Rhyme Thyme Holds No Regrets for Wordmate!
Our rather unusual rhyming herb poetry competition certainly brought out the best in our members which saw over 30 submissions of a very high standard submitted. Hitting the top spot with Regrets was Wordmate who saw off some stiff opposition with just four lines of very telling verse! Before you rush off to read it, take a look at what our judge has to say about the rest of the entries.

Adjudicator's Report by Jenny Moore
The task of writing a rhyming ‘herb’ poem in just 12 lines was not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. It was clear from the range of entries received, however, that imaginations had been well and truly stretched. Alongside cookery poems and explorations of traditional herbal remedies (to cure everything from a poor memory to a partner’s smelly feet) there were scorned lovers, overgrown gardens, love affairs between the herbs themselves, a dash of witchcraft and even a spot of murder. The unusual subject matter was one which was tackled with impressive inventiveness.

Length was clearly no problem either, with some fantastically big tales and themes squeezed into just 12 lines. However the rhyming side of things proved a little trickier – occasionally I wanted to see more of an obvious rhyme scheme (given the remit of the competition) and at other times felt that sense and syntax had been compromised for the sake of the rhyme. A rhyme is nothing without a sound metre to support it and there were also occasions when a faltering rhythm let an otherwise promising line down.

There were many poems here with much to commend them - some memorably evocative images and some wonderful humour too. Those poems that made it onto my shortlist, however, were those that best ticked all the boxes from start to finish: I enjoyed the lilting lyrical feel of ‘To my parsley…’ by Ozhm (which contrasts beautifully with the humorous ending), while the confident use of rhyme and metre in Shaw’s ‘Love Fever’ made it a joy to read out loud.

Second place went to Ingrid Collins’ almost drum-like ‘Inca Maca’ for its original use of the vernacular mixed with a powerful chant-like rhythm. The overall effect was very striking and again made it a great piece to read aloud.
Scooping first place, however, was Wordmate’s ‘Regrets’. At just four lines long this was the shortest of all the entries but those four lines accomplish a great deal - an entire love affair blossoming and dying before our eyes, to be replaced by bitterness and, as the title says, regrets. For me this had the concise, deceptively simple quality of a Wendy Cope poem and the effortless rhyming of ‘you’ and ‘rue’ works perfectly, delivering the final blow in the final word with an understated brilliance.

Our next contest is RiverShivers! We’re looking for flash fiction of 250 words or less. Details here:
http://writelink.co.uk/arena_main.php?cat=a_rivershivers

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RHYME THYME – Latest Arena Competition
It’s not what you think! Our latest Arena competition is NOT calling for poems about the passage of hours and minutes, but the stuff that grows in your kitchen garden along with the many other herbs whose usage extends far beyond culinary flavourings.

What we want you to do, is come up with a poem that features a herb, it doesn’t have to be Thyme, you can use any or all common or uncommon herbs. You can explore their culinary attributes or opt for their medical or mystical properties.

The only stipulation is your poem must not exceed 12 lines and needs to rhyme which means you will need to keep a close eye on metre and scanning.

As usual, there will be £20 for the best entry.

Entries close 10th May.

Please post all entries directly to the Arena competition page by clicking Add To This List which you’ll find above the listings opposite.

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