Minimalist Poetry Contest

[DanielBenoit]

In discovering the wonderous virtues of the statement "less is more" I figured that I'd create a contest in which each contestant writes a short and minimalistic poem about a chosen picture or subject (i.e., the judge can choose either a picture or a subject for the contestants to write about.)

I'm sure most of you guys know the qualifications that fit a so-called minimalist poem, which can be anywhere from a couple of words to a couple of lines or maybe two stanzas.

Ok, let's see how this goes, I'll be the first judge.

The subject is: morning.

[Virgil]

His stomach growled.
Where's breakfest?
She stopped and raised her lip.
They would both go hungry to work.

[hack]

Purple fingers stretch across the overarching clouds
Banked, piled side by each with cracks between and
Deepest purple showing through soft edges of dawn

[DanielBenoit]

Two posters, yay, I guess it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Btw Virgil, your blog on maximalism was an inspiration


Ok, deadline is on the Feburary tenth, sound good everyone?

[NickAdams]

It's hard to say.
I sleep through most.
I hear good things though.

Like yesterday's and today's ...
The younger enjoyed eggs and the older, toast.
But, I really don't know.
I hear good things though.

[Virgil]

Btw Virgil, your blog on maximalism was an inspiration

Thank you Daniel. Even if you don't agree, I hope it openned up a way of looking at writing for you.

[qimissung]

medusa's needle tears
prise nighttimes' grip
from its' concrete ledge

[MorpheusSandman]

A sharp light
Dissects
The western horizon

Another night
Killed
By another
Dawn

[littlewing53]

believing the light
looking forward to dawn

[Babyguile]

This morning
smitten clouds recede at their seams
to reveal the small shy mouth
of a new sun -

offering its maternity
to the stale-scented air,
slowly creating an
exquisite morning.

[DanielBenoit]

Deadline tomorrow!

[The Comedian]

"COME ON FEEL THE NOIZE! GIRLS ROCK TH . ."
Slap! Silence.

The gloaming is orange.
The coffee is unmade.
Disturbed but alive, I smile.

[paparod]

She came,
like the scampering shrew
on the darkness of the eaves

[Silas Thorne]

I woke asleep today
checking my email I lost an hour,
time for coffee.

[DanielBenoit]

Ok, I'm in a poetic mood and am going to judge now. It's only 2 hours early so what?

So as a word of warning: POLLS ARE CLOSED (that doesn't make much sense does it?) and THE RESULTS ARE BEING CALCULATED. . . . . . .

RESULTS:

Virgil: Very clever and rather cute. I can imagine so much about you and your wife in that situation with just those few words (see minimalism is better j/k)

hack: Oh what a painting you have composed! This was my original choice, but then I changed my mind since it's vividness was not entirely emblematic to the understatment of minimalism. Still a wonderful portrait though.

NickAdams: Very very good. I like the playfulness of "I hear good things though" as well as the almost masterful touch "The younger enjoyed eggs and the older, toast." Too bad you've "slept through most", it's the best time of day for me

MorpheusSandman: I very much liked the simplicity of this one, and well as the breaks of the second stanza.

littlewing53: This was good, but maybe a bit too minimal. I was left wanting a bit more. That said, your avatar fits in perfectly in accompiment with your poem

TheDave: An exquisite poem too. I especially liked "small shy mouth" and "stale-scented air". In fact, I rather envy your use of metaphor and description which is so fresh so clear that it's like a bright morning all by itself. This was definitely a finalist.

The Comedian: Funny how similar yours and Virgil's is, I suppose you both know what the married working life is like Good-humour as always.

paparod: Oh how sublime! Too bad that there's so many great poems here, because it breaks my heart that I can't make you the winner along with qimi. Like TheDave's it's so wonderfully vivid and unfolds a whole atmosphere and enviroment to me (though both in a very different way). So beautiful, like music! I have a hard time believing that this was done in only three lines. Please post more!

SilasThrone: Funnily enough, while paparod and TheDave's poems are like Romanticism for mornings, this poem plays like Naturalism, for it is so emblematic to my mornings. The first line made me think "oh, that's me!"


And the winner is. . . . .
qimisung!

Well I do have a weakness for the use of references to Greek mythology in poems (or any kind of mythology that is), but this one left me rather cold. That is, on first reading. For upon second reading I found the final line with "concrete ledge" to just explode in sublimity of description. Funny enough, I read it again and changed my mind and decided on NickAdams poem for the winner. But then I read yours again one more time and was once more overtaken by the pitch perfect choice of words. They ring a tone and image that seems beyond analysis and description. Ack, I really I don't have I bias for your poetry, I really hope I don't


A friendly acknowledgment of paparod's poem is given as well. It has been so difficult in deciding between the two of you.

Great, great job everyone. This is probably the best poetry contest I've participated in so far.