Weekly Contest Winners - July 6, 2020

Hello, apologies for the delay! We did have three judges vote, but unfortunately, we only have comments from two judges. And the third vote from the judge was toward a poem already voted for by another judge, hence why I didn't add another "no comment". Thanks to everyone and congrats to all!
- MA

WINNERS:

"Rough Waters" by: Star

"I loved every aspect of this clever little write: the idea of someone plummeting and settling into another's deepest depths and not being overawed or scared but rather "waiting patiently" for the sunlight from their surface and it is a clever use of extended metaphor.

The formatting, too, is not lost on the reader - as we journey down the page, we ourselves come to "settle" at the bottom, allowing the quiet calm, surprising warmth and the all-important light from this delightful poem to swaddle us.

One little niggle is the unnecessary comma at the end of the piece after "surface" - one, it doesn't belong there and two, it really does interrupt the flow and stops us, the reader, plummeting the page quite so freely! Otherwise, this is full of imagination and one I kept coming back to." (10)

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"You..." by: Grace Judith

“I love way this poem plays with movement and textures. From a rapid, sudden rain that claws and pounds to slow-dripping molasses. I felt like I could almost taste the rain and its aliveness – how it affects the writer, creating these stunning images. The ending is also very unique, imagining the heart as a scratchpad… I don’t think I’ve ever read that before. Some poems can be so rich in imagery that the meaning is lost but I think Grace struck a nice balance here. Confusion around someone who gives a hot and cold treatment, the push and pull is very evident… just to end with the inevitable final act of abandonment after all. Truly heart-breaking yet enchanting.” (10)

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"A Home of Salvation" by: Meena

comment not available

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HM's:

"An Obituary (Cinquain)" by: Daniel

“Death is no easy subject to write about. Yet in all its complexity, Daniel managed to beautifully capture the feeling of loss. Every word in this Cinquain counted. Nothing felt forced, too much, or too little. There’s something elegant about leaving a bed unmade – not wanting to change a thing about the things that the deceased left behind. Love the connection between this tangible, strong image and the hope that it’s all maybe just a bad dream.” (7)

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"A Broken Umbrella in a Thunderstorm" by: Daniel

comment not available

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"Sometimes (Suicidal Depression)" by: Love

"In honesty, there may well have been more 'poetic' writes than this one to choose to give my 7 points to, but why should I when none of them moved me quite like this - and after all, that is the point of any art, is it not? to move and create emotion somehow or another.

What I liked about this piece, particularly, was the overriding inspiration at the end of it all. With that title and that opening stanza, we are given to believe it could just be another one of 'those' poems with little insight to offer us but the writer's own miserable take on life's proceedings. And honestly? I have had my fill of those - I write them myself every day! But no, in the end, we are offered hope and a real sense of light from the brightest source imaginable if you are that way inclined: God. Hang on indeed." (7)

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"The Farewell Shuffle" by: Kitty Cat Lady

"Written almost exclusively in near perfect iambic tetrameter (8 syllable lines split into 4 iambic feet) this is a breath of fresh air in terms of form and rhyme, which there isn't nearly enough of on this site, in my own opinion.

An extended metaphor about the disintegration of a relationship, likened to an awkward dance that is both "out of step" and more a "shuffle" than anything resembling a graceful motion that incorporates two people finely in tune with each other's movements, more emotionally than physically, one would imagine.

I would just point out that line three in the second stanza stalls a little as the 'dull' and 'sad' are too forceful there next to each other. How about 'dreary' or deadened' or some word of the like? The author's choice, of course, and that is only personal taste and suggestions.

Kitty has long been gone from the site, but she blows in with a refreshing little gem here that plays its part in raising the quality and diversity of this week's nominations to an even greater height. Bravo and welcome back." (4)

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"Naive" by: Rania Moallem

“The first line caught my attention immediately; it was a very creative way of turning the phrase “your silence speaks volumes” around. I could hear the absence screeching in my ear from the crowd’s yelling.. the warning of an ominous cloud, knowing very well it might be an illusion. Against better judgement (perhaps a certain naivete), I could clearly feel the disappointment of being betrayed. Having your roots plucked is a simple yet effective way of showing how someone else affected the writer’s very core and being. A lot about this poem was flowery yet simplistic enough to relate to, and I think the impactful ending demonstrated this very well.” (4)

Thank you, MA for hosting and to the judges for their diligence.
Congrats to the winners and honorable mentions.

To the judge your comment makes so much sense the comma really interrupts the flow. Thank you so much didnt expect this !!!

Congrats winners and HMs :)
Thank you MA and judges for your time ^_^

Congrats to the winners and those who picked up a HM! Thank you judges for your hard work & thank you MA for hosting!

Thanks so much for hosting MA. Congratulations to all winners, HMs and nominees and thanks to all judges for their time.
I didn't realise until I saw that I received a HM yesterday that I'd been nominated so thanks very much to whoever nominated my poem. I'm chuffed to bits to get a HM with my first poem in six months! Huge thanks to the judge that gave me such lovely comments with fantastic, constructive criticism which I'll take on board. What a lovely welcome back! :-) x
=^.^=

Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's, beautiful writing all around. Thank you Mary Anne for hosting and esteemed panel of judges for your time and comments.

Wonderful wins and wonderful work all round. Well done and thank you to the judges.

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

Thanks MA!

Congratulations to worthy winners and hms. :) Excellent poetry all around! Thank you to the judge who commented on my poem, and those who voted/nominated.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Thank you very much MA and all the judges for their time taken and for their feedback. Honoured and humbled to have won. My congratulations to all the other winners, HMs and nominees. Well done you all.
Warmest regards,
Gracy