Contest Summer 2021 Poetry Contest Voting and Reading Thread

Happy Summer, Beat the summer heat with some poems.

There are nine excellent poems here and you may vote for up to three.

I advise taking your time and not rushing. None of the poems are super long. I suggest reading these poems slowly and then re-reading them before deciding on which poems to vote for.

The poll will be open about three weeks, which means the voting will close a bit before the concurrent short story contest.

Order of the poem presentation has been randomized.

If you do not like how something is presented in a poem you have written and formatted, please send me a private message so I can correct it.

Spoiler: Poem One: "Stegadon Sonnet #1 One"

"Stegadon Sonnet #1"

Her footsteps fall like thunder from the sky.

Her broken horns sway slow from side to side.

Her years so long she’d care not e’en to die,

Except for small thought gi’en to those who ride,

Atop her in their golden palanquin,

Imagining their prodding guides her so.

Those laughing dancing prancing tiny kin,

Releasing fiery arrows ‘gainst the foe.

One summer long ago she cracked the shell.

Long summers in her youth she ruled the field.

One summer not long hence they’ll say she fell.

That summer at the end she will not yield.

Like springtime burge’ning summer’s for the young,

But summer’s when her song shall sure be sung.

Spoiler: Poem Two: "Ten Rounds of Firewater"

##### Ten rounds of Firewater #####

Some years ago a young Skink walked into a tavern
And his best few buddies were quick to join in
They were tired from fighting the Rats in a cavern
A night of recreation was about to begin.

But after one round of Firewater
The Saurus began to sing their songs of war
And after two rounds of Firewater
Everyone was dancing to celebrate the slaughter.

The guards were friendly and let them celebrate
After all they had saved the city during their mission
When the Scar Veteran looked in it was already too late
The inebriated Oldblood had given them further permission.

And after three rounds of Firewater
A Kroxigor smashed in a keg with his maul
And after four rounds of Firewater
The Chameleon Skinks climbed all over the wall.

Then after round five, or round six,
Somebody let a thirsty Salamander into the place
And after round seven... or was it eight?
The fire spitting beast almost set the whole tavern ablaze.

After nine rounds of Firewater
The Starpriest arrived and tried to rein them in
But after ten rounds of Firewater
They had long lost count.... and started counting again.

one round of Firewater,
two rounds of Firewater,
four rounds of Firewater,
five rounds of Firewater,

six rounds of Firewater,
eight rounds of Firewater,
nine rounds of Firewater,
ten rounds of Firewater!

Spoiler: Poem Three: "To Flee or Not to Flee"

TO FLEE OR NOT TO FLEE
or
A SAURUS CONTEMPLATES BREAKING FROM COMBAT

To flee, or not to flee: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler to follow the great plan and suffer
The swords and arrows of pursuing enemies,
Or to take arms against a sea of opponents,
And by opposing kill them?
To die: to fail;
No more; and by failing to say we fail
The great plan and the thousand spawned brothers
That our scales are heir to, 'tis a contemplation
Devoutly from the Slann. To die, to fail;
To fail: perchance to burn: aye, in the realm of chaos;
For in that realm of failures made manifest, what nightmares may come
When we have forsaken the Old Ones and our brothers,
Must give us pause: there's the legacy of the Old Ones,
That brings order to the Chaos that makes the world;
For who would bear the whips and spikes of Dark Elves,
The Nurgle's plague, the proud Slaneesh's whispers,
The blood for the skull God, the tricksters chaos,
The insolence of Dwarf and man made manifest.
Thus patient fighting of the unworthy takes,
When maybe we ourselves benighted make
With bare steel? Who would these foes then take?
To grunt and sweat in weary fight,
But that the dread of something after death,
The void awaits and fire and pain, from which daemon's are bourne,
No soul intact returns, smothers the will,
And makes us rather bear these arms we have,
Than flee to foes that we know not of?
Thus cold-blooded prevents cowardice from us all;
And thus the native hue of scales and fins, do fly
All overcast with blood spilled and the pale cast of bone,
And monsters stride with great breadth of motion and movement,
With this regard, the Stegs turned their heads awry,
And use the name of action.--Stand you now!
The just Slann! Mage-Priest in thy spell-casting.
Be all my stands be remember'd.‎

[Record ends in grunting noises as the enemy broke themselves, and the Saurus pursued. Discounted as a real record due to the complex thoughts generated that could never have come from a real Saurus. Supposed recollection of Wi-hilam Spear of the Shaking Scale.]

[Any resemblance to any existing famous poem is purely intentional.]

Spoiler: Poem Four: "Sipp'n Your Tea"

Sippin’ your Tea


You say I’m not brave enough
I’m not fighting tough
But let everyone understand
I bring down any who withstand

Rats shriek, humans scream
And I move on unseen
While you drown in blood
Pride filling you up like a flood

Hah, guess it’s all good
Your legacy forever rooted
And I return home
Sippin’ your tea

Spoiler: Poem Five: "Heat Waves Parody"

"Heat Waves Parody"

(Bass)
Trees shimmer
Wiggling the vision
Heat heat waves
I'm fording in the marshes

Road shimmer
Wiggling the vision
Heat heat waves
I'm fording in the marshes

(Softer singing)
Sometimes, all I think about is doom
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been faking me out
Can't make me any safer now

Sometimes, all I think about is doom
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been faking me out
Can't make me any safer now

Usually I put
Some armor on me
So we never think
About death in the trees

But today I see
Our reflections
Clearly in golden eyes
Laying an ambush for we

I just need a better death than this
I need something you can never give
Fake dreams of a peaceful life all across the sea
It's gone now the night has come but

You can't fight it
You Sometimes, all I think about is doom
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been faking me out
Can't make me any safer now

can't breathe
You say something so loving but
Now I've got to let me go
Maybe the gods will take somewhere new
I don't wanna be alone
The javelin hurts me too

I look so broken when I cry
One more and then I'll say goodbye

Sometimes, all I think about is doom
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been faking me out
Can't make me any safer now

Sometimes, all I think about is doom
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been faking me out
Can't make me any safer now

I just wonder what you're dreaming of
When you stalk and hunt so comfortable
I just wish that I could give you that
That look that's perfectly not murderous

Sometimes, all I think about is doom
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been faking me out
Can't make me any safer now

Sometimes, all I think about is doom
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been faking me out
Can't make me any safer now

Sometimes, all I think about is doom
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been faking me out
Can't make me any safer now

(Bass)
Trees shimmer
Wiggling the vision
Heat heat waves
I'm collapsing in the marshes

Road shimmer
Wiggling the vision
Heat heat waves
I'm collapsing in the marshes

Spoiler: Poem Six: "Untitled Haiku"

"Untitled Haiku"

The count of hours
Dividing the light and dark
Measures memory

Spoiler: Poem Seven: "Summer Song"

"Summer Song"

We do not remember summer
High summer
Rain falling through the canopies
Flooding down the vine choked trees like cataracts

We do not remember heat stirring our blood
Hot blood
Nighttime restlessness rising with the sun
Strengthening and quickening the flights of our spears

We do not remember
Others remember us
Remember us up

Remember us
O remember us
In summer

Spoiler: Poem Eight: "Starborn"

"Starborn"

Flashes of light taken shape and form
flesh and muscle growing over bone.
Send down from among the heavens
where the Slanns take throne.

Send to fight chaos far and wide
Stopping evil to taint the lands
Restore the peace and quiet
And fold out the Old Ones plans.

Spoiler: Poem Nine: "The Final Stand"

"The Final Stand"

In amongst the dead and dying, a spark of life still lingers.

A warrior born, too stubborn to let almost fatal wounds carry it to oblivion.

Eyes opened reveals physical sadness and pain, his brothers bodies broken and strewn around him.

The Saurus feels his physical wounds, but the real hurt is inside where his spawn have been severed from him.

And left him alone.

But there is no grief, no dulling apathy resounding inside.

Only the fire of hate, the furnace of passion, the flames of his purpose.

Even though this vessel is broken, it's life dripping from wounds that should have ended it, still it stands again.

The enemy does not notice, burning and capering they do not see the figure stand amidst the carnage.

How simple to leave, to admit defeat and by so embracing survive.

But the fire requires, nay demands, this action here and payment of kind for his kin.

A challenge bellowed. Silence falls.

The saurus sees the enemy muster. They stretch as far as his eyes can see.

The fear should be strong now, the futility should sap strength of arm and will. But the fire permits none.

A step, a stumble as damaged flesh betrays will.

The enemy does not descend upon the weakness. In their own hearts, they feel the echo of the fires, the passion. The majesty of the moment stays their hand.

The Saurus rises, at once broken and not. The fire burns hotly and he cares not that the fire consumes him.

Only that he feels it burn to the end.

A final roar. A final blast of the heat of dedication.

The enemies descend. The fire burns brightly to the end and falls to mingle with his brothers, together again.

Per usual, discussion and commentary is welcome even though very few of us are true scholars of the poetry arts.

 

Poem 1: "Stegadon Sonnet" by @Christopher

Poem 2: "Ten Rounds of Firewater" by @Aginor

Poem 3: "To Flee or Not to Flee" by @Lizards of Renown

Poem 4: "Sipp'n Your Tea" by @Paradoxical Pacifism

Poem 5: "Heat Waves Parody" by Scalenex

Poem 6: Untitled Haiku by @Christopher

Poem 7: "Summer Song" by @Christopher

Poem 8: "Starborn" by @Imrahil

Poem 9: "The Final Stand" by @Lizards of Renown

 

Ok I've read through them once already and this is going to be a tough decision.
Some really funny and interesting poetry in there!

 

I would like to vote for them all.

Well, at least after the first reading i already have a couple of temporary favorites

 

Well, my votes were assigned on very vague motivations (that sooner or later i could even explain), certrainly not for my deep knowledge of poetry.

 

Same here. Most of the time I cannot say much more than "I like it", or "it is funny" or "it seems to rhyme well".

 

Pretty accurate.
Also: it summons a nice mental image

 

Almost as me.
You have 66,6% good tastes!

*unless you are the author of Stegadon sonnet... in that case it's 100%!

 

I voted.

 

Here are my amateurish thoughts.

"Stegadon Sonnet #1": First off, I thought it was funny that the randomizer by dumb luck put Stegadon Sonnet #1 in the number one slot.

This flowed better than most of the other poems in the contest. It certainly lends a natural rhythm. Made all the cooler because you gradually realize the Stegadon is Mazdamundi's Steggy.

I also liked the old school poetic trope of unnecessary abbreviations like "e'en" I'm never sure how to use this things myself but the poet seemed to have a solid grasp on when to use them. It felt right to me anyway.


"Ten Rounds of Firewater": My initial thought is that the poem started out with a strong rhythm, then the rhythm kind of broke and becomes free form.

Due to personal taste, I prefer structured poems over free form, but there are free form poems I like. Still, my first instinct was that the author was lazy and letting the form crumble.

Upon a second reading, out loud, I realized that the rhythm of the poem gradually becomes less coherent as the subjects gradually become more inebriated. This means that the poet wasn't lazy, but clever.

You have to understand the rules correctly in order to understand how break them correctly.. Bravo!

"To Flee or Not to Flee": Clever take on Shakespeare. Also, anyone who has played 8th edition probably has consternation that the stalwart Saurus Warriors of Warhammer official fluff tend to break and flee a lot more readily on the tabletop than their PR team suggests...

The word choice fit the framework well and rolled off the tongue in a lovely fashion, but I wished it was more coherent in a story fashion. The Saurus is talking about fighting dwarves and daemons and dark elves and who knows what else. I figure in this context it would make more sense to talk about the battle the Saurus is in and try to work the exposition of who is fighting whom and why into the poem. Just a personal preference.

"Sipp'n your Tea": Good rhyme scheme. Humorous tone and nice simple message. Amusing poem.

Reading it out loud the rhythm sounds slightly off. I'm not sure why but it doesn't roll of the tongue as gracefully as some of the others.


Heat Waves Parody: The poem has excellent rhythm but no points for that because it was stolen note for note for "Heat Waves".

The parody was clever and funny but it didn't really have any emotional resonance with me like most of the other poems had.


Untitled Haiku: I'm not a big fan of haikus and I tend to be mildly annoyed by unnamed things being the OCD person who wants to label and catalog everything.

That said, I don't like most English haikus because it feels like people are just counting syllables and filling in a template, but at least here I get the impression that effort was made. Word choice seems like it fits theme and resonance and not just clicks a syllable counter.

So yeah, I'm still not a fan of haikus in general, but this is "one of the good ones."


"Summer Song": This one is fully free form, unless I'm too dense to notice the structure which is entirely possible.

As I mentioned, I prefer structured poems due to personal taste, but this is still a well written poem with evocative imagery and excellent word choice.

Like a lot of good free form, it's open ended and it's not truly clear what is being talked about and there is equal potential to interpret in either a joyous or melancholy way or perhaps both and many poems strive to do.

"Starborn": Maybe I'm overly biased towards Warhammer Fantasy because some poems here could be about Lizardmen or Seraphon but this seems like the only Age of Sigmar era poem.

This poems was short and simple like most of them. It had a clear obvious structure which I like and a punching rhyme scheme. Reading it out loud some of the lines were a little clunklier than I like but it's not bad. Also, I thought it was odd that "Old Ones" was capitalized and "chaos" was not but I don't want to poo-poo another's poetic license because proper spelling and grammar often goes out the window when writing poems, so I need to just get o'er it.

"The Final Stand": By a wide margin the longest poem in the contest. Like many longer poems, it tells a full story with an exposition, conflict and resolution which I like.

I also like that like many good poems, the ending loops back to the begin by invoking the warrior's brothers both times.

My only real misgiving is there are two or three very small grammatical mistakes that don't appear to be the result of poetic license, but even then this is my clear favorite of the bunch. Picking the other two votes will be hard.

 

Indeed it is!
We also have two poems running for the gold. I gave a vote to each one of them, so i really don't have a preference

 

The winner is @Christopher , thank you to everyone who entered, every poem was an enjoyable read.

 

Congratulations! It was a really nice piece, I also voted for it.

 

My 3 votes went to the first 3 poems.
Make of that what you want.