Masterpoet Tournament: The Championship

RESULTS ARE IN.

LET THE DRUMROLLING COMMENCE.

BRRRGRGRGRGRRRRRRRRBBBBBBBRRRRRRLLLLBRBRBRBDDDDBDBBDDRRRWRWWRRRHRRBBRRR.........

How the hell do you write an onomatopoeic drumroll?

Can't wait to see the results!

Don't forget everyone! I will be starting the third site contest sometime later this week! Get your pens ready! Let's get even better participation this time! :)

Can't wait to see results either! I'm shaking in my boots. Feel free to post them any day now, Abs.

Pen is ready, Temps.

Looking forward to your challenge Temps!

I must say this one was really enjoyable and such a terrific display of poetry from everyone. Awesome !!!

Can't wait to see who wrote what for all of them. Haha better yet who all was in it. I haven't a clue but for a few whose poetry style I recognized.

I know ... I was trying to figure out some and was totally stumped.

A few I could tell because of certain little things about their style. But some have changed so drastically over the last months in their style that I have no clue.

But I must say this was indeed one fantastic challenge !!!

Attention peasants, noblemen, royalty, priests and vagabonds! The moment is finally here. The Masterpoet crown has been removed from its crystal stage, polished and twinkling, ready to be placed upon the head of the poet who shall now be addressed for the next month with the title, Masterpoet, and awarded with the Most Illustrious Order of Poems-and-Quotes: Masterpoet Champion in post-nominal initials.

Let the crowd be upstanding.

It is my pleasure and honour to crown....

!!!!! JANE SILVERSHOES TC !!!!!

Now to be known as Masterpoet Jane Silvershoes TC MCPQ.

All hail our new Masterpoet! Let the cider flow! Let the feasting begin! She battled through fat and thin with modest expectations from her offerings, yet always presented herself safely within the top-ranking poems of each heat without breaking a sweat. Congratulations, a very well-deserved honour indeed!

All finalists in this round have been awarded with a fine golden quill, a bottle of magic ink, and an ipad.

Thank you to all brave participants, worthy judges and noble spectators. We shall meet again in the next tournament!

Below are the final comments from our judges. I shall be revealing their identities soon. I shall also be revealing all the identities of the participants in this entire contest. Feel free to hazard guesses on who participated in which heat...this should be interesting.

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Poem #1

"A Tragedy, I feel encompasses the heart and tone of the original poem the best -- rewriting poems is a difficult and strange task to ask of someone, but the poet manages to blend the simple, child-like language successfully with a strong and almost flawless narrative. I'm honestly not a fan of the original poem at all -- I much prefer this version because it's much more to the point and has cut a lot of the flab the original poem was weighted with and adds an organic and fresh twist."

"Two of the poem stuck very closely to the wording of the original poem; this is the one of those two that I thought had the most balance and better pacing. It cleared the many "ploppings" from the original poem, which I thought succeeded in drawing more attention to the rest of the words. I was able to appreciate some of Theo's word choices, like "scraggle" and "scrag," without being distracted by the unfortunate toilet-bowl sound effects. The author seemed to try to get into the spirit of the poem, but decided to switch the "speaker" in some of the sections. This shift was a little hard to follow... but then again, so was the original."

"By far my favorite. You have rewritten this little number so incredibly well."

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Poem #2

"I think poem 2 was perhaps the most original, though weighed down with some cliched imagery and losing the tone of the original piece, the poet has created an intriguing piece. Punctuation is extremely haphazard and I'm not sure the ending works but it's mostly well written. Doesn't really achieve what was asked, though...I'm choosing to overlook this because I enjoyed it more than 3 and 4."

"This poet took a bigger risk and drastically altered the form of the original poem. I think this is admirable, because it required that the author make an honest effort to analyze the poem. That said, I'm not sure how much the submitted poem related to the original. The theme of Death is the same, but the similarities seem to stop there. I think the ending would have been stronger had it finished with the last "Tick." The "Silence" is superfluous."

"I enjoyed your take on the poem. You were merely inspired by it, and instead of just rearranging the format, you created something unique, your own."

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Poem #3

"Poem number 3 is quite simply a canvas with various paints lobbed all over it. Untidy, unfinished, it lacks the finesse the other three poems and is mostly nonsensical -- like the author has thrown a slice of his poetry onto the decapitated original. Too heavy with onomatopoeia, yet vaguely entertaining in places. Starts promising but falls apart towards the end, unfortunately."

"I gave this poem top billing, because it clearly referenced the original, but it still took extensive creative direction from the reviser. I liked the reversal of theme from death to birth, like two edges of the same blade. The wording comes off as funny and odd, rather like the original. I'm not sure whether the original's humour was intended or not, but the revision's wryness is clearly intentional. While the original was drab and weird and all deathy-poopy, the revision has a zany sort of optimism to it. I rather liked the ending lines."

"So you definitely took this somewhere else. Cool idea. The execution wasn't quite where I would have liked to see it go. Although, good effort, and nice creativity."

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Poem #4

"It might be just me but that 'op' rhyme scheme annoys the hell out of me, haha. Again this poem displays similar traits that poem 1 did, but not as successfully. This poem reminds me of one of those club remixes of chart songs, which essentially just invoke a different atmosphere than the original. Not astounding by any means and is a bit pale in comparison to poem number 1. Narrative is a little bit flawed but it's novelty"

"This is the other of two poems that stuck closely to the original subject. Though I think it's a smart editing of the original, it reads like editing that ol' Theo ought to have done himself. I would have liked to see more of the poet's spin put onto the poem; the only changes I could spot were the omissions of some plops, and a few other small things. This was a rough ending challenge to a strenuous contest, and I applaud all who got this far. My reservation about this poem is that I can't see any of the new poet's spirit or voice."

"So this one was entirely too much like the original for me. It just seemed lazy, not enough effort in making it your own."

Congrats Jane!

Garsh. Thank you, judges.

Well done Jane... Birtch.. :P lol

Fantastic competition Abby creative, organized and fun
Thanks to the Judges for a fantastic job as well.

Congrats Jane !!!! Very deserving win indeed.

Everyone did an amazing job, whoever you may be ... lol

I can't say enough how awesome this challenge was. Thanks Abby for all your hard work, it was definitely a well managed challenge.
Thanks to the judges ... whoever you are

Who I think was in it ... by their style I definitely saw Temps, Britt, Jane

And well Kevin .. lol

And Nana, Nicko, Ingrid and Michael.
The rest I am unsure

Ha, Britt and Luanne, you're pretty much on the money. Thank you to all of the 13 participants. Here you all are. Participate again.

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CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

Poem #1
SILVERSHOES TC

Poem #2
LUANNE

Poem #3
NICKO

Poem #4
INGRID DE K

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WILDCARD ROUND

Little soldiers
NICKO

Because of My Passion
BRILLANT AKA SUNSHINE

Pieces of a poet's mind
MICHAEL D NALLEY TC

Flush Of Emotions
BRITT

Writing
JAD

Recipe to Writing
COURAGEOUS DREAMER

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HEAT 3

In that tree, Maria
SILVERSHOES TC

Optic Death and the Color Vision
LUANNE

Ballerina
INGRID DE K

Vengeance.
COURAGEOUS DREAMER

Tiny Dancer [Villanelle]
BRITT

American English
JAD

Our Soul
TJ BECKER ARIZONA EAGLE

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HEAT 2

Unknown Destination.
COURAGEOUS DREAMER

Diamond in the Dark
LUANNE

Love,
SILVERSHOES TC

Twin Flames
INGRID DE K

Ready for Enchantment
BRITT

Lost and Gone
JAD

Tempted
TJ BECKER ARIZONA EAGLE

In My Draw
NICKO

Approach Me
BRILLANT AKA SUNSHINE

Cliched Love
ITALIAN STALLION

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HEAT 1

India
NICKO

Strange Rider
SILVERSHOES TC

Within My Wisdom
BRILLANT AKA SUNSHINE

Sounds of Silence
BRITT

Traffic.
COURAGEOUS DREAMER

Butterflies
ITALIAN STALLION

A light return
KEVIN

Shattered Glass
INGRID DE K

Gentle Wishes
LUANNE

Just a Thought
JAD

The Picture
TJ BECKER ARIZONA EAGLE

Tomorrow's Yesterday.
MICHAEL D NALLEY TC

Fear of the unknown
SOFT PARADE

Little soldiers
NICKO
^^^
I must give praise where praise is due! And I think this poem definitely deserves some praise also.

This poem was terrific !!!!
Sometimes you will have that one poem that stands out and sticks in your mind.
This is the poem that did it for me.
Great job Nicko !

I enjoyed each and every poem in this challenge. They were all awesome !
And kudos to everyone for having the courage to even participate.

THE JUDGES

The identities of the judges are finally revealed. Please applaud as Their Worships climb up to the centrestage to receive flowers, wine, and wigs.

I had to be careful to choose judges with differing tastes, even to my own. However, they are upstanding and active members of the community, talented and well-respected poets, intelligent critiques, eloquent and fair-minded.
______________

I selected them from the four elements while I was forced to stay grounded on earth.

I called upon the force of Water and my first judge arose from the sea, a siren in the cave, sparkling with the splatter of the sun's reflections, floating languidly from coral to rock, cupping seashells to her ear, and smelling of her beloved squid creatures. She cooed softly with the deep, abiding nature of the water, spoke the language of its whales and pirates, and judged with its grace, strength, wisdom and spirituality.
She is no other than SIBYLLENE.

I called upon the force of Fire and my next judge spurted forth from the bowels of the earth, charred, smoking, unflinching. Sparks flew as he judged with truth and little mercy, drying up watery offerings and instantly sterilising any impurities with burning critiques and a strong love of style, substance and syntax.
Who else but VALEDICO.

Finally, I called upon the force of Air and suddenly, on a warm spring breeze, my third judge swept in. Gentle and mysterious, swollen with the smells of the world, she arrived and tapped at my window. She whistled as she judged with a light and simple finesse, blowing away the dirt and playing merrily with all she found delightful.
My final judge was...MELISSA.
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I asked my judges to leave their impressions of this contest. Here is what Melissa, who has remained quiet and enigmatic to most of you, has said:

" I thought perhaps, I'd be able to tiptoe away, as quietly as I came. But oh no, with a quick click of the tongue, she hails, "abracadabra", and all the glamour she so delicately fixed upon my head, suddenly lifted, like some spellbound fog. So hey guys, it's Melissa. Let's see- The pen has been my companion longer than any friend, or lover. For me, it's been that one true thing, my constant. The need to dissect each feeling, like some linguistic surgeon, before I can properly heal. Some poems are a nuisance, those scabs that never mend. And some poems need not revisiting, as though somehow ink has found a cure to my own emotions (as if that were possible).

This contest has been a blast. Good golly, Abby sure knows how challenge. I initially judged each poem based on my personal reaction. Let's face it- messages are rarely unique, it's how we confess our observations that make them new. So creativity was sought after by me. Along with word choice, forming, general flow, did it have heart. Bottom line, did it grab me? This was tough though, so many rules. You guys didn't have free reign to express yourself in the way you know how. Kudos to all of you. This was an extreme contest. Thank you, Abby, for inviting me to join in on the fun. It was an honor."

Thank you luanne and congrats on your 2nd place, there was probably very little between you and Jane. Your praise for little soldiers is very much appreciated.

Best of luck in the next challenge... :)

I had no idea about most of the participants. Congratulations everyone, truly impressive. There were some awesome poems submitted and it was really just luck of the draw that landed me first at the end.
Abby, what a wonderful creation. Best contest I've ever seen and it will be difficult to top. Maybe impossible? Hmm, I smell a challenge within a challenge!
Thank you judges. Huge, huge thank you.
Can't wait to see what happens next contest!

My favorites were India, Unknown Destination, and Optic Death and the Color Vision.

Thanks everyone for making this a delightful tournament. I enjoyed squeezing out my various juices and whittling away my time at work to do this.

Special Note: I would also like to thank the hilarious mystery poet and emergency judge who contributed to this contest but refuses to be identified. Please join in properly in the next contest! You're a goodun.

Thanks to abby for hosting such an exciting contest, and well done to every participant that entered, especially the final four and of course, Jane!

Congrats Jane for your well deserved crown. All the poems were fantastic and I enjoyed being a part of this awesome tournament and I can't wait for the next one! Congrats to all big and small for your hard work put into this contest, for the judges who did a fantastic job judging and lastly for Abby, hosting one of the greatest tournaments of all times! :] kudos to you...

Wow great selection of judges !!!
And thank you Danny, Sibyllene & Melissa for all your time you dedicated to this challenge.

An awesome win Silvershoes, and an awesome display of poetry by many good poets, My hats off to all who were involved. An excellent contest ran and judged by a great group of poetry peers.
Peace and Blessings

Thanks Jad, Lu, Ed, Valedico... and yes, congratulations to everyone. Fun fun fun.

Congrats Jane and to the judges.

Sorry for the belated response, my work is keeping me more busy with every week passing.

It was interesting to see how far I came as an anonymous participant.

I think all poems submitted were beautiful, so congrats to all who joined, both for the beauty of their work as for their courage to participate.

Little Soldiers by Nicko was the poem that spoke to me most, it has something very unique..you can see he gave all he had to make a masterpiece, so well done Nicko:)

Good luck to all who will continue to post on here, I will be here on Sundays only from now on, to read, comment and vote. So much to do and so little time, so tough choices have to be made:)