Weekly Contest Winners - September 2, 2019!

Happy Monday and happy beginning of September! To those here in the US, it's a holiday and hopefully many of you can take a relaxing day off. A big congratulations to Satish, Daniel and Anne Moore on their front page wins. We have Satish's stunning nature poem that tells of anticipation and protection with "I Will Write A Poem", Daniel's complexity when choosing to look at mirrors or not and the art of perception in "Mirrors", and Anne's second time winning with "The Cracked Light", a very jarring, different perspective on what I believe is how women may be treated and how society may say we need to go to such and such place to receive grace, when it can be harmful or toxic for us. Congrats also to Michael and Mark who also received a "10" vote, and it was the site that broke the tie.

*I also wanted to add that there was a mishap and a "4" vote was forgotten on Star's poem, "The art of fading". That is our mistake and I apologize, STAR. I wish there was a way to add the HM badge to your poem, but please find it recognized here. Thank you *

Take care everyone and have a fabulous start to the week!
-MA

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WINNERS:

"I Will Write A Poem" by: Satish Verma 10 + 7 + 4 = 21 points
"Mirrors" by: Daniel 10 + 7 = 17 points
"The Cracked Light" by: Anne Moore = 10 points

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COMMENTS:

"I Will Write A Poem" by: Satish Verma

"Satish's poetry always brings something new to the table; it's fresh, unexpected and riveting to read. There's almost a timidity, a hesitancy, described in the first stanza then moving to the next stanza, a dream to explore deeper, to go further past boundaries. I loved that at first, I didn't even realize this was a nature poem, and there's such a build-up to the final stanza of the birds trying to save their nestlings from this great, powerful creature. This poem became so much more to me than just this fretting, more so the quest to venture out into larger territory, walk through the fear, even in the eyes of a predator. So vivid and engaging!" (10)

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"Satish’s poetry is distinctive and otherworldly, and this piece is a poem you could show someone to introduce his poetry style. Short, meandering stanzas painting an abstract picture with extremely effective use of metaphor and imagery. The language choice here is Neruda-esque in charm and depth." (7)

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"This is so beautiful, whenever I read this, I keep rereading it few times. The way he walks and floats on water.

“A dark sky was hovering
around. Something was rising
from the black hills, as if
on fire. I had never seen before- “
^
The part felt that he is watching the emerging of the moon for the first time. Which brought a unique feel for the poem.
The ending is the most beautiful part of the poem. I really enjoyed this piece!" (4)

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"Mirrors" by: Daniel

"I had so many mixed feelings reading this, because I related to it, most of us would. There where days where I couldn’t look back at my eyes on the dressers’s mirror when I want apply mascara. Days where I avoided mirrors. But others where I loved how my eyelashes curled. Sometimes it depends on the mirror, and sometimes it depends on the mood. Just like taking pictures and selfies, one day you hate it, others you enjoy it. I could see this going another way. Not mirroring the society around us, in other words not fitting in, and being what it wants us to be. We feel ugly, different and outcasted. We end up hating ourselves, and forgetting the most important thing is to love ourselves." (10)

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"Oh, dear Daniel, this poem gave me chills. One, in that you shard something so personal and so telling as how we view ourselves. Our perception can be outrageously twisted, our view on our worth a mismatch between what we know and what society may tell us. It reminds me that we all have insecurities, seen or unseen. This poem also spoke to me on the subject of body dysmorphia. I loved the intrigue yet push-pull between the way you view yourselves, how that may drastically change day-to-day, versus how the mirror sees you. I will say, completely my opinion, I'm not sure if the absence of punctuation in the second to last stanza worked as it did cut the flow for me the first time reading. Usually, it can read as a big exhale without the restraints punctuation can sometimes give. It was a bit hard to read the first or perhaps it was a bit wordy with the "lurid" and "shop store", almost a mouthful?

Anyway, props to you for sharing this and I feel many angles reading this. You did bring up the word "vanity" and I think others who see this as vanity without realizing we may be trying to find something in our reflection, trying to scrutinize any differences." (7)

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"The Cracked Light" by: Anne Moore

"Anne’s poem is a wonderfully powerful piece whose juxtaposition of a church and an abandoned alley in stanza and 2, and the ‘lessons’ learnt in each teaches us that sometimes connotations, and society are not always right. It questions the meaning of what it means to feel safe, and sometimes the holiest places are anything but." (10)

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TIES:
"All the colours we've spilt" by: Hiraeth = 10 points
"Just how it is (Rondeau)" by: MIchael = 10 points

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HM's:

"A Collection of Dreams" by: Maple Tree = 7 points
"Lost (Sonnet - Double Rhyme)" by: Milly Hayward = 7 points
"My Moon" by: Mark = 7 points
"The art of fading" by: Star = 4 points
"Repose On Lake Windemere" by: Ben Pickard = 4 points
"Take me" by: Leo Fawax Martini = 4 points
"We Meet Again" by: Walter = 4 points

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COMMENTS:

"All the colours we've spilt" by: Hiraeth

"Mark's poem this week, although long was so worth the read. Each stanza was positively lush with descriptive beauty of all the spectrum of the rainbow. To put each color together with your relationship and everyday tasks really was pure genius! Such a treat to read, I saw it visually and verbally. Well done Sir!" (10)

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"Just how it is (Rondeau)" by: Michael

"The rhyming, imagery and beat is just so lovely in this poem. It had me hooked from "Within these walls, of where I dwell - My life endures, a love-sick spell" A compelling masterpiece of imagery where poetic magic weaves its spell. This is one I could listen to over and over again." (10)

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"A Collection of Dreams" by: Maple Tree

"Depression is locking ourselves within ourselves. Tormenting ourselves with our worst thoughts. In the day escaping into the light seems the best option, but it turns out there is no escape we still fear the night.
“She's not supposed to be here"
^
She knew that she did not belong there but she ended up there. Feeling she was abounded and lonely, although surrounded by the daytime.
What an expressive poem, so well written." (7)

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"Lost (Sonnet - Double Rhyme)" by: Milly Hayward

"Milly's piece this week is sad and dark. Mourning a lost love, sadden beyond caring anymore, bitterly wishing it would just end, praying the darkness doesn't win. Then she writes this deeply sad poem as a beautifully done Sonnet! Seriously Milly! Then adds a double rhyme in there to boot! I didn't even know they had those.....Gold star for you Milly!" (7)

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"My Moon" by: Mark

"A beautifully written poem of love. The lady is the moon upon his night, he pays tribute to her beauty and grace - he gives her an ethereal and magical feel and sees with eyes of one truly captivated by love (for the eyes of love see only the best that there is to see). The celestial references made this so much more magnificent." (7)

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"The art of fading" by: Star

"From the comments already on this piece, it’s clear Star has created a poem that conjures up many meanings. Upon first read, I also thought of Mother Nature and the strain we’re putting on her day by day. It’s apt, too, after the recent news of the Amazon fire. Another delicately written poem from a poet growing in confidence." (4)

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"Repose On Lake Windemere" by: Ben Pickard

"Ben has brought alive the beauty of the lakes with all of their natural glory. The sounds and colours of nature are vibrantly captured. So many birds flying free on a summers day and some that you never normally get to see. A tranquil place that calls to the heart and soul of anyone who loves nature. I felt reading it that I was almost there." (4)

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"Take me" by: Leo Fawax Martini

"I have not read any work from this author before, and let me tell you, this took me on quite a delightful journey! There's a sense of wonder, of adventure, of pondering how to fill the soul, how to proceed into the unknown. This poem felt bigger than life and almost a wake-up call to live life tasting the newness, asking these questions, being filled with wonder and awe at the meaning of infinity. The "take me" is repeated with a sense of yearning and a plea to be shown something other than the mundanity of reality. Well done!" (4)

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"We Meet Again" by: Walter

"Walter's poem this week was an interesting take on running into your ex. I really liked how he put in all the things said and unsaid. You have two conversations running, you know you need to say certain things to not appear as a lout but your inside voice is screaming to not let this person back into your inner circle. I'm glad he stayed strong and saw right through her obvious ploy to draw him back in. There is definitely a reason someone is your ex and Walter did a fine job putting that together with this nicely rhymed poem." (4)

Not a problem , I know these things happen its all good ^_^ Thank you for the HM, comment and the nomination by Brenda!!
Congratulations everyone!! This was a really difficult week, great poetry all around :)

Congratulations Satish and Anne! Thank you so much judges for your comments too, they were really constructive and interesting. It was a deeply personal piece.

There were some incredible HMs this week. Well done everyone, and have a great week. :)

Congratulations to all the front page winners and HM's! So many beautiful pieces this week, I don't know how the judges chose! Thank you Mary Anne for hosting and always the judges for making those tough choices.

Well done, all. Thanks so much for the comment on my poem.

Thank you Scott for the nomination and thank you judge for the comment! Congrats to the winners and those who picked up a HM. Thank you MA for hosting and judges for all your hard work.