Weekly Contest Winners - July 13, 2020

Hello! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. This week, we only had one judge, but will be back to two next week. We still need more judges, so please, if you're able to and would like to volunteer, pm a mod or the main mod account. Many thanks to the judge this week! There was quite a range of emotions in poems this week, so well done to Noura, Liz (a welcome return), and Daniel.

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"Depression II" by: nourayasmine

“This poem is simply hypnotic: the moment you start reading you just get sucked into that tiny bedroom, stumbling aimlessly through the house… collecting reminders of depression, scavenging for any trace of hope to be something else… somebody else. The forgotten dreams, the traumas that go with them. All the harshness and cold of the world is perfectly packed into these verses. The repetition of “dip deeper” keeps you in a trance even though the imagery seems to skip around: it perfectly illustrates the mindset of someone with a heavy heart who’s trying her best to survive and be ‘normal’. The ending line puts it all to a powerful end. Describing death as an exhalation is brilliant, as it immediately reminds the reader of the opposite (inhaling – being alive) and also connects with the imagery of the previous stanza.” (10)

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"Treehouse" by: Liz

“There’s a certain innocence to this poem, probably due to the mention of a treehouse and playing cards. It felt very light and airy, and I enjoyed the slow transition to a more ‘mature’ point of view: worrying over the functionalities of a house, beer, impressing someone… Feels like the persona rapidly grew up within just a few stanzas, which I think is what makes this poem so compelling, especially because it is simply titled “Treehouse”. It makes me wonder what symbolism could be attached to a treehouse: often it’s a childhood memory, but maybe our own ‘adult’ houses are also just treehouses: a place where we feel safe yet adventurous, a place for us to grow. The ending makes me think we are now looking at the persona at an older age, trying hard to remember, but not quite able to do so. There’s beauty in simplicity, especially the kind that still makes you ponder… and I think that’s what this poem achieved excellently.” (7)

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"Bated Breath" by: Daniel

“I love how this poem feels slightly political in terms of content but still very poetic in expression. A clear atmosphere was painted with the connection between the images: campfire, sunlight, summer, smoke from the embers, stirring the pot… I feel like I can smell the forest in which a bunch of strangers are camping even though nothing in this poem described greenery of any sorts. I feel a sense of warmth, cosiness and casual chats when I read this poem, even though specks of darkness are explicitly highlighted: “there’s nowhere to hide”; “our fears can’t be eased”; “the world is crumbling around us”. This juxtaposition between atmosphere and content was brilliantly achieved. It makes me think of life: how small things can make it feel pretty but deep inside we can’t ignore the elephant in the room although we are actively trying to do so through cosiness.” (4)

Congrats, Noura and Daniel!

And thank you judge! And MA for the prompts lol

Thank you for your hard work and time, judge! Your comment was much appreciated. Congratulations Noura, and Liz. :)

Have a great week everyone.

Congrats to the Winners and thank you judge for your time and effort.
Thanks for hosting MA

Congratulations to all worthy winners, HMs and nominees. Thanks to the judges and this week's host :-) x
=^.^=

Congratulations to our front page winners! Lovely indeed! Thank you to our lone judge for your time and efforts. Happy writing everyone !