Weekly Contest Winners - August 16, 2021

Hello! Here is some exciting news - we now have one judge who provided their time and insight in order to choose this week's front page poems. Many thanks to that judge, and please, if you're able to and have an interest in volunteering, private message the mod account. We'd love to have you as a judge!

Congrats to Mark Spencer, Prophecies in Kodak, and Satish Verma!

Hope all of you are doing well and have a great start to the week :)

- MA

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COMMENTS:

"My Last Sunset" by: Mark Spencer

"This is a beautifully melodic poem. I was gripped early on with the fantastically natural rhyme and flow of the first 3 stanzas in particular. This is rhyming done well, something that is often quite hard to find. The rhyme also helps add to the sense of nostalgia as the poet contemplates, with great acceptance and assuredness, the impending closing of the curtain of his life. Overall it was quite a soothing read although the almost triumphantly defiant outlook of the poet shines through towards the end. I do think that it wavers slightly around the middle, and I’m not a big fan of introducing such a blunt image as the reaper. I do like the way the poet seems to be reassuring himself but also giving advice to the reader, to not spend life in fear’s shadow. The idea of faith and belief comes through strongly and I like the use of punctuation such as exclamation marks to emphasise the poet’s sense of self-awareness. I thought it was a very well-crafted piece that should be well-placed as a contest winner this week. Well done!" (10)

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"Applesauce" by: Prophecies In Kodak

"This poem was bittersweet at best, and tragic at worst. It subtly but surely traces the highs, lows and eventual end of a relationship. What I liked a lot is the recurring image of sitting on the bed. Returning to this spot grounds the reader in the poem and is a clever way of allowing time to pass and show us different stages of the relationship. I think the idea of silence was explored brilliantly. The contrasting ‘golden’ silence of contentment at the beginning contrasts sharply with the cold, silent airways by the end. The reader can almost feel the poet’s heartbreak by the end of the poem and the haunted silence lingers beyond the final line of the poem. Finishing on a simple rhyme here adds to the poignant effect. One aspect that did distract me a little was a few times it slipped from present to past tense, and perhaps there were a few lines towards the middle that felt a little unnecessary. The poem is certainly relatable and while the poem is evidently personal, it also has the ability to allow the reader to insert themselves in and reflect on their own relationships. Overall a strong poem with a powerful opening and even more powerful ending. Well done!" (7)

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"In Vaccum" by Satish Verma

"This was a poem that provoked a lot of thought. The poet gives the reader snippets of images that they have to try to piece together. I like how a tone and image of night-time stillness was created in just a few short stanzas. Part of me would like the poet to expand more, and it feels like an incomplete piece. But part of me wants to have to dig deeper to interpret some of the meaning without being spoonfed. My interpretation is that somebody is preparing themselves to admit to something, and they are steeling or willing themselves to do it in an honourable, open way. Or maybe they are coming around to the idea of admitting something to themselves that they have been trying to hide from. The images of clouded vision and darkness, plus the title ‘In Vaccum’ suggests the poet is in limbo or in a stage of transition. Either way, I thought this was a very interesting piece. Well done!" (4)

Hi all : )

Congratulations to fresh face poetry on the pnq front page, from my perspective :).

To the judge who has given their time to keep this contest in existence. Extra applause!

Thank you to Scott for nominating my poem.

It's all a journey, come what may.

And of course the moderators, who really keep this place alive! :)

Much love, M x

Thanks to the judge & thanks MA.

Congrats to Satish, Kodak & Mark for being chosen on the merits of your poetry for the front page.

Thank you to the judge who volunteered and thanks for hosting MA!

Congrats to the front page Winners..well done!