Form Poem Contest

The contest is now closed. Now the hard work begins! I will have results by the end of the weekend. My deepest thanks to all who participated.

Now for the results of the Form Poem Contest. I would like to say at the outset that it is an honor to judge these most excellent poems. I chose this form because I thought it would be interesting and an interesting challenge to write in another person's voice, and I found that to be so with my own attempt.

All of these poems are excellent examples, and it is very difficult for me to say that one of them is the best, but that is just what I am required to do, so here goes.

alakungfu was first, with her poem, "My World," about, I believe, Psyche. It is beautifully done, with quite striking imagery throughout. I love the opening lines: "to see how vast I could dream with my eyes closed, what challenge I was solid enough to meet with my eyes open." I love how she writes of this age-old girl/goddess with the fresh eyes of a young girl; she tells Psyche's story with such a depth of insight: "the end, the irreplaceable, has been replaced in my perspective with my Soul." She concludes by intertwining the two elements so key to Psyche's story: "I am sustained in my search by my precious option, Love, which penetrates my grounding principal, my Psyche." As always, alakungufu is the thinking person's poet. I believe you have conquered the form, alakungfu.

Next was AuntShecky, with "The Las Duchess of Ferrara". First I loved that she wrote a response to Browning's famous poem, and that she did so so believably. I loved this insight into her character: "the mutual comity of sad smile, the camaraderie of beauty shared meant more to me than any noble name." She had advice for her replacement-"tell her for me to keep her self-hood low, her personality wrapped in mantled frames," and the ending after all her self-reflections, modesty and ironic insight is killer.

"Remembering where I keep" is firefangled's entry. He grabs one by the heart with his opening lines "baby's breath heaving out beyond the dry leaves," then clinches the poignancy with "I will reside no doubt in a book, pressed and graying bones, the mettle of a poem slowly fading into print." Every line as graceful and sorrowful as a ballet, as the end of a life.

kevinthediltz entered, his first time to do so. Thank you Kevin. The lines that struck me the most were these: "stuck between 'just friends' and awkward conversation in the saloons and bars." How insightful. I was touched by the emptiness of this mysterious persons' life.

"Grendel" was TheFifthElement's entry, an incredibly powerful look at the world from the monster Grendel's viewpoint. "the cold hand of the infinite is upon me," he says, "I am old with life, undone by violence..." and "heroes were born and die in me." I love that reminder that there would be no heroes without monsters. His last lines are a warning to us all.

Last was PrinceMyshkin's "A Work in Progress." He said he wrote this quickly, but it has depth. I especially liked "I had to learn how to look out through these eyes." I liked how the persona was learning how to look through someone elses eyes, as was Prince, as are we all. Good job, Prince.

So who to choose? The winner of this Form Poetry Contest, by a hair, is firefangled's "Remembering Where I keep" for it's graceful use of language and the sorrowful, poignant tone he carries through to the end.

So, firefangled, please choose the next form for us. And again, my deepest thanks to all of you for entering, and for your extremely fine and noteworthy poems.

Congratulations, firefangled - and to you, qimmisung, for your gracious commentaries on all the poems. From the praise you heaped on them all I was sure it was going to be a 6-way tie!

Congratulations, firefangled. Your poem, for one thing, spelled out the value of being alone, as we are alone with our thoughts sometimes. I look forward to the form you choose;

Congratulations firefangled, it is a fine poem.

Thanks for your comments qimi, gracious as always :)

I would ordinarily not have waited so long to respond, but my beloved stepfather passed away on Monday of this week. He was 89 and had been suffering for a year, so it was merciful for him to go.

Thank you Qimissung for selecting my poem. I truly did not expect to be selected. Though I am glad you said by a thread, because all the poems were excellent.

The triolet is a French form from around the late 14th century. It turns on two rhymes and there lies some of its difficulty. The first line appears three times, thus its name. The trick is to make sense with all the repetition.

Here is the rhyme:

A
B
a
A
a
b
A
B


There are older examples, but the language is antiquated. These are two of my favorites:

O why do you walk through the fields in gloves,

To a Fat Lady Seen from the Train

O why do you walk through the fields in gloves,
Missing so much and so much?
O fat white woman whom nobody loves,
Why do you walk through the fields in gloves,
When the grass is soft as the breast of doves
And shivering sweet to the touch?
O why do you walk through the fields in gloves,
Missing so much and so much?

By Frances Corford

****
We Poets

We poets are so very strange!
We write and write and lose our minds!
Emotions flow in quite a range;
We poets are so very strange!
We’re happy. Then, we quickly change;
To make a world it takes all kinds.
We poets are so very strange!
We write and write and lose our minds!

Luann Kennedy

Soliloquy

The rain is a comfort to those in distress,
So gentle her touch on my face and my skin
When the power of despondency is so strong in this world
The rain is a comfort to those in distress,
With sorrow for breakfast, and supper depression
Never knowing when trouble comes or from which direction
The rain is a comfort to those in distress,
So gentle her touch on my face and my skin

Pendragon

Thanks for getting things off to an excellent start, Pen.

Let's make the deadline May 1.

Sound OK?

There are fine poets on Lit-Net. I am excited to see all the triolets.

I wandered along a path unmarked
Where once my love and I had been,
On a life-long journey fresh embarked.
I wandered along a path unmarked,
Where once with the birds we larked.
As in a solitary sleeper’s dream,
I wandered along a path unmarked
Where once my love and I had been.

Gosh, how I love these two lines:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pendragon

Soliloquy

With sorrow for breakfast, and supper depression
Never knowing when trouble comes or from which direction

---

Child of the past, spurned and outcast,
Where does your reticence lead?
Your wish is your bond, your memories fast.
Child of the past, spurned and outcast,
Your promise is scattered, your playground is vast;
But never a star in transit you'll heed.
Child of the past, spurned and outcast,
Where does your reticence lead?

Thanks, Alakungfu.

What amazing poems so far!

Curiouser and Curiouser

Two ravens sang in the darkening day
A curious tune with a warning refrain
That said one more time what they had to say
Two ravens sang in the darkening day
That one has a duty to look for a way
That does not end in a multitude slain
Two ravens sang in the darkening day
A curious tune with a warning refrain

Please Remit

Among everything I still miss
I want to get my garden back
right now, with spring’s prime past due kiss.
Among everything I still miss:
birds who fled from a landlord’s hiss,
amid my overgrowing lack.
Among everything I still miss
I want to get my garden back.