FANDANGO FINDS GOOD COMPANIONS & SALVATION ON PLATFORM FOUR
As you’ll see from our judge’s report, the standard was very high for our Good Companions competition so well done to Fandango for beating off some tough opposition!

Arena entries are being accepted on both our old site and the new one for the time being so read the winner and all other entries here:
http://www.writelink.co.uk/arena_main.php?cat=a_goodcompanions
http://www.writelink.co.uk/community

Adjudicator’s Report by Lorraine Mace
Poetry is the most subjective of all forms of writing, both for the author and the reader. Everyone will see different aspects, or read different meanings into the lines, depending on their own lives and experiences. For this reason, judging a poetry competition calls for the adjudicator to settle on certain criteria before reading any of the entries.

For this competition, because of the theme, I wanted the poems to deliver an aspect of good companionship which left me thinking about the meaning afterwards. I looked for something slightly deeper than the surface words – I wanted to be able to see what had brought the protagonists to that point in their lives.

I looked for good companions in an hour of need, or simply a stranger who was there at the right time, or a constant companion who could always be relied upon.

There were some very good entries and many almost made the final list, but five stood out for various reasons. I enjoyed the use of language, or rhyme, or the poem moved me, but all of my final five fulfilled my main criteria – they each left me thinking and gave me a glimpse of what had gone before.

In first place I put Salvation on Platform Four. This poem moved me very much indeed. I enjoyed the rhythm of the lines, was moved by the content and was immediately able to picture an almost complete back story – not easy in such a short poem. It was clear that this was not the first time the narrator had suffered, but neither was she the first who had stumbled into the warmth and salvation of that room. I simply couldn’t put this multi-layered poem out of my mind.

In second place I put After his Funeral – again a very moving poem. This narrator is surrounded by people who should have understood, but it took the unspoken kindness of a stranger to reach out and penetrate the emptiness within.

Third place went to A 1930s Train. The light humour in this masked a great deal of back story, which was very deftly handled. He was fat and she was plain is a wonderful line, telling us so much about the two who are about to find companionship in the dark.

The Robbery and Sometimes You Need to Look Closer to Home for Support were the other two shortlisted entries, both of which came very close to being placed in the top three.

Our next Arena competition is for Bikers Boasts, closing date 10th August.
http://www.writelink.co.uk/arena_main.php?cat=a_bikersboasts

Don’t forget we are also running quarterly Arena contests now through our new site, take a look here:
http://www.writelink.co.uk/community/viewPage.php?ID=Arena%20Challenge%20Instructions

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GOOD COMPANIONS – Arena Poetry Contest
We all need friends so they say, but what about those fleeting acquaintances which often have a profound effect on our lives?

We meet them in doctors’ surgeries, on trains, at bus stops, at times of emergency. People who seem to come into our lives for a brief time only to disappear and never to be seen or heard of again.

Our latest Arena competition calls for a poem featuring just such an incident and its consequences. Line count should be no more than 20.

There is £20 for the best entry. Closing date, 10th July.

To enter, click the Add To This List button at the top of the listings opposite.