Weekly Contest, 3 July 2017

A person loses a battle, suffers grievous loss, yet the victor has lost as well. Such outcome happens when the victor and victim are the same person, turned against themselves. The judges found the winners to strike such a strong chord that they stood out from the other candidates: Michael’s confession of depression and Mel’s stark depiction of the mirror and it’s victim (Mel received an Honorable Mention as well as this win). The site broke a tie between three nominations: Planet Poem (no title yet) by Blue Jay, Glass Ceilings by Nobody and Invisible Idols by Frank.

Front Page winners:
My candle of addiction by Michael (points : 17)
The Enemy by mossgirl19 (points : 14)
Invisible Idols by Frank (points : 10)

Honorable Mentions:
Planet Poem (no title yet) by Blue Jay (points : 10)
Glass Ceilings by Nobody (points : 10)
to exhale the last of our love (syntuit) by Ben Pickard (points : 7)
Alone Time by Jamie (points : 7)
You asked me... by Ren (points : 7)
Thoughts by RustySoul (points : 7)
They Call The Sun Yellow by Ben Pickard (points : 4)
While I Record. . . by BlueJay (points : 4)
Just What a Smile is Worth by mossgirl19 (points : 4)
In God's calendar by The Po whet (points : 4)

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My candle of addiction by Michael Points: 7
This is a rather poignant piece which I can only assume not just by the title but by the somber yet intriguing content which gripped me throughout that it is about the daily struggles of an addiction or more so the overcoming of an addiction and I truly believe this is a brave piece and I am pleased with Michael’s strength to share this with us because any addiction is always hard to succumb. The word usage is very powerful and shows a great variety.

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My Candle of Addiction by Michael Points: 10
This poem packs a great message –an addiction, the emotional and physical turmoil brought by it, and the painful and irrevocable results.
In free verse, line breaks are crucial as they create emphasis to the emotions/feelings within the whole poem, and Michael has not only successfully, but wonderfully utilized these breaks in this poem. Imagery and word choice are also excellent.
The poem’s message is beautifully and brilliantly communicated.

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The enemy by mossgirl19 Points: 4
To me this needs recognizing because in my opinion it'll resonate with at least a quarter of us on the site as I have come across many that write (some daily) about depression and the feelings they feel but this is done in the most simplest way which is rather intriguing to me to see and I think it's a pretty raw and personal view on how this poetess' perceives themselves unfortunately. I love the spacing too because it's done in a way that makes you pause? for breath and gives you time to digest what has been written.

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The Enemy by mossgirl19 Points: 10
Self-loathing, deliberate hatred of one’s own person. Many tragedies flow from this emotional self-destruction and this poem describes it in such stark, yet vague, terms that you cannot help but want to put your arms around the woman and turn her from the mirror. The person she sees is never the person truly visible. Perfect expression of the depression and angst of not fitting into the expectations of others - especially when those false expectations are ingrained within: “She died / In between her eyes / and the mirror.” WOW!

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Planet poem (no title yet) By Blue Jay Points: 10
On reading this I was knocked sideways.
This is a wonderfully thought out piece and so outside the box, with such intense graphic images. In fact not so much outside the box, but off our little globe and way way beyond.
This has to be one of the most awe inspiring things I've read in recent times. So much so that I had to re-evaluate my choices on this week's contest.
A throughly deserved 10

Invisible Idols by Frank - 10 points
I loved this poem, the guts to write it, and how it portray the idolatry that is all around us, while highlighting God for all of his amazing and beautiful qualities. It's easy to get caught up thinking believers follow multiple things, because they do fall into the trap of them in a bad name. I really liked this thought provoking piece, and thought it was really well done. Interesting piece to see on here!

Glass ceilings by nobody Points: 10
This piece gave me a lot of food for thought because on first reading I'll admit that I thought it to be a simple piece and I know Jaidy do a lot better so I read it again and it I seem to have had a 'light bulb' moment where my whole body let out a gasp of knowing and I recall saying " I know how it feels" albeit to myself. I have a feeling the deeper meaning to this is that people (let's say those superior to us ie parents/teachers) are watching us, judging us even to thrive yet we are unable to because we are told the things we should and shouldn't do even if it's not for our own good and I must say it resonates with me because as a child I felt I was placed in this prison myself then told to go out and reach for the stars when in fact I was unable to because I was protected a little too much because of things I was put through at an early age. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's rather relatable and not just to me.

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To Exhale The Last Of Our Love by Ben Pickard - 7 points
Talk about an absolute punch to all the feelings! This poem was so small and simple but the context was anything but. I felt the words as they came upon the screen. I love how it was ended with the ...'s, a point where we can hang on, taper off, and exhale it all out. Beautiful gut punch of a poem - that's what I Love to see!

Alone Time by Jamie Points: 7
This poem flowed as natural as waters would in a flowing river. It’s very calming and refreshing, takes the reader to some alone time basking in the beauty of nature. The imagery is so vivid and alive, which made this poem stand out. The beauty of this piece is how the readers found beauty in reading it, something that would attest to its real poetic effect.
(7 points)

You Asked Me... By Ren Points: 7
A breathtakingly beautiful write, which once started takes the reader on a journey of sheer delight.
The entire work sets the reader up for the ending, which is definitely an oh moment.
The whole thing links together in a perfect way, It is just unfortunate that things of beauty can so often be tinged with sadness. However the sadness in this poem does not detract from the enjoyment of its reading.
Well done

Thoughts by RustySoul Points: 7
Words queuing to the paper much like people entering a water slide or cattle to the slaughter ramp. All fall down, but hopefully the words arise to help other people stand on their own.

They Call The Sun Yellow by Ben Pickard Points: 4
This poem retains Ben’s ‘classic elegant’ style but has a more personal tone. The poem bares raw musings about a ‘parched and dry’ life, which may be a common theme, but the rhymes in this one cannot be missed as they are very natural and sensible. The imagery is great, illustrates the feelings well. Admirable word choice set the mood perfectly. The gentleman’s hopeless state and longing for light in his life are very strong which made this poem very effective. (4 points)

While I Record by BlueJay Points: 4
Such a 21st century poem is this! Recording a poem. I took this as a double entendre. On the one hand, she may actually be recording the poem on a device that would pick-up background noise such as the neighbor’s cat. On the other hand, writing the poem a person may get unconsciously distracted by the same background noises and it may inadvertently find it’s way into the poem by the choice of words, inopportune punctuation and so forth. Very clever use of the simile to mimic reality.

Just what a smile is worth By Mossgirl19 Points: 4
Sometimes I will read something and I will simply like it for what it is without having to think too deeply about it. This was one of those occasions.
A smile can often brighten someone’s day, and it can alter a person's reaction to us. It is also true that sometimes we have to smile when it's the last thing we feel like doing.
Very well written

In God's Calendar by the Po Whet - 4 points
This poem, while so short, holds SO much truth to it, and I adore it to pieces. I love the originality here, and the way the writer made us really realize that the days are long - the years are even longer, but to God, it's as though they're one in the same. The calendar - His time line - holds hope and promise, and I absolutely loved each bit of this. It felt very intentional, very meaningful, and was a beautiful reminder.

Congrats all

Congratulations all

Craig

Wow! I'd like to thank all the judges for their appreciation of my poems and for their wonderful comments. Thank you Ben and Brenda for nominating. Congratulations to our other winners as well as our HMs. Another great week we had! Thank you as always to our Mods and to Larry for hosting. :-)

Congratulations everyone! Great poems highlighted this week!

Also, how crazy is it that only 2 poems had more than 10 points? I feel like that's a first!

Congratulations, all, and thank you to the judges who I believe are new this week?

All the best

Congratulations everyone, and a thank you to the new judges!

Congrats Winners and HM's!

Thank you judges and thanks for hosting Sir Larry :)

Firstly thank you Larry for such depth in your introduction and the way you reflected on the pieces written :)

Thank you to all the judges who took the time to read my poem and the feedback, which I find so inspiring :)
Congratulations to all the winners, which include the HMs. :)
Thank you to Andrea for my nomination :)

Much love

Michael :)

Congratulations all. Thanks Larry and judges

Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's! Amazing writes from everyone. Larry, thank you for hosting and welcome new judges.

Congrats to all the wins and HMs! All y'all are amazing writers! Much love and thanks to all the judges and to Larry for hosting :)

congratulations all some fab work this week as ever

Thank you so much for the vote, nomination and comment. Thanks to everyone involved. I know This is not a real win ( by one vote) but I appreciate the consideration.

Thank you judges, and congratulations everyone! I love how almost every piece had something written about it!