Judging Results, 30 November 2020

The very word “amelioration” flows of the tongue in liquid grace. The judges felt the call of the sentiment this week with Michael’s ‘we must sail against the winds’ - a call to awareness that in the ecological disasters propelled by industrial greed there will be a final leveling. Likewise, Mimi’s graceful return to the front page with her ‘Dear Future Generation’ urges parents to understand the deeper meaning behind a child’s fear of returning to school. Both poems vying for the last slot carried nautical themes and did them well. Carrie’s ‘Ship of Dreams’ extols the strength and endurance of the Mayflower while hiraeth’s ‘a seabird’s cry’ dives into the magic of his woman’s beauty in the metaphor of the ocean.
Two judges this week and the site broke a tie for third place. Congrats to the Front Page poets and those honorably mentioned.

Front Page winning poems
we must sail against the winds by Mr Darcy - 10 points
Dear Future Generation by Mimi - 10 points
Ship Of Dreams by cassie hughes - 7 points

Honorable Mentions
a seabird's cry by hiraeth - 7 points
Becoming. by Poet on the Piano - 4 points
Curious Imaginings by Jemia de Blondeville - 4 points

we must sail against the winds by Mr Darcy - 10 points
This is truly superb. Everyone on this site should read this, drink in its excellence and learn from it too. Not just the content, but how to apply imagination, originality and technical excellence when writing free verse. Parts of this reminded me a little of Dylan Thomas's style in Under Milk Wood, but that is no negative as far as I am concerned.
The message is of course damning, not least because we are guilty of everything Michael is accusing us of. Clichéd? No. And anyway, clichés exist because they are repeated so often. Why? Because they are often so true. This is a story that needs telling again and again and again until we get it through our collective thick head and change our course entirely. Perhaps art like this goes a little way into forging that course. Wonderful work.

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Dear Future Generation by Mimi (10 points)
Mimi, crafted one of those poems where everyone needs to read it, and let it sink in.
I cant begin to comment, from start to finish I had tears in my eyes and could relate
to every line, her heartfelt emotions was heard and this poem needs to be highlighted.
Listen to your children, support them and allow them to grow how they grow, and support them.
This poem is an emotional beauty- Well done!!

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a seabird's cry. by hiraeth (7 points)
Hiraeth, your words can make an older woman melt- and a Grown man cry.
From start to finish, the beauty of this poem is beyond poetic, metaphorically spellbinding
and the visual display is incredible. Just beautiful-

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Ship Of Dreams by cassie hughes - 7 points
I had the pleasure of reading Cassie's "The Garden Ghost" not long back, and this, like that, is a rhyming poem that is not only effortlessly executed technically but is original and tells a story. Also, like The Garden Ghost, the subject (here a ship) is personified wonderfully and is thus brought to life believably.
I haven't read too many historical poems on this site, and I certainly don't read enough rhyming poetry of this class, so this was a real pleasure. By the way, I believe there was a baby born on the Mayflower - wouldn't he be amazed to know his ship of dreams was being written of now and published on the world wide web! Dreamy indeed...

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Becoming. by Poet on the Piano - 4 points
skin that was once a synonym
for irreparable injury.
^^
As far as I am concerned, these two lines are worthy of 4 points by themselves. Wonderful turn of phrase that, MA.
I understood this poem perfectly. I often sit in my house and wonder whether it benefits me as a home or suffocates me as simply a building. Here, at least, there seems to be a truce struck or a "temporary peace" found which, for the time being, will suffice. And sometimes, "for the time being" is all we have.

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Curious Imaginings by Jemia de Blondeville (4 points)
Jemia, welcome to P and Q
What a beautiful, visual display of mystical fantasy and eye opening words that pop out at you
like a happy bowl of ice cream!
I loved where this poem took me, and where I landed at the end.
It was peaceful and just wonderful to read.
The imagination needs to be let free and within this poem, it was. Something different
and fresh to read, just love this poem from start to finish.

Thank you for posting Larry! Beautiful poems everywhere!

Lovely stuff this week and a truly diverse front page, each write dealing with a weighty topic.

Thanks so much for the win and congratulations to all the winners and HM's for such wonderfully written pieces. The talent on this site is so amazing.

Thank you to Larry for your wonderful introduction. You are like a particular tasty hors d'oeuvre *yummy*
Well done to Cassie, Mimi and HM's. I thought so many of the entries this week were worthy of a win. so, I am genuinely shocked to see my poem highlighted.
I wrote the poem after watching'a life on our planet' with Sir David Attenborough. Thank you to our judges and to the judge who awarded this important message a win.
Again, thank you to all.

A little late to say, but congrats to all! Thank you to the judge for their comment, and to Larry for hosting.

Sorry I'm late to say it, but congratulations!

Another late congratulations everyone!!! And a special congrats to Mimi if I’m correct it’s her first win here!!

Oh wow, it feels like she's been here forever.
Well done Mimi, we always remember our first...