Click here for authlete instructions.
Voter Instructions:
- The countdown at the bottom of each pairing indicates how much time is left to vote.
- When voting closes, timer will disappear.
- Read both poems as many times as you like.
- Mark the poem you like best by clicking the circle next to its name.
- Press the “Vote” button to record your vote.
- Votes are counted in real time and cannot be changed once entered.
- You can only vote once from a given IP address.
- Classrooms should submit one vote as a class.
- Students can then vote again individually from home.
Things to Consider in Making a Choice:
- How well the poem incorporates the authlete’s assigned word.
- Technical elements: meter, rhyme, form, shape, and other poetic standards.
- Creativity: wordplay, imagery, unusual approach, etc.
- Subtle elements that make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
- Your overall response: emotional reaction such as admiration, tears, laughter, terror, or some indefinable feeling.
Here are the poems:
10-alternative
The Next Big Thing
by Ally Keenan
Reckless celebrity, be charged for that ridiculous crime.
Inspiring actor, please forget your life changing line.
No need to fret, for I will have their scenes perfected just in time.
Dedicated gymnast, slip from those parallel bars;
Fearless astronaut, dangle helplessly among the stars.
I’ll be there waving to you as you drift past Mars.
I’m the Understudy, the alternative; second best,
But believe me, someday, I’ll be considered better than the best.
vs.
2-quell
How To Quell A Smell
by Bruce Balan
Are there fish in your trousers?
Blue cheese in your hair?
Check under your hat…
is a skunk hiding there?
To quell all these odors
here’s a tip I’ll disclose:
Take an extra-large clothespin
and clip on your nose.
