Winners and Highlights for EARTH DAY, 2016

Hello Everyone- For our top 3 Winners, I chose to do my comments in Senryu form- Just to add a special touch to this very powerful challenge <3

Congratulations to everyone!
Thank you all for celebrating Earth Day with me :-)

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And the top 3 Winning Poems For EARTH DAY 2016 are:

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Winners: ~~Mary Anne, Meena, Cassie
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~~ FIRST PLACE~~ Mary Anne

Poem #6
By Poet on the Piano
48

Mary Anne, my sweet
This poem is graceful and
Touching, from the heart.

Hugs, from Maple Tree
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~~SECOND PLACE~~ Meena

Poem #5
Lady Tempest
By Meena
40

Meena, this poem
Is creative and lovely
Very elegant.

Hugs, from Maple Tree
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~~THIRD PLACE~~ Cassie

Poem #13
Gaia Exposed.
cassie hughes
37

Cassie, you had me
At Gaia, breathtaking piece
Mystical beauty.

Hugs, from Maple Tree
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~~Honorable Mentions~~ Everlasting ~ Maddie~ Britt

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Poem #20
Everlasting
26
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Poem #17
Adreamer
24
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Poem #14
By Britt
24
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Poem #7
By Dixiedaisy
22
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Poem #9
Mr Darcy
20
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Poem #2
By Larry Chamberlin the Godfather
18
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Poem #21
By Darren
17
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Poem #12
Michael D Nalley
14
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Poem #18
Ben Pickard
14
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Poem #15
By GB
14
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Poem #11
By Mr Darcy
10
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Poem #4
By Meena
10
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Poem #1
By Acoustic Odyssey
7
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Poem #16
Milly Hayward
7
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Poem #19
Milly Hayward
7
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Poem #8
By Shruti S
7
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Poem #3
By Larry Chamberlin the Godfather
4
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Poem #10
By Eonex De Silva
4
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Comments By Larry Chamberlin the Godfather

Poem #14, Birth: 10 points
This poem is chimerical in its vagueness. I took it as a mother grieving over a miscarriage, seeking solace and renewal in a stream. Yet I also see it as metaphor for Nature herself grieving over the slow death of her creation.
In both cases, the moment of silence followed by her focus on sunshine is double-edged:
For the mother, it could be either (1) an attempt to blot out the world, then, renewed, able to look forward to life, or (2) it could be a suicide from grief followed by her entry into the next life.
For Nature it could be (1) a retreat to dormancy, such as a long winter, followed by renewed growth sparked by the warming sun, or (2) a sad realization that all that is alive must die to be followed by a new attempt at life.

Poem #5, Lady Tempest: 7 points
The personification of Storm by a vicious woman is exhilarating and satisfying. The flow of the poem carries us through the storm like a wind-whipped tree whose branches are torn and broken.

Poem #7, Fireflies: 4 points
The poem creates a nostalgia to which many can relate. In just such a memory does one reawaken to evenings in their youth. The final couplet revisions the entire experience: while the fireflies' light exists to aid in their reproduction and survival as a species, we, as kids, accepted naively that the brilliance was solely for our enjoyment. This lesson reproaches man's dominance of nature in a microcosmic setting.

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Comments by Mr. Darcy

1st: Poem #20

A Caterpillar [ Rondeau ]
10 points,
A simple love story about two butterflies, but told in the challenging style of a Rondeau. The rhyme scheme effortlessly displayed here sounds as sweet as the love that yearns to fly up high in the sky. Imagery and music perfectly entwined in this wonderful nature poem. To me this poem hits a sweet emotional spot of music and imagery captured in a compact verse. I love it!

2nd Poem #19

Mother Nature
7 points
This poem tells of an important story - Mother Nature and how (she) worked her magic and created what we all take for granted - Nature in all its intricate splendour. The imagery is clear and hold splashes of colour and texture. The 'dream-come-true' is short lived; bring on the virus (man) who in such a short time is polluting her good work. No wonder her tears have run dry. The technical rhyme scheme is one I recognise and respect.
3rd Poem #17

The Way a River Flows:
4 points

How do we know when something is good? We only know this by experiencing what is bad. This poem sets out this is and more - from a bad experience we learn and most often something good will come from it. The example of fire destroying nature creates a vivid image next to brightness, the repair of 'Springtime' - bulbs and seeds 'poking' up through their 'cosy' blanket - 'nests popping up like polka-dots dancing (I love this!) and the alliteration in verse 4 - perfect! The ending line completes the journey of the seasons depicted do well in the body of the poem, 'shedding skin to bloom again'.

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Comments by DixieDaisy

Poem #3

Mother Nature Needed Dad

4pts.

Though I am having a rough time with the title, thinking it could have been more creative to pull me in, though once I had delved into this divvy of a poem, I understood. Perhaps Mother Natures father was "Father Time" , seems as though that is the Catalyst in this poem... "Time" that is. Time has a way of changing the intentions of everything. Things were much different when our parents were younger and their ways spent doing things are quite different from ours. This poem speaks to me that perhaps the writers father spent more time doing things alone and perhaps there was some substance or alcohol abuse. I just got a very sad feeling thinking that even though the writer loved his father he was bound to spend more time with his daughters than he was given. This poem really hit home with Time is of the essence but memories make us who we are. Ironically the writer chooses eggs that he would have shared, eggs are likened to birth or rebirth. Very wise choice wether intended or not and the use of Ashened was remarkable as well. Likening to a Phoenix rising from the ashes of his own father. Absolutely awesome write.

Poem #6

7 pts.

Wow, just absolutely powerful. I assume the "she" in this poem translates into Mother nature. Very descriptive and soothing. I could picture myself as part of nature and had the overwhelming feeling of how native Americans must have felt and how deeply connected to the Earth they are in everything. It is a love story written from someone who truly connects with the Earth and how beautiful it is. This needs a title, one that is simple as the Earth but as Complex and mysterious as it as well.

Poem 9
Earth Day
10pts.
No doubt about it, this poem is one of my top picks. It is long, but I hope one will actually read it. So much information of history and intellectual insights. At first glance I was hoping each stanza was about the word, as if acrobatic style. But upon reading and far-reaching I get the impact of such a powerfully written poem. I have had to adjust my initial thought process when approaching this poem. I was lazy and didn't think it would be as interesting. Boy was I wrong. Awesome write!

This has been an awesome contest, well run, attended and voted upon.
Well done MaryAnne, Meena, and Cassie your wins are well deserved. Congratulations too for the HM's again wonderful poems.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these high calibre poems. What was less enjoyable was whittling them down.
Thank you Dixie for your lovely comment, it made my day.

Thanks Andrea you are a rock hosting contest queen. �

Well done to the winners and hms - all wonderful poems.
Andrea - what can I say? You are wonderful and many thanks for hosting another wonderful competition.

Well done everybody. These were all truly magical to read and thanks to Andrea for hosting.

Congratulations Mary Anna, Meena and Cassie!
Very well deserved wins. Thank you Larry for the kind comment on my poem. MrDarcy, You are welcome, loved that poem so much.

Congrats winners!! This was such a hard contest to judge. Andrea, thank you for bringing this out in all of us!!!

Thanks, Larry, for your sweet comment.

Congratulations these are all so incredible!

Congrats to Mary Anne, Meena and Cassie for winning one of the most delightful contests on PnQ!

These poems are magnificent. I have taken an entirely new interpretation of one poem now that I know who is the author.

Congrats ladies, well done.

thanks for hosting this challenge Andrea.
I'm looking forward to seeing this poems posted on each of the accounts from the authors that participated.

Wow, thank you SO much! You don't know how much I've enjoyed reading these poems and how it gave me peace in doing so (and writing my own). And the anticipation was fun in waiting for the results too!

Congrats to all and I feel like (in the cheesy way) everyone wins here. Contributing to such an awesome contest. Each poem has touched another. And I thank the author of the one comment... I will indeed title it and think of something fitting.

Love you, Andrea for being who you are and inspiring many! This got me out of my little funk of not being able to write for awhile :)

I would like to say many thanks to those who voted for my poem and congratulations to everyone who entered. The quality of the entries was just outstanding.

Thanks to Andrea for hosting this amazing challenge too. Not only for the brilliant prompts but also the wonderfully entertaining commentary. You are so inspiring.

Looking forward to the next :)

Congratulations winners and HMs, great poems indeed.

Thank you Andrea, it's been awesome exercise.

Awww thank you everyone. ...I do enjoy doing these from time to time. ..

MA's is the only one I've had a chance to read so far, but wow, what a poem!!

Congratulations Marry-Ann and Cassie and congrats to all the HM's!

Thank you to those who voted on my poem and thank you for the comment Larry Godfather :)

Thank you too Andrea for the comments and for hosting such a lovely contest to bring out the best in everyone and the best of Mother Nature!

Congratulations to the winners!