Weekly Contest Results, 22 July 2019

Einstein posited that time is relative. This week provides three radically different experiences of time. Lainie Reay, a new (returning?) member chastises us to wake up to the precious passage of time, urging the reader to be aware and make the most of it. MA gives us three slices of time, served up as an exaltation of surviving even when the threat is never truly vanquished. Rania demonstrates how time is capable of being stretched to a painful prolongation from which escape seems impossible. Tiebreaker vote went to Wheel Of Life.

Front Page Winners
Tracked by Poet on the Piano points : 10+10=20
Sour Sun, Bitter Tea by Rania Moallem points : 7+4+4=15
Wheel Of Life by Lainie Reay points : 10+TB=11

Honorably Mentioned
A Past Evaporated (English sonnet) by Ben Pickard points : 10
yet another, another recycled poem by hiraeth points : 10
Ashes On Their Wings by Ben Pickard points : 7
Loneliness (Senryu) by Walter points : 7
My Bones by Maple Tree points : 7
Symphony by Tanya Southey points : 7
Gifts are Burdens by silvershoes points : 4
Sixty-Nine is the New Twenty by Larry Chamberlin points : 4
Tears by Em (marmite) points : 4

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Tracked by Poet on the Piano 10 points
Wow! Where do I begin to express how this piece made me feel. From Mary Anne's opening line I felt an immediate connection to this piece. She's walking along the train tracks, envisioning just how easy it would be to just step in front of that moving locomotive, quick, easy-peasy, problem solved. The next day feeling not so reckless, not so final, content that the grass was soft. Later that night she's still content with the world, not feeling destructive but in her head that whistle blows. Safety is merely a thought that could easily be destroyed, just like her sanity, just like her happiness. Is it merely just an illusion? Do those tracks really have her ? It was an unsettling write, gives me pause in how so many of us are on that edge of a tipping point.

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Tracked by Poet on the Piano 10 points
I feel like this poem was a little overlooked. It is not as direct, or obvious as a lot of the entries this week, but is certainly one of the most accomplished. The narrator of this poem yearns warmth, and the contrast of the second and third stanzas to the first is very effective. The reader is introduced with a cold, stark image, and despite the comfort, there is a perverse sense of certainty in those lines. I imagined railway tracks, zigzagging in the dark, and the narrator desiring a semblance of comfort or relief. At the end of the poem, there is a feeling of security, that might be fleeting, and it leaves the reader with more questions than answers. I love this.

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Sour sun, bitter tea by Rania Moallem 4 points
Rania's poem this week reminded me of a fight with depression. Even the sun has turned sour because of her inability to see it any other way. She's been fighting this for awhile now and the choking branches seem to be winning. I felt a sense of urgency reading this, I felt the need to break free, a need to give Rania a big hug and let her know it's going to be ok. You aren't alone, we are all here for you.

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Sour sun, bitter tea by Rania Moallem 7 points
I am wondering why this isn’t in the sad/depressed category. Because it appeared to me, that you are fighting with your inner-self, the past and where you’re at now. For some reason, a little bit nostalgic as well. I love the metaphor, it is so clever, fitting and original. I could feel how hard you are working in your life and how tough it is. When tea is used in poetry, it reflects the mood. Which had set the mood of the poem from the title, also the sour sun.
“Now the naked trees tirelessly
fight to grow beneath my spine.
They strangle me so tight,
and I water them.
I keep them warm with tears.”
^^
Ugh this part hits hard. It’s so poetically beautiful, well the entire poem is.
This poem is so deep, it made me want more to read..

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Sour sun, bitter tea by Rania Moallem 4 points
Rania's poignant, powerful poem about self destruction and decay was definitely one of her best pieces. The piece itself painted a vivid image of depression; the bad aftertaste of all that was sweet, the curtains choking the light, the twisted attempts at self care, the slow wilting of life itself. Despite all of the negative imagery it conjures, it manages to not be overbearing, or overstay its welcome. The imagery is fresh, and it does not pander to the reader, or ask for sympathy. An excellent piece.

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Wheel Of Life by Lainie Reay 10 points
everything but the last two lines of the poem went well, it's gorgeous in the way it flows till then but it can be excused when reading something so delicately delicious, the common sense and advice given and written is something just done right

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A Past Evaporated (English Sonnet) By Ben Pickard 10 points
Sonnets are a difficult form to pull off because they have such a rigid form. Producing a poem within such tight restrictions whilst providing beautiful imagery and still evoking inspiring emotion is a rare talent. "An Evaporated Past" is a beautiful pageant that mixes the beauty of nature and regret and delivers an exceptional piece of prose. The reader is immediately whisked away to green and luscious grassy meadows on a Summers day - a perfect foil for the pondering of the mind. The line
" That when the rainbow fades, its gone for good" adds a melancholy breeze to the idyllic scene and is the introduction for more darker musings. The poet cleverly uses the imagery of trees and rotting wood to depict a more defined change of mood and the turning of thoughts and musings flow through out inspiring interest and the need to follow the flow until it moves onto a more positive bent. The conclusive thoughts finally come to the point that whilst all things become old there will always be the opportunity for renewal a chance for the old to be reborn and become new again. That instead of letting our lives drift by in regrets that we should move forward instead and look towards the new in our lives. To find a sonnet that breaks the conventional love and hero theme yet is filled with beautiful imagery and also manages to sneak in a positive message - for me is a rare and treasured read.

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yet another, another recycled poem by hiraeth 10 points
This is the kind of poem that I keep feeling I want to go back and read it so many times. Although it’s long it just pulls me into it, and I stay captivated through out the poem. I am in love with the form and how free it feels. How it works so well with the title, and how each part completes the other so well.
The way you started the poem feels like it is continuing something you have started before, like opening up to someone, but not being able to pour it all out. Nostalgia open up the poem, with so many simple phrased yet complicated questions. Then it opens up the scars, and then the phrasing become more complicated, and imagery comes on play as well.
In my eyes this is a master piece!!

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Ashes on their wings by Ben Pickard 7 points
Ben is so capable of stirring emotions in his pieces that will either elate you or sadden you. This piece was such a sad feeling. This man in mourning for his lost love in an area that is devoid of even a place to rest his head. Makes me think there was a fire and she's gone because of the fire. The ashes flying about are settling , making the angels known. They cry too for his lost love. He gambled and lost. Perhaps he was too rash, too cocky, and has lost it all. He's left alone, skating on thin ice that keeps getting thinner because he hasn't changed his ways. We have to be able to compromise and be accepting of others or we are doomed to be alone drowning in sleet.

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Loneliness (Senryu) by Walter 7 points
a short poem that paints such a picture! I don't know if it's due to death or a departure from a relationship either way I feel sorrow in this poem and it touches those who read this.

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My Bones by Maple Tree 7 points
I was moved by this piece, chills went down my spine the first time I read it. The desperation in the first stanza down to the bones. Then the thoughts of death, I held my breath reading this part
“just leaving this earth
without my shoes;”
The ointment to the hardest type of sorrow, is being open about. The the ending that sounds magical, yet aches so bad.

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Symphony by Tanya Southey 7 points
It is a rare to find a poem (for me) that skillfully takes a reader on a poetic journey, successfully without the use of rhyming. Tanya is one such rare and talented poet who has such a skill with an amazing way of weaving descriptive metaphors seamlessly into her work. From the opening stanza of rude awakening by the squawking of a parrot that puts shame to the screeching of the crows - through to her observation that the early dog walkers totter like treble clefs led by their owners (which instantly made me smile) her observational skills of humanity are superb. Capturing all manner of people in very vivid ways. The final stanza"Suburban symphonies conducted somewhere near you" was pure genius an end to a great piece of work.

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Gifts are Burdens by silvershoes 4 points
This poem does not say anything particularly new, but does echo something very relatable, with a strong sense of self awareness that creates a deeply meaningful poem, that resonated with me long after reading it. It reminded me of my mother a little, and also myself. A lot of us have this overwhelming desire to help, to fix, to mend others, and in doing so, neglect ourselves from time to time. The sacrifice of your own energy to give someone else energy is extremely noble, but also incredibly taxing, but there’s only ever so much we can do. We cannot spend our whole lives as a crutch, as life support, and we should also know that there are times that you can give yourself time to breathe, and a little praise, too. If you can, you should.

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Sixty Nine is the New Twenty by Larry Chamberlain 4 points
I think that there is an almost universal feeling for anyone that has passed the age of twenty that no matter how old you get on the outside - on the inside you are still remain the same person. If you are fortunate with varying degrees of wisdom picked up as you go along. This poem whisks you away to stroll down a memory lane full of fun filled nostalgia that makes you feel if you haven't yet experienced some of those things that you might want to. The poet demonstrates that sixty nine is the new twenty as he takes the reader on a journey that depicts the nuances of youth, the growth into maturity and the ability to adapt that comes with age. I think that the final stanza reveals a dream worthy for all to aspire to - to still be able" to dance with St Vitus in spasms of joy when we are sixty nine." A well rhymed poem that uplifts and gives hope for the future of anyone over that Twenty age line.

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Tears by Em (marmite) 4 points
I love how dark this poem is, to me depression is something powerful that should be looked at more and should be known far and wide for the signs before this should ever be the answer in the end but of course there's many ways to get this point to and it's also sad to imagine. Sad but beautiful.

Congrats to the front page winners and all those who received a HM.

A lovely intro Larry and thank you for hosting and thank you very much judges!

What a lovely surprise and start to the week to see so many talented writers receive recognition for their work. 3 winners and 9 HMs - A great result.

Thankyou to Larry for hosting this week and for his lovely introduction. Congratulations to everyone who gained a seat on the front page and to everyone who gained a HM. (No mean feat when there are so many excellent poems being produced eacb week) A huge thanks to the judges who each put in their valuable time and energy to read, comment and judge each of the poems and without whose efforts we wouldn't have had such a great result today. Best wishes to everyone for a great week.. Milly x

I extend my thank yous and smiles to the judges for their kind words and their thorough review. I honestly appreciated every word. Thank you, Larry, for hosting. All this week's nominated poems were so powerful, the site has been rocking with emotions and metaphors this past week.

Regarding the sad section inquiry from the judge, I will try to explain myself but not sure if it will make any sense to you. I have been selecting miscellaneous as a fixed category for my poems for years...I think.

I don't feel like the depression section reflects what I am feeling when writing, even if the poem is sad. I actually only write in certain circumstances and mostly the circumstances are indeed 'sad' - I rarely RARELY get motivated to write by joy, to be honest, so choosing the sad section will be cliche in my case and could reflect a personality that doesn't represent me. I do not write when I'm happy and joyous. My love poems are not so frequent, in such cases, I express by colors and handcrafts. SO, although my words could reflect a fight with depression but for me I am only pouring out what I'm passing through into words for relief and usually my imagination is wide, so I feel the need to paint a certain image that's in my head by the help of words, which why it might feel exaggerated at times. What it might sound for a reader like harsh and hopeless, could just be my annoying imagination drawing out a scene gathered from residues at the bottom of my unconsciousness. Thus, I feel like the depression section would not do me justice, the poem is merely born due to a specific mood and not as a result of a longstanding emotional breakdown, however, with the help of past events and nostalgia; as mentioned by the judges up there. So perhaps I'm wrong but I feel like the miscellaneous section represents me best. Okay too much babbling, thank you. <3

Some great pieces all round this week. I read all the nominations through twice the other night and there really was some excellent poetry to choose from.
Thank you to the judges for their time and continued efforts and for the comments on my two pieces.

Lainie Reay, a new (returning?) member

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Or..a current member with a second account????

Congratulations to the winners! There were a lot of great, diverse pieces of poetry this week. Well done to the nine HMs too. Some poems very unlucky not to make the front page.

Thank you Larry for hosting, and thank you judge for your comment :)

Congrats to all the winners and those who got a HM :)

Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's! Stellar writing all around. Larry, thank you for hosting and all our judges for making the hard choices. Well done everyone!

I wondered that too, Hellon.

Congrats to all! Thank you so much to the judges, for your time and your insight through the comments, and thanks to Larry for hosting. You all rock!

So let me go first....Milly???

Thank you to Jamie for nominating my poem -- yes, I noticed :)
Thanks so much to the judge who gave me a vote and wrote a thoughtful comment on my poem. Sincerely appreciated.

Great job, everyone.

Thank you guys for giving your time so that the contest can be possible.
Congrats everyone!

Congrats to all the winners! :)

Ha. Props for not taking the bait, Milly. I'm not sure what evidence there is to support that Lainie is a member with a second account. A returning member? Maybe. If so, welcome back Lainie! If not, welcome to PnQ. Either way, congratulations on your win! Don't let us scare you away just yet :)

https://www.poems-and-quotes.com/poets/506067

Here you go. Mystery solved. I am pretty sure this is the same person you were all wondering about. Now you all can go back to fighting about the weekly contest and being biased and not knowing how to comment.

If you are so disillusioned and bitter, why do you keep coming back? To insult people? That post is nothing but a pointless, negative stab that will wind everyone up and probably drive you from the site...again.
You complain about people spending too much time wasting energy having pointless discussions on the boards but, Jaime, I would advise you look to yourself as a culprit of the very thing you accuse others of. That just makes you hypocritical too.
Stop insulting people. This place really isn't serious enough in the greater scheme of things for you to claim such a high and mighty pedestal.
As for Kitty - I advise that you allow her to defend herself before throwing unfounded allegations around. She hasn't been on-site for five months or so and I happen to know why. So I believe you are wrong anyway. Mystery not so easily solved, it seems.

Lia Rayne - I have no idea who you are but the fact that you have just joined P&Q today as a new member and leapt immediately onto this thread to make false accusations about existing members is worrying. The only mystery here is who are you and why would you post such a thing when it is clearly a lie designed to stir up trouble.

My name is Lia, always has been -but Kitty Cat Lady is my only account. I've not been on for several months as I haven't had time but still look on here regularly.
So no, whoever the other person is, it's not me. Back to your mysteries (with the new added one of which sad person went to the trouble of setting up an account called 'Lia Rayne' to try to 'out' me!) and fun and games folks! =^.^=

Lainie is her own person, which I have verified through social media. She has had an incredibly rude and bizarre welcome to PnQ from several of you and I’m embarrassed that this is how a new member has been treated. We should be welcoming new members with warmth, not suspicion and accusations. Milly and Kitty have had their names dragged into this as well and it is not okay.

Jamie, if you want to work with us toward a better PnQ, great. Let’s brainstorm. What are you hoping to achieve with hostility? I think you’d be awesome at leading a workshop on how to leave good comments. Are you down?

If this has already been verified by a mod, then why did Larry (also a mod) suggest that Lainie might be a returning member at the start of this thread? Adding fuel to the fire? I've not been paying that much attention to this saga so apologies Larry if I've misunderstood?
=^.^=

He made that post before I went through a process of confirming identities. Also, the tone of Larry’s comment was misconstrued because of the implications made by other members. Larry thought Lainie’s poetry was reminiscent of a member who left long ago and he was hopeful she had come back. He didn’t mean to sound accusatory.

Edit: sorry I spoke for you, Larry. Feel free to correct me.

That makes sense, thanks for clarifying Jane, and apologies Larry.
I've really missed being on here but this is a bit off-putting.
=^.^=

I can see how it’d be off-putting, and I’m sorry this thread took such a turn. Hopefully it’s all cleared up now. You have been missed!

“Larry thought Lainie’s poetry was reminiscent of a member who left long ago and he was hopeful she had come back. He didn’t mean to sound accusatory.“

Precisely

Hello

It's been a funny few days but I'm pleased it's all sorted now and everyone knows I'm just me.

Thank you so much for the win I was truly suprised as I didn't even know I'd been entered. My grammar, spelling etc isn't the best and I tend to mix words up unless I type at a snails pace as my brain likes to go a million miles an hour but I do love to write and that is the main thing.

I'm hoping to get a bit more involved when I get used to things.

Hope you're all well.

Thanks again

Lainie

Ps... I did debate about jokingly putting can the real Lainie Reay please stand up, but I actually can't stand ha ha.