1 January: First Weekly Contest Results of 2018

It might said that poetry fills the gaps between picking up the pieces, yearning for fulfillment and rejoicing in your fortune. Love, too fills those gaps, either in the restoration of a life buffeted and yet undefeated and now prepared to live and love again, or by awakening to the desire of love that can be healing or finally by the admiration of beauty in the eyes of the beheld. Congratulations for capturing the hearts of the judges this week Dagmar, Mel and MaryAnne.

PS: notice there are six judges this week, a New Years bonus, like eating black eyed peas for luck!

Front page winners:
Candid by mossgirl19 - 15 points
Somehow by Dagmar Wilson - 15 points
Her Valleys Will Fill Me by Poet on the Piano - 14 points

Honorably Mentioned:
Cold Coffee by Thomas - 10 points
Leviathan by Kireasha L - 10 points
Look by Elizabeth - 10 Points
Mimi's little angels (acrostic) by Brenda - 10 Points
The Door by Tony - 10 Points
For the win by Lemon Squeezy - 7 Points
Magnetic North by Aegis - 7 Points
Mother's Love is like Christmas Lights by Milo - 7 points
This England (unsung heroes) by CJ Maleney - 7 points
That way lies madness by Larry Chamberlin - 4 Points

First Page:
Candid by mossgirl19 - 4 points
There is a simple appeal to this piece that makes it entirely relatable while also being intense and personal to the author. The balance to this was perfectly measured out and the flow was choppy at points, but it added dimension and passion to this piece.
~~~~~~~~~~

Candid by mossgirl19 7 Points
Woah! Love and poetry are two things that mix really well and you have merged them in the most simple words in a beautiful, elegant way. It's good, short and crisp. It captures the emotions of a person and the descriptions of an artist in a mesmerizing way. It plays mindfully between the candid nature of being an artist and how they spin words into honey for our hearts to taste. Beautiful.
~~~~~~~~~~

Candid by mossgirl19 4 Points
The richness of this poem demands a profound respect for culture and the language of Pakistan. Your verses inspired me to look up the history of Urdu poetry, the many forms and it's performative aspect. Such a soulful, reverent piece that connects these two souls to poetry so important to one's culture.

***************
Somehow by dagmar Wilson - 7 points
The inspiration of this piece is overwhelming, it took me a few read-throughs to understand where the author was going, but once I got to the heart of it, the incredible purpose to this I was amazed more people had not found their way here yet.
~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow by Dagmar Wilson - 4 points
This is an inspirational message "Somehow we survive" No matter what life
throws at us or how dark life becomes, what ever the challenges some how we survive.
That there is somehow at the end of it lays a recovered spirit and peaceful life is
a strong and inspirational message that is like a beacon in the dark.
~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow by Dagmar Wilson 4 Points
Life is indeed tough and harsh, and it is quite a spirit living beings, especially, human beings have that keeps us going despite the adversities we face at every step of our way. And it is harsh that somehow we humans survive the senseless wars, the unnecessary deaths, the bizarre atrocities of nature and keep going on, but at the same time, the poet in his last two lines states that in the end it's the spirit to maintain inner peace no matter what, is what ultimately matters. The way the description starts with brutal truths and ends with an all-healing tonic to all sufferings makes one question the different aspects of life.

***************
Her Valleys Will Fill Me by Poet on the Piano - 10 points
Everything about this piece captivated me: the honesty was effortlessly flowing from every word, the beauty of the author's voice was engaging and stunning and more apparent with every phenomenal line, the word choice was simple, but honestly it didn't need to be anything expansive or flashy for this piece to scream nomination worthy or a favorite. I love that this author is always open-minded, pure hearted, and true to life, the personality literally jumps from the screen to my heart with every write, but this one piece even bumps that up 10 notched - perfectly! Seamlessly penned and a crowd pleasing moment of this week
~~~~~~~~~~

Her Valleys Will Fill Me by Poet on the Piano - 4 points
This piece was one which I had to read time and again to value it completely (if that makes sense) and it goes to show that sometimes going against things that we 'believe' in ourselves, so to speak, can make us truly appreciate the true value of life.

***************
Cold Coffee by Thomas - 10 points
This poem is an excellent example of show not tell. The evidence laid out reveals a couple who stay together despite their violent animosity because they are more afraid of being alone. I enjoyed the clever scene setting and portrayal of a couple at war. The first three stanzas laying a scene that seemed to be of two terrorists plotting for war. Dropping the drama down a notch to compare the throwing of corn cobs to taking up darts professionally adds a new dimension and then the final stanza with twist. A clever piece and very enjoyable.

***************
Leviathan by Kireasha L - 10 points
this piece left me speechless each time I read it and left me with my jaw open wide from awe of how honest yet raw and full of emotion it was. Many of us can relate to this poem bot because we are binge eaters but because we have some other form of addiction whether it be alcohol, drugs, betting or even just attention. I have read and read and read this piece and each time I find something else amazingly emotional about it, it hits me hard each time.

***************
Look by Elizabeth 10 Points
This is one of those pieces that I feel sits and stays with the reader, as the author has found and channeled their most genuine voice. It feels so real, what comes through the page, without caution of being cliche or contrived. The author's ability to break any kind of stagnant air and simply MOVE the reader into feeling this complex unleashing of emotion. Yet the perplexity that they seem doomed and destined to accept this bitterness and loneliness as something one can't stray from. I love how the lines are woven together the ice from the car and wishing to clear the ice from the heart... to the realization this person was living in the past. And there's a sadness that seeps through when it's realized there will be no living in the present. It made me think of how we sabotage our own happiness if we feel we do not deserve something, and it also made me think of the doubt we carry in others. There's a plea that you would have been enough and this person was all you wanted, yet they were scared to move somehow. And now you are a consequence of some choice in the past, yet will you continue to fixate on the past and path they used to lead, or will you live and create a new version of life? One that exists in its pain, one that isn't "too good to be true." Such a thoughtful write that I feel could be interpreted several ways.

***************
Mimi's little angels (acrostic) by Brenda 10 Points
What a wonderful poem! It radiated exuberance all around me with each line of it I read. I had know that the joy of being a mother is bountiful but you have introduced me to learn that the joy of being a grandmother is as beautiful. I have forever believed that the main element a poem is meant to project are the emotions and feelings rather than the other elements that create a poem like the writing style, poetic devices etc (although they are equally important) and this poem has this extraordinary element of projecting the poets feelings transparently in the mind and heart of the reader.
Babies are indeed a precious gift from God, and one day, when they read this precious poem you've written for them they'll see this precious bond between grand parents and grand children that has been shown in this beautiful poem.

***************
The Door by Tony 10 Points
I loved this write because it touches on the darkness that we battle as human beings. I think too that the greatest darkness that we have to overcome is the darkness that comes alive in our own minds. Sometimes you find your self distant from it but sometimes you live in it. It is always a question of which side are you on. I think the writer here did well to portray that darkness we are all familiar with.

***************
For the win by Lemon Squeezy 7 Points
Wow! A great flowing write with a valuable content. I truly commend the storytelling in rhyme. You can tell the writer's passion to encourage and inspire others. It's a very uplifting piece for me, especially that so many crazy things are happening to the world. Amazing title too. Great job!

***************
Magnetic North by Aegis 7 Points
I think the brevity works so well here in establishing character and giving power to the metaphor that she is your compass. I also like how you made the distinction between when you were blind, needing that space and time to explore several paths, and now when you have your own wisdom and sight, yet she is still a guiding foundation. Such a gem!

***************
Mother's Love is like Christmas Lights by Milo - 7 points
This is a very profound and heartwarming write which makes one realize that sometimes those who should love us don't/can't yet those that have no reason to do so do and they do with no recriminations but do it with the whole of their being anyway just because they can that beats anything I've read this week hands down and brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart. This will resonate with many here which is unfortunate.

***************
This England (unsung heroes) by CJ Maleney - 7 points
This well rhymed poem struck a note with me not just because it raised the profile of the farmers
toiling in the land seen at first read but for the fact that on subsequent reads I saw that
it is actually a tribute to all the unsung heroes that work hard behind the scenes of our lives
and who we often forget. Its tone was uplifting and inspiring and made me feel proud to be part
of a nation where honour and hard work do still go a long way to help it grow.

***************
That way lies madness by Larry Chamberlin 4 Points
This poem brilliantly captures a mental struggle. The way it is written, the way the speaker here reveals his compulsions, the way he battles his tendencies- it is like watching a movie scene. I was really gripped and that is the power of writing,
it enables us to experience what is written. I actually found this a little chilling too. Amazingly done.

***************

Oh my...to our judges, I am so honored that you voted for my little poem. It means a lot to me. Thank you.

Mark, thank you for nominating my poem.

Congrats to Dagmar and Mary Ann too, as well as to our HMs. Congrats to everybody for keeping up despite being busy these holidays. Thanks, Larry and to our other mods.

May we all have a blessed year ahead!

Let me start this by saying Happy Blessed New Years to everyone here at P&Q! I hope everyone has an amazing coming year. Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's. I felt a lot of inspiration with these. Thank you Naazz for nominating my HM and for the judges lovely comments on this. I truly do appreciate you all. Larry, thank you for hosting.

Another wonderful week for pnq members. Whether we are mods, judges, nominaters or the nominees, in one way or another we contribute to each other in the field of poetry. It's a win win situation for all of us.
I just want to wish another successful year to pnq site and to all its members.

Well done, all; a great way to start the new year. Thanks again to the judges for reading over so much work at such a busy time of the year.

All the best

Wow what a week of poetry and so many 'ties' so to speak.
Well done all winners and HMs

Much love and a blessed new year everyone

Congratulations to all front page winners and all HM's. All throughly well deserved.

On reading through it looks like it's been something of a marathon for our judges, mucho respect to you all. Also massive thanks to Larry for hosting and his wonderful intro too.

Thanks to our Em for nominating this England and to whichever judge deemed it worthy of their vote and rather splendid comments.

Happy new year everyone

Craig

Congrats to the Winners and HM's!!

Thank you Larry for hosting and as always love reading your introduction!
Thank you judges!