Weekly PnQ Contest Results, 13 September 2021

Fall is calling, almost within reach, and the judges responded to that yearning. The poems rewarded reflect Autumn’s colors and changes: Rayven’s Colors crunching through fallen leaves and Jordan’s Red Maple ablaze with Fall foliage display. Each states in crisp detail a haiku and a senryu snapshot of the season in visceral terms. Teria Westerviller celebrates her recent return to PnQ with a tie-breaker win about languishing for the country while stuck in the city, evoking striking autumn and winter images. Congrats to Jordan for netting both a win and an Honorable Mention and congrats to Sherry Caayupan for her own colorful HM.

First Page Winners
Colors by Rayven (points : 14)
Red Maple by Jordan (points : 10)
The city was calling by Teria Westerviller (points : 7)

Honorably Mentioned
Red Sky at Night by Jordan (points : 7)
Red Rose by Sherry Caayupan (points : 4)

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Colors by Rayven - 10pts
I found this to be a haiku of the highest quality. So much so that I am jealous I didn't write it myself! The juxtaposition between the natural autumnal imagery of leaves and the very manufactured adidas sneakers is an excellent way of portraying our interaction with nature. There is a lot of meaning that can be gleamed from such a short piece and it works on many levels. Is there a message that human economic and manufacturing activity is slowly crushing the natural beauty in the world? I see the metaphor that the leaves represent the dwindling natural world under pressure from human activity and perhaps the dying species that are struggling as a result of human consumerism. Well done!

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Colors by Rayven (4 points)
Im going to sound cheesy, but this was "Colorful"
sneakers, crunching leaves = Perfect fall poem!

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Red Maple by Jordan (10points)
Short poems, mixed with rich words and peaceful vibrations while reading it
makes you want to sip a glass of read wine at the end, this is perfect!

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The city was calling by Teria Westerviller (7 points)
This poem was packed with a beautiful visual display and mouth watering, simplistic words
that left me speechless. I loved the elegant format that flowed within from start to finish!

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Red sky at night by Jordan - 7pts
I really enjoyed the structure which complements the overall upside-down, topsey-turvey feel of the poem. This seems to mirror the mental state of the poet. I get the impression that the poet is tumbling through the air, as if in a free fall parachute jump, where the horizon line is no longer distinguishable. The poem conveys a real struggle, almost a battle going on between within the poet's life. A clever and unique poem, well done.

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Red Rose by Caayupan - 4pts
The main thing I liked about this poem was its rhyme and rhythm. The almost classic style language (from the first line 'oh red, red rose') suits and plays into the melodic structure. I admire how the poet made the unusual rhyming scheme seem very natural and unforced. The repeated words work really well (e.g. 'light' mentioned 3 times in the opening verse doesn't seem out of place). The flow, language style and rhyme aid the romantic theme and tone of the poem. The third verse in particular is one of the most melodic stanzas I have encountered in a long time. Well done!

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Lovely work this week! Congrats to all, and many thanks to our judges, and to Larry for hosting.

Thanks so much guys, it really means a lot :) Congratulations to the other winners and HMs. Hope you all have a great week!

Congrats to all the winners!
Thank you judges and thank you Larry for hosting.

Congratulations to all the winners. Very well deserved :)