First, I will post the overall rules, and then I will post the specifics about this week.
Original rules, as stated by Ubertuna:
It must fit the week's theme. It must be submitted by the deadline. It cannot have inappropriate language in it. It cannot be stolen (if you plagiarize, we will find you).
Also:
The poem must be created for this contest A user cannot win two weeks in a row (though everyone is welcome to submit every week!) Only one submission per user will be accepted
As we all know, the winner will recieve a merit, and their poem will be featured on the _Poetry_ page.
OK, on to this week's topic...Again, we are having a style instead of a theme. Also, this week we are having TWO WEEKS to do it, instead of the usual one. Why? Because this will be an EPIC poem. Or, rather, a parody of an epic poem. Generally, epic poetry is very long, and tells the serious story of a heroic figure. Well, this week, the epic figure is YOU! Write a long poem (I'll leave the definition of 'long' up to you, but give it a good go) about the heroic story of you! It can be silly, serious, whatever... just have fun with it. You have two weeks, so have a great time!
The map to perfection is hard to find, Once found it is hard to read It is ciphered Crinkled Torn Stained And the spot with which the end is to be is blurred It has been folded over times too many The one to last have it Is long gone by now For it has not been seen Since the time of the golden age And even then, not one perfect man nor woman Lived on this Earth
I've asked Nichodemus to judge this round, and any rounds after it. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the change of management, take it up with him.
So I think I go down in history as having the shortest tenure as a judge for this contest.
There's no use in having a due date in the title if there's no due date to begin with.
The new theme will be 'Map to Perfection', due whenever enough poems have been submitted to make a worthwhile judging pool, or a significant amount of time lapses.
I think it's safe to say that this contest has grown too ambiguous for me to be a part of.
Kind cartographer, Is it perfection you seek? Does it not faze you? You cannot seize the future And document it Without dire consequences. Take the light, you may. You cannot map the darkness Or the truth within. May you map what lies beneath? I answer you nay. Time itself, for what it seems, Is concrete as sand You may try and capture it By prehending it Or catching it in a jar Or bottling it up If you are daring enough But try and map it You may as well have a gun Pointed to your skull.
Now that the judging scheme is one step closer to being concrete, I think I may submit something within the next few days, depending on how creative I'm feeling.
I heard tell of a legendary map In which perfection ran and jumped and flowed. Where shall I look to find this golden trap? Inside myself, perhaps, there is a road.
This is a practice round for me to get my creative juices flowing again. This theme is too abstract for me to grasp.
Alright, I think we have enough entries now for me to make the call! This is my first judging of any AG contest so be kind!
3rd Place: flip_pride! I love your choice of words! I thought the first half flowed especially nicely, and the second half was well-written as well!
2nd Place: Ernie15! Short but sweet, man! Even though it was significantly shorter than all the other entries, it flowed like... well, as you said in line 2, perfection!
1st Place and Grand Prize Winner: Armpit! If anyone here can write the map to perfection, it is you good sir! Your word choice was perfect every line and it looks like it was written by a professional poet! I hope to see more of your work in the future! Congratulations, man, you've earned it!
If it's my job to choose the new theme, I choose Machines. Since I'm the judge until I hear otherwise, I'm going to make the deadline June 21 unless there are any objections!
