Weekly Judging Results, 22 October 2018

How much pain do you have to endure to get at the heart of things?
Michael is in obvious pain as well as anger with his tirade against the short-sighted waste and destruction of man and digs to the core of this world’s environmental blight. Rosy works through the anguish of loss and self-destruction to pull out the essential value she carries within. Jaime continues his excruciating journey through childhood seeking the innocent youth that was sorely beset. Each of the poems were recognized by the judges as earnest attempts to seek and express the inner core of the subject despite the necessity of enduring pain in doing so. The site broke a three-way tie for third place.

Front page:
Our long-gone songs by Mr Darcy. 20 points
Free Verse - An attempt at self love by Rosy Cheeks And Irony 14 points
Writing on the walls by Blank Canvas 10 points

Honorably Mentioned:
Earth’s Rapprochement by Larry Chamberlin 10 points
To Nature by Ben Pickard 10 Points
Paper Planes by M.U. 8 points
Bowing Boughs by BOB GALLO 7 points
Room tour by Blank Canvas. 7 points
Stormdamaged by Scott Cole 7 points
Hope filled light (haiku) by Blank Canvas 4 points
Resipiscence by Aegis 4 points
Turning by Trampled Angel 4 points

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Our long-gone songs by Mr Darcy. 10 points
I read this piece a couple of times to truly absorb the content, and I must say this is such a powerful and wonderful piece of writing, along with the rolling layout.
Many poets, quite recently have written about the world we live in, and the devastation and how nature suffers. this one however displays how well a writer opens their mind using words and expressions to create such a piece.
There really isn’t much I can say other than a superb way the author has captured their images of how the earth is being destroyed. A very well thought out; thought-proving poem, that not only delivers a strong message, but it also has an edge of how our world how such beauty.
One of my favourite lines:
“songs of crickets in the thickets
songs of birds on the wing – hear what they sing”
simply lovely, albeit the sad times we live in with a rhyme scheme that has a tune beating through.
Very well penned with ink of inspiration.

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Our long-gone songs by Mr. Darcy 10 points
This piece was somewhat different to the usual style I see here on p+q but one which I really admired and although it was about the Earth and what we have done to it and this authors anger towards that it fascinated me for unknown reasons. The whole of the piece was set in a way which in my opinion heightened the authors anger.

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Free Verse - An attempt at self love by Rosy Cheeks And Irony 7 points
Sometimes feelings betray. Sometimes words will also.
This poem to me speaks of a journey. A journey of self understating. Perhaps the longest trip any of us will ever take.
If we will find reason at the end is an unknown.
But we can document the traversed territories of mind and foot.
This is a poem for poets. I think everyone will find something different in it and take something from it..
A total pleasure to read.

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Free Verse - An attempt at self love by Rosy Cheeks And Irony 7 Points
Free verse is one of my favourite types of poetry, it has a way of sidestepping the frontal lobe and engaging the subconscious. It is here, that it could be argued, that genius is born.
Self-love is often, if we are lucky, realized after our teenage years, but here, this young lady grapples with it and makes sense of her self-worth in an honest, soul-searching way.

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Writing on the walls by Blank Canvas 10 points
I applaud this writer for the strength and courage to pour out raw emotion and tragic events!
Its not easy to write such a pain... abuse, torment, and emotional scars infect the mind if silenced, takes a strong courageous person to let it go and to write it---- Deserves recognition!!-- My heart is exploding with emotion over this poem. It's written in such a way that leaves me speechless... well written!!!

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Earth’s Rapprochement by Larry Chamberlin 10 points
I don't have much to say about this poem. It sings it's own song.
I think the author is truly understanding of nature and their place within it.
We are as much a part of it as it is us.
Sometimes we need to touch things in order to realize just how precious it is and sometimes how precious we are.
A very visual piece that many will relate to.

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To Nature by Ben Pickard 10 Points
We all know Ben knows how to write a good poem, but something new has happened. Like most of us, he has been writing, using stabilizers, whereas this week, Ben has shed them, like the clatter of Forrest Gump’s leg callipers. Ben has come of age!
A poem to Nature and its wonderment. Each quatrain and sandwiched couplet is perfect. The meter makes for sweet, sweet music to the ear, heart and soul. Reading it was like being swept on a journey, being taken by the hand and shown/reminded how very lucky we are. Ben, we are lucky to have you showcase your art for us. Thank you.

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Paper Planes by M.U. 4 points
The tittle of this poem pulled me in first. Paper Planes is a song by MIA.
A song that is always on my play list.
Yet the content of this poem is not about the subject matter of the song.
If it is truly about dreams! Then how vivid can they be? How much can a subconscious view affect us.
Massively!
Vocalizing dreams is a terribly difficult thing. To do so and grip the randomness of such? To be able to write them is even harder.
To understand them! is something no one ever can, despite education, insight or intelligence. They are so personal.
I loved this poem because it is raw and honest, perhaps a little confusing at times. I guess dreams are meant to be so.
Or perhaps they make us think a little deeper.

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Paper Planes by M.U. 4 Points
It was the title that drew my attention to this piece. Paper planes are accessible to all and can, for a few magical moments, fly to the stars.
Here M.U. writes bitter-sweet about imagined hopes. I imagined these planes as letters, some of them soaked from a sea of tears. Here’s where hope come in – what if one of these planes/letters created happiness, a smile worth remembering – wouldn’t that be worth the ink?

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Bowing Boughs by BOB GALLO 7 points
This is so elegant and beautiful, I felt like I was on a swing in the middle of a cherry blossom tree orchard... just enchanting! The word usage and visual display is very nice and flows from start to finish!

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Room tour by Blank Canvas. 7 points
I felt like this piece, did take me on an excursion of life as seen through their eyes as they are confined to a room of many saddened memories, using metaphors well to reflect how difficult and damning their life once was.
A room that painted a somewhat dark picture, with light struggling to find a way in. The writer talks vividly of the harsh times of self-abuse, medication bottles and with the end of their piece the sadness of parental neglect. Also the ‘rickety doorway’ that opened to ‘PTSD’ giving an insight to how the writer has suffered dearly.
A very raw and open piece, which takes a strong heart to read. I would like to thank the author for expressing such a story that holds a talent for writing. Well done

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Stormdamaged by Scott Cole 7 points
This piece stuck in my head this week because I've been the person who has been weathered by the past etc yet who has seen the effect it can have on others too so this resonated with me a lot and was one of those pieces that I remembered and will for some time.

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Hope filled light (haiku) by Blank Canvas 4 points
One of those pieces that may be shirt yet sets a scene like a kick to the gullet which will never seem to leave you unfortunately for someone who has been in that situation.

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Resipiscence by Aegis 4 points
Taking a chance on being hurt- Risking everything on something that could lead to better or worse... Oh this is a powerful poem... every person can relate to this wonderful poem!
Loved the thought provoking title, made it fun and educating!!

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Turning by Trampled Angel 4 points
Upon reading this piece, the author takes me through such a sad picture, as they paint a scene where they are traveling through life with thoughts of times that were difficult to them.
I have a sense that the author talks of how seasons are changing, which has an impact on their emotions. Expressing how winter changes with darker nights and becoming colder, and also the fear of growing old, or a season for that fact. They then reflect on how deep this does effect their feelings, with how love especially can hold so much pain for them, as they mention its is a sort of the same old tune.
A really well written piece, exploring feelings and expressing them with writing, which I say please continue with such powerful and wonderful poetry.
Well done.

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Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's! Another fine week of stellar writing. Thank you Larry for hosting and the judges for making the hard choices of trying to pick from all these amazing writes.

Congratulations to the front page winners
and to all those who received a HM! Great
writes this week :)

Thank you judges for your time and effort
and thank you for hosting Sir L :)

Well done, all, and thank you to the judge for that lovely comment. Also, thank you to Andrea for the nomination.

Congrats to all!

Thank you judges for the HMS and the win, thank you Ben, andrea and hellon for nominating my poems

BTW, Thanks to the judge for the comment and thanks to Michael (Mr Darcy) for nominating my poem

Thank you, judge and Hellon

Congratulations and thanks to each and every one.

Love you all!

Congrats to all winners, HMs and nominees. A fab week! :-)
=^.^=

Congrats to all the winners and poets highlighted! Thank you as always to our judges, and Larry for hosting.

Thank you to everyone who helps make this site feel like home. Remember, as special as this weekly event is, it is 'us' who make this poetry website homely. *clicks heels* "there's no place like home"

Big thanks to Larry for moderating this week and to all the judges who voluntarily give up their time each week to do the judging. (not an easy task with so much talent). Congratulations to all the winners and HMs and agree with Mr Darcy this site really is very special a home from home indeed. Best wishes Milly x