PnQ Weekly Contest: 17 April 2017

Poetry month is well represented this week as the judges chose for the front page Ben’s cryptical (In)Sane dissertation about the true meaning of being set apart and Sruti’s eloquent mystical experience while hoping to be Rain... washed of her yearnings. Finally, the site broke the tie in favor of Beautiful Tragedy’s soliloquy on the elegance of an admired one, Purple is You.

(In)Sane (English sonnet) by Ben Pickard 10 + 7 = 17 points
Rain... by Shruti 10 + 7 = 17 points
Purple is you by Beautiful Tragedy 10 + 4 = 14 points

thin walls by Thomas 7 + 7 = 14 points
Glitter Pathways by Lyical Madness 10 points
The Count up (slam poem) by Yakari Gabriel 10 points
Pills by Ren 7 points
I won't Hold my Breath When Reading by Everlasting 4 points
Incandescent by Lvi Joe 4 points
Deep sea delving by Michael 4 points
Fight Inside by Trampled Angel 4 points

Comments from all judges:

(In)Sane (English sonnet) by Ben Pickard 10 points
This is good work Ben, an excellent sonnet and beautifully written! I simply have to give this outstanding piece top marks!

~~~~~~~~~~
(In)Sane (English sonnet) by Ben Pickard 7 points Firstly, I always appreciate a poet who tangles with a more traditional form for I struggle so dearly with writing in anything but free verse myself. Secondly, this poem was quite a pleasure to read as so many of Ben’s poems often are, not only for their language, but their ingenuity and imaginativeness.
“…but proves the cuckoo may have upped and flown”.
-This line is interesting in its allusion to the cuckoo bird as a symbol of craziness/lack of sanity, as well as the term “cuckoo” being used to describe such an individual. As well, the term “upped and flown”, though a tad difficult to read (for I am not used to the word ‘upped’), ties the line up nicely.
There is a very pleasing comparing and contrasting going on throughout the poem - linking clownish to a clown’s makeup/face paint, an ironed shirt versus one wrinkled.
The poem does well in following form, presenting unforced rhymes, and an engrossing story.

********************
Rain... by Shruti 10 points
The best thing about this piece, is how the poet worked on very little details, whether intentionally or not. The title could have lacked its good dramatic impact be it not for the 3 points - they served it justice. There is so much sadness and pain to this poem, reflected by rich imagery and smart word choice. I found so much beauty walking along the path with the vivid description provided. A very beautiful piece and tops my favorites for this week.

~~~~~~~~~~
Rain... by Shruti 7 points
Such beautiful imagery in this piece allows for readers to take in so many ways. And the idea of rain has this symbolism that encourages people to read this piece time and time again for new meanings. The voice in this is gentle but also sorrowful, but elegantly done, not just over done the rain represents tears sort of pain and sadness. For a relatively simple piece, this is graceful and well penned.

********************
Purple is you by Beautiful Tragedy 10 points
The poem starts with a strong hook, providing the reader with a subject, but in limited scale - only knowing that a single color reminds the narrator of the subject:
“When I think of you,
I think of the color purple.”
There is a fun run of playing off of other colors throughout the poem, each color ascribed to a certain natural aspect - the sun, the grass, the sky - while purple, in its attribution to royalty, always brings the poem (and poet) back to the subjective “you”. There is also the disappearance of all the other colors, whether being trodden, or fading, and yet purple remains.
“The sky is blue.
The grass is green.
The sun is yellow.
But purple is you.”
The ending - simple facts reiterated - brings the poem to a quality full-circle closure, that purple is still “you.”

~~~~~~~~~~
Purple is you by Beautiful Tragedy 4 points
This piece is well written and I found myself keep reading it. It flows very nicely, its lines are simple but creative, and is elegantly written, with keen observational lines throughout. Good work!

********************
thin walls by Thomas 7 points
A cleverly written poem about life. Interesting start that some may find disconcerting but it had the opposite effect on me. That it leads into the frailty of relationships gave the poem more strength and an unexpected twist but isn’t that what relationships are about. Good word choice flows well and makes the reader think, well done

~~~~~~~~~~
thin walls by Thomas 7 points
I was attracted by the title, and by the lower-case letters; they gave me an aerie, sad, fragile feeling.
The poem is heartbreaking, sad, and emotional.
I found the idea, the similes, and phrasing very original and different from how poets usually describe emotions on this topic.
I guess at the end of the day, this is perhaps how honest one could be with one's self, but there are always things that stand tough infront of everything that is made to fall apart.
Beautiful poem.

********************
Glitter Pathways by Lyical Madness 10 points
A captivating poem, the more times I read it, the more I'm drawn to it. I like how it's written in the third person as we look down on this magical, ethereal creature. Skilfully constructed and chocked full of imagery, we are transported to a magical world. Yet we are brought back to earth with the line "music and cigarette smoke entwine which for me adds depth and soul. Great poem

********************
The Count up (slam poem) by Yakari Gabriel 10 points
The story to this poem was not only captivating, but also so perfectly penned that I can imagine this person growing, living, and even ultimately thriving after moving on from their troubles. There were great images highlighting different moments of each year, each one even more powerful than the last. The title was a great fit for the way it was expressed and I can't even begin to imagine how wonderfully this would be expressed when read aloud, but it is most definitely a fantastic slam piece.

********************
Pills by Ren 7 points
A haunting piece, giving me a feeling of uneasiness as I read each line, detailing a troubled soul and a place I suspect that most of us have been to more than once in our lives!
The final summing up at the end : 'My insecurities will be the death of me' I think, says it all...

********************
I won't Hold my Breath When Reading by Everlasting 4 points
Everything about this piece is amazingly spot on. The style is creatively used and the flow of this is silky smooth while the word choice and images are purely captivating. Everything about this oozes skill and honesty.

********************
Incandescent by Lvi Joe 4 points
Some great poems submitted this week but this is certainly one of the best. This is a poem that you have to delve into and look within the crevices. I love poems like this, that make you think, this poem certainly does that. Can I fully interpret it? no I can’t, but that is one of its charms. A really interesting read, great work

********************
Deep sea delving by Michael 4 points
I demand that Michael (and Ben too!) be required to provide a thesaurus with each of their poems (I kid, of course, but my word the diction of these two).
“I go in search of vitality
and innovation among
ruins and wreckage
of a sunken pious picaroon.”
-Well, to start off with a bang, the first stanza introduces the poem with impressive diction, multiple examples of alliteration, and an entrance into the poet’s direction - where will we be taken? with the poet in search of vitality.
Throughout the poem, continuing the trend of the first stanza, we find captivating alliterative verses - “masticating marauder”, “suckling saboteur”, “fervent fledgling” - and are drawn in by the splendid language and the images each series of words crafts.
An excellent, and certainly educated, write well-deserving of its nomination.

********************
Fight Inside by Trampled Angel 4 points
This is the 1st time that I connect with a poem without feeling overly emotional. And this is a good sign. This fight poem is very authentic, and I believe when one reaches this level of self understanding, then they're on the edge of beating their demons to win the battle.
The hardest part about this inner battle is not realizing that there is a little creature inside of us, and that we could turn to be our own enemies if there was no awakening.
The way you reflected your emotions and struggle - if I may say - was appealing and I'm really fond of this poem.
Thank you for sharing.

Congrats to the winners and HMs!

Congratulations to the winners and HMS! Y'all did phenomenal work!! :) and thank you so much to the judges!!

I would like to congratulate the winners, with some incredible poetic brilliance. As well as all the other entries, not an easy job for judges. (Hats off to them).

Thank you also for the HM I received. Coming from a non-educative background, a lovely compliment and inspiring words.
And a big well done to other members with HMs

All the best

Michael :)

Well done to everyone and a big thank you to all the judges for their time as always.

Ben

All comments are now posted.
Congrats to the winners and the HMs!

Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's! Amazing writes all around!

Congratulations to the winners 7 A huge thank your for the HM- this place is like home :) xx

Congrats winners and thank you Judge

Congrats to everyone. :)
And thank you very much for the lovely comments.

Congrats guys some freakin awesome poetry this week!