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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.
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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-exertion
Hitting the Snooze Bar
By Liz Steinglass
I lie back down across my bed.
I pull the pillow over my head.
I desperately need these minutes of sleep
After the exertion of stopping that
vs.
15-hackneyed
In the Clutch of Clichés
By Dave Crawley
Hackneyed clichés, when composing a verse,
Are never a “blessing,” but rather, a “curse.”
“When the chips are down,” I want “nerves of steel,”
No “coming up short,” or “asleep at the wheel.”
It “goes without saying,” I’m “caught in a daze.”
“Proof positive,” I’m in the Clutch of Clichés!
“It stands to reason,” I’ve “lost track of time.”
I’ll “wrap up” a tale with no “reason.” Just “rhyme.”
10-exertion vs. 15-hackneyed: Which Poem Did You Prefer?
- 10-exertion (Liz Steinglass) (28%, 72 Votes)
- 15-hackneyed (Dave Crawley) (72%, 185 Votes)
Total Voters: 254

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