Weekly Contest Results, 20 January 2020

Hello everybody! Rania here. I hope you are all doing good, I would like to thank our three judges for their time.

I would also like to say Congrats to Ben, Saerelune and Star for their front page week and commend this week's talented HM-poets: Ocean Chant, Steph and Mr Darcy.

Kindly check the judges comments below and have a nice week ahead:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Front Page Poems:

A Thousand Miles Per Hour Round the Sun (Bowlesian Sonnet) by Ben Pickard 27 points.

Ben has written his fair share of sonnets on this site but it still amazes me of how effortlessly he makes this look. Now, anyone who has either written a sonnet or attempted to knows these are not easy by any means. This particular one is a Australian sonnet, again, didn't know there were so many different ones. If he struggled with it at all you would never know. It flows beautifully and tells a story. Chaos is with us everyday. Some people thrive on it, others drown in it. It seems with all the economic and ecological changes taking place, chaos has the upper hand. We spend our days chasing normalcy just to feel more centered. I think a lot of us feel like we are going at a speed of a thousand miles an hour. I know myself that the older I get the faster time seems to be going. I'm frantically trying to make these plans and accomplish my hopes and dreams. It is crazy just thinking about it. Ben's poem this week touches solidly on this. This world isn't easy but maybe we can learn how to harness some of that chaos and use its energy for good. (10)

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I didn’t know that Bowlesian sonnets existed. It a really fitting form for the poem.

Depending on the state of mind could go very deep. The first time I read it as how mother nature is naive, and the only thing she wants is to have balance. To be free of the chaos and the harm us humans are causing.

Then I read this again, and it was very sad to me. Trying to live, ends up as trying to survive. We know that it’s impossible for anything to go as planned, yet we still do. Yet we hope, and it hurts every time.

A really great poem for sure!! (10)

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This is a formed sonnet you dont see often and Ben has captured its elegance in true form this week. Its graceful, reads well and flows with the beat. taking you on an emotional mood driven poem. just beautiful!! (7)

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The poet and the engineer by Saerelune Points: 14

This is so beautiful. Though the minds of an engineer and a poet wont match each other., Saerelunw found an amazing solution with her words.
The opening hooked me, and I was smiling with every part I read.
Very well written!! Love this!! (7)

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So many relationships are like ying and yang. Total opposites but it works somehow. Saerelune describes one of these relationships perfectly. She the poet who doesn't just see a big rock in the sky. He the Engineer who doesn't follow her whimsy. But they both need each other, it's that ying and yang, balancing each other out. I had a friend a long time ago that always described our friendship as she gave me a look over the edge and I kept her from falling off. So sprinkle your fairy dust on your engineer Saerelune and he will always be your rock. (7)

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False Alarms by Star 10 points

I picture pedestrians peeking under umbrellas, love the visuals of this poem. Just beautiful! Thoughts of the writer walking around and I can see the pavement, its like a mood I too have often felt when within the crowd. Such a simple moment of solitude and yet chaos mixed into a powerful, thought provoking poem. Just wonderful!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Honourable Mentions:

Fading by Ocean Chant 4 points

Small poems can be so effective when the message is so clear within a metaphoric gem such as this poem. Being afraid to live and accept life can haunt you forever. Love the visuals as well, every line was captivating!

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He Loves Me (TW) by Steph 4 points

As hard as this was to read I can't even begin to imagine when you have been through. You struggle every day to achieve some sort of inner peace when there is so many daily reminders of the past. This wonderful man you are with now, allows you your obsessive traits without judgement, knowing what you've been through. As it should be, to find someone who is there for you, who truly listens to you and isn't passing judgement. His heart hurts because yours does and if he could take that pain away he would. I want to thank you personally for sharing such a personal part of your life. It's never easy but the fact you are sharing shows how incredibly strong you are.

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Severn Bore (Sonnet) by -Mr. Darcy Points:4

I love it, when a poem “shows” me something or somewhere, I didn’t know or have been.
I really love the description at the beginning, and the feeling of anticipation that followed.
It felt like a beautiful scenery that can’t be captured by a picture. I really enjoyed this!!

Thank you so much Scott Cole for the nomination, and the judge!!! It is humbling to share the front page under two great poems :)

Congratulations everyOne especially Saerelune for her three week streak :)

Thanks to Rania, and congratulations as well.

Thanks to the three judges. Good work on the judging and congrats to the three front pagers and the three HMs.

Thank you so much to the judges for their time and comments, not just on my poem, but for their work generally.
Congratulations to all who were mentioned or nominated and thank you to Michael (Mr Darcy) for my nomination.

Congrats to the front page winners and those who got a HM. Thank you judges and thank you for hosting Raina

Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's! Beautiful writing all around! Thank you Rania for hosting and our judges for making the tough picks. Happy writing everyone!

Well done to all winners and fellow HM's. Thank you to all the judges, but especially the judge who commented on my poem :)

Congrats guys!!! Some amazing poems this week...
~~~clapping~~~

Thank you judges and mods for making this weekly contest possible. Was quite surprised to see my poem up there, thank you for your kind comments. Congrats to my fellow winner and HMs too!

Congrats winners and HM's