

"A true Haiku should evoke a season and state an observation of nature without commenting upon it. It should cause the reader to gain a subtler, deeper understanding by the final line, which forms a departure in some respect. Rarely does one actually find such a work. Softness of Spring not only accomplishes all of the above, it does so in a way that makes you want to be on a hillside, enjoying the serenity of the vision: flocks of sheep being followed by their young, drifting like clouds on the landscape. The title deftly sets up the entire work perfectly." (7)

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Expanse
by Kakera

"Kakera is another poet who takes you on a journey with her writing, sometimes that journey is a little dangerous and twisted, but it works in this case.
Love the 'as the angels tore holes in the fabric of space'
very creative.
This poem is very dark and full of destruction and death, it needs reading loudly to appreciate it to the full. An easy pick for 4 points." (4)

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Maybe Next Sunday
by Maple Tree

"Don't know why I liked this so much, maybe it's because everyday I awake I feel like I stole something, and every Sunday is something to look forward to, but the wording and pictures portrayed were exquisite......" (4)

Congratulations, everyone!! Big thanks to Jane for posting and our judges for their continued insight!

Oh dear. Larry, don't bother with hair extensions - they didn't work for me: 3 tiebreaks lost in 5 weeks...

On a serious note, many thanks to the judges for their time and effort and a big congratulations to the winners/hms
All the best
Ben

Ben, I warned you: "the site knows" fake hair. If you can manage a couple more heartbreaks I will turn over my Rodney Dangerfield crown to you.

Great pool to select from this week. Wonderful selections. Thanks judges & Jane.

Congrats to the winners & HMs.

Congratulations winners and HMs all deserving.
Also, a big thanks to the judges

Congratulations Winners and HM's!!

Thank you judges for your work and time and thanks Jane for posting.

Congratulations to everyone, beautiful poetry!

Thank you judges for the awesome comments...

I did think about doing the old English wording, but just felt I would crush my thought process... Thank you all again very much!

Congratulations winners and HM's! So many great pieces highlighted!

I think Ben is going to have the record for most HMs, ever. lol

Thanks Jane!

Britt,
A lovely record that would be, certainly, just as long as it doesn't go hand-in-hand with the most tiebreaks lost record. Larry can keep that to himself, lol.
Take care

Congratulations all

Congratulations everyone...
Thanks to the judges for their wonderful comments.

Ben... why bother with hair extensions... just apply aloe vera (the plant) every day as if it were gel and it will help the hair grow, by the time your hair has grown, you are probably going to get Mr. Larry's crown of losing the tie breakers, but it's worth the shot.

But haha seriously Maher does have a long long hair. At least as per his profile picture. I haven't seen your hair Ben, so I am assuming is short.

Congrats to the winners and Hm's.

It used to be long but I wear it shorter these days; maybe I am more like Samson than even I thought, lol

I tried Aloe Vera
I also tried Rogaine and even a shampoo from my sister-in-law, Rosaura's sister in Nicaragua.
Nothing works.
I've finally realized that my intense thinking burns up the follicles and makes me balder by the year.

Larry, if it helps at all, you're probably the only one concerned about your loss of hair. Not to generalize (I am totally going to generalize), but women care less than men think. It's sort of expected that men will bald. No one really expects women to bald, but that happens too.
Anyway, most people are too busy worrying about their own looks to worry about how anyone else looks.

How did this come up? Aren't we in a weekly contest results thread? Oi, I've had one too many margaritas.

Edit: I read recently that young people are full of absolutes. As I'm want to use words like none, never, always, everyone, everything, etc., I wonder sometimes how naive I must sound, but then I also feel like I might as well accept my youthful phrasing why I still use it. -shower thoughts