WILD TIMES, GREAT TIMES FOR ANDYJ!
We had a plethora of entries for our rebellious moments poetry contest, but in spite of some tough opposition, AndyJ claimed the top spot with his tightly written verse, Egg. Also finding favour were, Shine by JamesDoggett and the Sister Joseph series written by Chausiku.
Maggie Ball was our judge and she has kindly donated electronic copies of her soon to be released poetry book Repulsion Thrust published by UK publisher BeWrite Books. http://www.magdalenaball.com/
Maggie’s report follows, but don’t forget our next Arena competition is open and looking for children’s stories. All details here:
New Site: http://www.writelink.co.uk/community/viewPage.php?ID=Arena%20Challenge%20Instructions
Old Site:
http://www.writelink.co.uk/arena_main.php?cat=a_kidlit
Adjudicator’s report by Maggie Ball
Even a limerick
Ought to be something a man of
honour, awaiting death from cancer or a firing squad,
could read without contempt (W H Auden, “The Cave of Making”)
No matter what the occasion, there’s almost always something from Auden to perfectly elucidate it (think of the marvellous reading of "Funeral Blues" in Four Weddings and a Funeral). I find myself reaching for him more and more often, and adjudication of this month’s Wild Times Arena Contest was no exception. Though I’m not at all against a good rhyme–Auden himself made wonderful and judicious use of the rhyme in his work--many of the poems submitted in this contest relied on rhyme over meaning, and even, at times, rhythm.
Poetry should always be about creating powerful, novel meaning. When you’ve only got 12 lines and some 110 or so words to create a complete story, image or concept, then each word is absolutely critical, and needs to be chosen with utmost care. A single cliché or facile rhyme will destroy the entire integrity of a work, rendering it silly rather than lasting.
Creating good rhyming poetry is actually harder than creating good non-rhyming poetry, as the rhythm, scans and rhymes all have to meld with the meaning seamlessly. Poets like Shakespeare, Dickenson, Yeats and Auden mastered the rhyming poem brilliantly. Few modern poets handle it well. As nearly all of the poetry submitted to this competition rhymed, this set a very challenging goal for the entrants.
Some of the poems had images and metaphors which were more discordant or meaningless than an Oasis lyric (I won’t provide examples from the entries, lest I embarrass anyone, but think of “walking slowly down the hall/faster than a cannonball”), while others used archaic expressions and structures, lengthy ways of saying something simple (to keep the rhythm) and cliché upon cliché. Other poems were cute and even a little funny, but simply didn’t have any power in them. What I looked for in this contest, and it’s what I always look for as a reader, is the overall impact of the poem.
When poetry really works, it becomes memorable. You reach for it again and again because there’s no better way to say what needs to be said. Sadly, few poems submitted for this contest had that quality. One that did was honourable mention winner “Shine”. Although in a sonnet format, this one didn’t actually rhyme consistently and did have a few stylistic issues, but these were made up for by its haunting quality and rich use of alliteration and assonance that strongly conveyed the sense of wildness – the difference between this wild moment, and the mundane quality of everyday life ("long red hair frames my face that is not my own.").
I’d also like to give an honourable mention to the author of the Sister Joseph series. Though not really what I was looking for here (the poems worked better as a quirky progressive group than as standalone pieces fitting the 12 line limit), they would, together, make a nice chapbook set around this rather risqué nun who pretends to have toothache so she can bellydance, gets a dolphin tattoo on her breast, dyes her hair green for St Patrick’s day, steals an i-pod from one of the younger sisters, sells her habit on e-bay to buy a thong, and finally hitchhikes to Rio.
The winner “Egg” was so clever and well done; that it transcended the cuteness of its subject and rhymes. This tightly wrought poem managed perfectly the balance between the triviality of its subject and the sophistication of its description. The inclusion of Mrs T(hatcher) as Minister for Education added a neat hint of politics, and time bound veracity - I really believed this happened and felt that almost delicious frisson of naughtiness along with the poet. This one really did have me laughing rather than rolling my eyes, and I liked the way it captured that wild moment (egg throwing audacity, in this case). Congratulations to the author of "Egg," and to the two runners up as well.
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WILD TIMES – Monthly Arena Challenge
It’s said, to each and everything there is a time, so for this month’s Arena Challenge we want to know about your wild times! Please don’t say you never had any, even the most conservative amongst us has had at least one moment when they have kicked over the traces of convention and waved a hand at the stars!
Tell us in verse about your midnight skinny dipping, stolen kisses, navel rings, henna hair cuts, bunking school, hippy happenings or any other event where you made a stand for personal freedom.
Poems should be no longer than 12 lines. Entries close, 10th September.
Please post entries by clicking the Add to this list button opposite.
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