Weekly Contest Winners - December 17, 2018!

Hello, everyone! This week we have Abed's piece "We Were" highlighted: A journey of humanity, of pondering why we hold onto experiences, why we look for answers, how we are all connected yet hoping to leave behind a legacy on this earth. Ya --- Na presents their piece "Heavy Logs", which is a heartfelt poem about yearning, writing for a person who's presence is their muse, their inspiration. Next, we have Ben's honest and conflicting poem about drowning "below the flow", reminding me of how we challenge ourselves as writers and struggle to pen our thoughts, feelings. Incredible work this week and congrats to all winners and HM's. Thank you to our judges for taking the time to read these poems!

- MA

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CONTEST WINNERS:

“We Were” by: Abed 10 + 10 + 7 = 27 points

“Heavy Logs” by: Ya — — Na 10 + 7 = 17 points

"Addled Verse" by: Ben Pickard 7 + 4 = 11 points

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COMMENTS:

“We Were” by: Abed

"In a poignant coming-of-age tale spanning a lifetime, Abed’s poem chronicles the human psyche well. Touching upon the apexes of a human life among its ocean-like waves, We Were has many important messages and facts interwoven within its verses, all culminating to one’s death and understanding of a human’s greatest fear: being forgotten (as inevitable as it may be). Life being so poetically described for a piece of prose, it really begs to be read more than once." (10)

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"Stunning, reflective, honest, nostalgic coming of age story with abundant metaphors and interconnectedness within the poem. There is appropriate repetition throughout to draw us back and then push us forward. I love that the poet began their poem with 0 rather than 1. The 5th stanza (4- Earth.) perfectly captures the overarching theme: that this is a human experience, not an experience reserved for one creed or one group of people. Back to 0 at the end. Well done. In my view, this poem is without flaw." (10)

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"Abed is a good writer, and I’ve enjoyed his recent entries. I’m a big fan of the story ark here, and, it’s really quite accomplished, especially ‘fear’. It loses its way in the middle, and becomes a little too prosey but this is a poem he should be proud of. It’s evocative, interesting and thought provoking." (7)

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“Heavy Logs” by: Ya — — Na

"I think the title is quite strange, and there are a few issues with word placement in the first stanza but it’s a powerful, song like piece from a consistent writer. This poem is unrestrained and powerful, poignant in its message and delivery about the relatable feeling of longing." (10)

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"Among the beauty of the poem, “Heavy Logs”, is the perfect timing for the North American winter. It perfectly coincides with the cold! That aside, the poem itself is truly magnificent, blending the abstract feelings of unrequited love with the concrete sensations of winter and cold. The last verse is a true gem that nicely ties the entire piece together in all its wintry beauty." (7)

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"Addled Verse" by: Ben Pickard

"Ben is one of the most accomplished writers on this site, I would love to see him do more of this though. This is like the suduko of poetry and he did a great Job. There is repetition but it is cleverly disguised. It was a pleasure reading something different from Ben, if I was his college lecturer I would be pushing him down the path of obscure forms. Then the dreaded 'free verse' for now, I give him 7 points." (7)

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"When all else fails, in terms of writing, many write about not being able to write! Of course, for some of us, such poems end up being entirely rubbish. That is not the case with Ben’s piece about challenging himself during his writing. How hard it is to keep afloat when writer’s block strikes. The poem has a certain flux to it that makes it entertaining and easy to read, while it still avoids being repetitive." (4)

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HM's:

"I never knew you until now" by: Poet on the Piano (10)

"Last Christmas" by: Milly Hayward (10)

"Headlands" by: The Prince (7)

"Mystified" by: Michael (7)

"Sad Girl" by: Nani (4)

“In need of more of his children” by: Dagmar Wilson (4)

"Reborn" by: Byul (4)

"Confetti" by: Darkndangerous (4)

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COMMENTS:

"I never knew you until now" by: Poet on the Piano (10)

"Maryanne asked for this not to be nominated, yet it was nominated. I'm pleased it was. This resonated with me tonight. To be honest I have awarded this 10 points more for the footnote than the poem. The poem is excellent, but the footnote swung it for me. As a site I think more of us should add some thoughts to our work. I wouldn't have grapsed the full intensity of this piece without the explanation. The poem is haunting, it's not an easy read and is very brave. It gives hope to those that have been through or currently dealing with similar issues. This would have been my 7 but the footnote took the extra 3 points." (10)

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"Last Christmas" by: Milly Hayward

"Liked how you packed humor, rhyme, and reality into this great Christmas poem." (10)

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"Headlands" by: The Prince

"Although love is not mentioned in the poem or category, I interpret this as a somber love poem, probably because it strikes so close to my own poetic inclinations. I like the structure, the word choices, the metaphors used. She is the endless shore and he is the wretch who has stumbled upon her and she is swallowing him bit by fleshy bit. I have a strong, nostalgic connection with the ocean and bodies of water, so naturally this poem tugs at my bone marrow. I love it." (7)

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"Mystified" by: Michael

"I had those Deja Vous moments also, great work in describing it to a "T". (7)

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"Sad Girl" by: Nani

"I thought this piece was elegant, poignant and touching. It had the air of somebody who has been there and done that, they were watching a similar scenario happening, yet they let it play out. Now what I wasn't clear about is whether this person was a friend or family member or whether this was the author talking about herself. There was a little repetition yet the tone and imagery conjured from this piece compensated this enough for me to give it 4 points." (4)

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“In need of more of his children” by: Dagmar Wilson

"There was definitely something real and gripping about this short piece. A really effective poem, and it felt seasonal without any sentimentality." (4)

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"Reborn" by: Byul

"At first I thought this poem must surely be a cliche, but now I think the metaphor is just that perfect. The imagery is readily available to the imagination and I believe it’s entirely new. That’s a gift. A dark colored little butterfly takes in heat rather than reflects it, and the heat exhausts her, weights her down, and she returns to a cocoon to heal. Lovely. Well done." (4)

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"Confetti" by: Darkndangerous

"New Year's Resolutions, disdain for past deeds, search for true love, all neatly woven into this poem." (4)

Thank you very much for the comments and congratulations to everyone involved.

Congrats winners, well done judges, thanks MA.

Congratulations everyone! Keep churning out the quality! Massive appreciation for the judges and hosts. :)

Thanks to all the volunteer judges who make this weekly competition possible and congratulations to the winners and HMs. Milly x

Happy for the winners and HMs
Grateful to the judges for showering so much love on all of us.
Thanks to our hardworking Moderators and to all the beautiful members for their time to read, comment and obviously nomination.
Much love for pnq family..
Thanks to Hellon for the nomination. I almost forgot to thank her.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all of you.

S

MA rocks!
Thanks for hosting this week.

Congratulations to everyone.

Moderators, judges, poets, thanks to all of you for making it possible.

For creating another wonderful week and reminding us how beautiful life could be.

Love you all!

Enjoy!

SG, I think that the first stanza of your poem should go like this..

There is something about you
that I begin to slip away
from pathway of my life
when you are near me.

There could be other possible alternatives too. It is just one of them. Please don't mind!

Merry Xmas, and HNY to you too.

Hi All :)
Thank you to MaryAnne for hosting.
Congratulations to all front page poets, and all HMs awarded
to all the judges that give their time each week, and to the judge for my comments.
Thanks to Scott for nominating

much love, m :) x

Congrats to the front pagers and to the HMs.
Thanks once more judges for your dedication.
Thank you MA for hosting.

Congratulation to all the front page winners and HM's! I continue to be humbled that I'm a part of this amazing group of writers and get to read these amazing writes. Mary Anne, thank you for hosting and our group of judges to for dedication and time.

Thanks for the highlight, judges; those 3 comments speak volumes! And Hellon thank you for the nomination.

Congrats Winners & HM's...well done!
Thank you judges and thanks for hosting
MA :)

Thanks once again.