At long last, the long awaited conclusion to the first round of the General Poetry Contest is here! You can read this pre-announcement spiel and prolong the agony, or you can just skip down the page. Such delays are not anticipated for the future of this contest, but they are inevitable when there are competing interests for time and attention.
While we, the moderators, did not choose the themes, we judged according to our interpretations of the theme and the niceties of poetry. It was a challenge working with discordant opinions, especially when we cannot agree upon a winner but the finalists were clear. A clear, but not necessarily literal, interpretation of the theme paired with strong poetic form make for a strong contender. The finalists and winners embody these principles in exemplars of elegant expression. You spoil us with your splendor and a judgement we must render.
We hope it was worth the wait.
The finalists and winners are below, but first, the Honorable Mention:
GENERAL POETRY CONTEST
Honorable Mention
anatolytt:
Roses are red
Elephant is blue.
It's going to be mine,
It's of no use to you.
For its hilarious analysis that unfortunately did not have a touch of truth to it in the end.
Honorable Mention
TackyCrazyTNT:
Death is the only touch that's true,
Don't listen to her gleaming eyes
Red lips will always fade to blue.
The high and low, the middle too,
Ignore the sound of their own cries.
Death is the only touch that's true.
Measuring their bloody words to chew,
Spitting them through weary lives.
But red lips will always fade to blue.
They try to hide (as cowards do),
Building their castles scraping high,
But Death is the only touch that's true.
It comes to them, no better than you,
Buries them under dirt and sky--
Red lips will always fade to blue.
The bards will still sing as if they knew,
That until still tongues forever lie.
Death is the only touch that's true,
And Red lips will always fade to blue.
For its rhyme and imagery, the lips in particular.
Third Place
VioletFang:
To goals and marks
Containing no reasons
And seasons, like me
Are changing, but never noticed
Through walls and floors
One slip to regret
To forget, returning
But finding mistakes
In a life of speed
Against not the brain
But a train, as another
To see but never feel
All repetition
Familiar acts
No hard facts, just life
With many masters
Completely safe
To be hunted not
For a thought, or ivory
Or the nameless color
Surrounded still
I’ve seen much
Not enough, lacking lots
Knowledge forever confined
Yet I feel joy
Through many a life
Not one strife, I smile
I am just as much wonderful
To goals and marks
Containing no reasons
And seasons, like me
Never fail to please
For its rhyme and rhythm.
Before we continue, there was a hair's difference between first and second places. It was this decision that held up most of the judging. What is interesting here is that both share a motif of sight and blindness.
Second Place
Kysier:
I stand before the waning light
Bowed beneath the reddened sky
I walk with the end in sight
I wonder, was it a sweet lie
I traveled this long broken road
With one simple hope in mind
Would the truth be bestowed
When I left it all behind
As I watch the shadows near
I close my eyes and softly pray
Please make the purpose clear
Let me know on this final day
Soon the room would grow so cold
Leaving a world so defiled
The truth pulling at the blindfold
I closed my eyes and I smiled.
For its story, its imagery, its rhythm, and punctuation or lack thereof.
First Place
wolf1991:
All thoughts of this are blind,
And in blindness I see
All the inbetweens, that tread
So carefully between the lines.
With soft glances, and harsh
Movements, I find a way.
To shield my eyes; dry
As they must be, for you,
(Always for you) have left.
All thoughts of this are blind.
For its tone, its subtle interpretation, and secondary themes.
HAIKU CONTEST
Third Place
Parsat:
Swirling clouds of luck:
The way the sigma bounces
Stable resonance
For its action.
Second Place
dazzadaman:
Sushi Cat at mall
Dog comes and steals wife away
Will be seen again?
For its simplicity.
First Place
doomy64:
A boy and his dog
The dog was taken away
Sadness struck the boy
For its bare-bones simplicity and depth.
Congratulations wolf1991 and doomy64. Post your winning entries to ContestWinners to receive your merit.
