Weekly Contest Winners - December 2, 2019!

Welcome to the month of December! First, we have Abed's return with his chilling poem, "Athena", a tragedy that Abed is able to narrate so well, and capture such sorrow on what seemed like such a vibrant night. Next is Mark's profound verses of the songbirds, their plight and their journey to somewhere greener, which I found could be parallel to our own struggle to travel "anywhere but here", as we are reminded of our own desolate places and the memories that no longer feed us. And last but not least, Ben's rhymed and heartbreaking piece about the depths of what I see as depression. He speaks of the reality of dreams versus waking to one's own demons, and the ghosts that keep us company. There's an eerie honesty in this, as well as the relatable truth that it can truly feel like the sun will never cast its rays on us. So much depth between all three poets! Congrats to them and to our HMs, especially Star's poem and Mark's other poem for tying for third also. Thank you, as always, to the judges for their time.

Have a great week, everyone!
-MA

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"Athena" by: Abed 10 + 10 = 20 points

"Just speechless. I am having difficulty commenting because this poem is just that powerful. From start to finish I felt like I was in that room, feeling love, passion and pure joy and then a minute later- heartbreak, horror and I cried. Feeling like the man didn't have time to return the I love you back and I seriously said to myself.. no, no, no, no. Hands down for me = 10."

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"Athena the goddess of wisdom and warfare, has fallen in love with the narrator of the poem. And in it we find out how she managed to allure him. By following her they both bond together and become one. The poem that is filled with love and passion, has a tragic end.

There is a deeper meaning to this., maybe Athena is the spirit of Beirut that is dying and no one is noticing her. And perhaps she felt what’s coming, and that is why she chose to laugh and dance her final moment with the love of her life.

A very well written poem, so beautifully penned!"

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"Song of the Songbirds" by: hiraeth = 10 points

"Mark's poem this week gave me more than one meaning. I thought of love that had gone bad and all the toxicity that it gives off destroys everything in its path. No longer do you hear the birds singing, the sun shining, life is now shades of gray. I also thought of the damage we humans do to this earth. So many species have fled in search of more fertile lands, somewhere they can flourish. Both have our poison in them, whether we are giving it to another person or to this earth."

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"Sunlight Never Dries the Dew" by: Ben Pickard = 7 points

"Ben's poem this week reminded me of a person struggling with depression. It is awful having this continual argument with one self over if you are good enough or not. Your dreams give you hope but in the cold morning light you are reminded, not so gently that you are that still that same tortured soul. Before long you start believing you will be nothing more, the voices in your head have won and you will forever be crawling through the wet weeds of a life that has lost its promise."

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HM's:

"Welcome Back Old Friend" by: Star = 7 points

"Star tossed me this week with her elegant visuals of the french braid in the dark and I immediately thought of a loved one, sibling perhaps but then I felt sorrow and longing and I found myself crying at the end. Seriously adored this piece!"

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"You can find poems about me in your intercoastal spaces." by: hiraeth = 7 points

"There is so much beautiful imagery in this poem, and for me personally it felt sad.

Although the word are beautiful they still hurt.
“i swallowed your words and they
inosculate with my ribs, “
^
The other persons words became a part of him. And they blossom in summer and spring. Causing pain as their thorns will be stuck into him. Even though he has rest time during autumn and fall. The roots and the seeds are dormant, and the pain will come again when the season change.

It feels like the poet, wants to let go of a beautiful past, maybe a person. He is ready to move into a new chapter of his life. But he is not sure he can make the memory or person away from his thoughts forever."

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"Beyond Hysterical Laughter" by: Maple Tree = 4 points

"The title made me feel really bad, I am not sure why. When someone is beyond hysterical laughter, it is very exhausting to the body and also emotionally. The person becomes numb, or if I could want to make a word for that state.

Maple's poem describe what surrounds the old hysterical laughing oak tree. And how she can’t be as fruitful as she used to. Everything surrounding her is beautiful, the singing birds, the dancing crickets, the moss and dandelion. She is ready to flow along with life. But she forgot how beautiful and special she is, and her heart that until her last breath is willing to give back.

What I found sad and connecting to the state that follows the hysterical laughter, is that the old oak has forgotten what she was like before she stated “laughing”.

This is a really deep poem!"

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"Drifting, A Sense" by: Ocean Chant = 4 points

"This is an eye opener, the people we are most afraid of is ourselves.. very enlightening and I really loved the format and the ending leaves you just sitting there with your mouth open.. just thinking. Beautiful!"

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"Speechless" by: Daniel = 4 points

"Daniel's poem this week reminded me of finally getting that one you've dreamt of. Even though this person is not the right person for you. He describes giving it his all and doubting it will be ever enough. He's rendered speechless and in turn this person mocks him thus making it easier for things to end. Self sabotaging ourselves is an easy way to step away from relationships or from moving forward, we all do it, Daniel put this into words beautifully."

To the judge who voted for me I’m sorry I made you cry. I am very thankful to you. This means a lot, especially with a poem like this one!!!

Congratulations everyone, amazing performance this week :)

Congratulations to the winners. Especially Abed - such a great narrative!

Thanks to the three (3) judges and to MA for hosting.

I have to say, I genuinely feel out of place this week on the front page as Abed's and Mark's pieces are really quite superbly written. Well done to Star too who deserves the winning spot at least as much as I do.
Thanks judges and congratulations to all.

Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's! Stellar writing all around! Thank you Mary Anne for hosting and our judges for doing the voodoo that you do. Happy writing everyone!

Thank you judges for your hard work, congrats to all the other winners and those who picked up a HM!

Congratulations to the poets and awesome poems that grace the front page this week. Thank you to the judges as ever :)

congrats all

Congratulations, all.

Thank you judges for your deep insights; Larry for your kindness; and MaryAnne for the nomination.

Congrats to all the Winners and HM's
Thank you judges for your time and thank you for hosting MA