ROUND TWO: 16-rapturous vs. 9-conducive

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:

16-rapturous
Ring and Run
by Lori Degman

We rang the bell and ran away,
and as we fled we heard him say,

“I’m gonna get my hands on you,
and when I do, you boys are through!”

We dove behind the bushes fast,
and held our breath as he sped past.

Then celebrated, rapturous,
because he failed to capture us!

vs.

9-conducive
Buckle Up, Butter Cup
by Bekah Hoeft

“Buckle up, Buttercup!”
Always interrupts my view.
“Walking feet, Mr. Pete!”
Well, that makes me fume and stew.
“Don’t stand on the twirly chair.”
“No jumping off the bed.”
“Make sure you wear your helmet. Oh, please, don’t bump your head.”
I wish my mom would notice, I wish she’d understand.
Rules are not conducive to the life that I have planned.
A life of grand adventure, heroic derring-do.
To these rules,
I’d like to bid–

Adieu and toodle-oo!