[click image to view matchup in full screen in a new window.]
The Poets’ Challenge: Each poet is assigned a single word based on their bracket seed, ranging from 1 (intuitive) to 16 (seemingly impossible). Poets must write a kid-appropriate poem using the prompted word in under 36 hours. Once both final poems have been received, they will be pasted into the body of this post, and then the reader poll will be open for voting.
Voter Instructions: Read each poem as many times as you’d like. Then use the poll to express your preference. Votes are counted in real time and cannot be changed once entered. As a guideline for voting, consider the criteria on which the contestants on the cooking show “Chopped” are evaluated: presentation, taste, and creativity. Translated roughly into poetry terms, presentation might include technical aspects such as meter, rhyme, form/shape, etc.; taste might be the net effect — did the poem move you to laugh, cry, think, kill, etc.; and creativity might include the poet’s approach toward a certain subject, image evocation, clever wordplay, etc.
“This is awesome, where can I find more?”: All results and scheduled matchups, including a glance at the round-by-round writing windows and voting windows, are visible from the Live Scoreboard page. In addition, results will be tweeted from @edecaria as they become final.
Here are the poems:
16-translucent
At 14, I Learn the Truth
by Susan Taylor Brown
One steamy shattered shower door
translucent glass coats the floor
I am a little girl
no more.
vs.
8-cement
Demented
by Donna Smith
Demented Cement Ed just loved building walls
He mortared and bricked them, some big and some small.
Ed built a high tower with brick upon brick,
But when he had finished, Ed’s stomach was sick!
The door was omitted, there was no way out,
Demented Cement Ed is still there, no doubt.
He’s surely lamented and even repented,
But nevertheless his fate’s been cemented!
VOTE NOW!
16-translucent vs. 8-cement: Which Poem Did You Prefer?
- 16-translucent (Susan Taylor Brown) (55%, 95 Votes)
- 8-cement (Donna Smith) (45%, 79 Votes)
Total Voters: 174
Loading ...GET OUT THE VOTE. The average pairing in Round 1 generated 154 votes. For Round 2, our goal is to DOUBLE the average vote total for all matchups compared to Round 1 … that’s 300+ votes! Use the share buttons below and mention the madness wherever you go so that these poems reach more kids!
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Good luck, Donna!
This is another example of a pair of words that would make an interesting poem. Both words have a mysterious quality. Susan, I’ve seen you everywhere making comments and wishing everyone well. The best of luck to you. The best to you too Donna!
Pam, I love the way everyone is bouncing around in support of each other and of poetry. That’s what it’s all about.
You go, girl! Both of you! Can hardly wait to see these.
Thanks Susan! Sorry for the late reply…have just gotten home…time to write a poem…quick! No stress here! And thanks Pam and Stephanie. I’ve got to get to reading some poems, too! That’s the most fun!
Whew! Finally figured out what to do with my word. Now I can go to bed.
Anticipation…Hope you got some sleep!
And how on the anticipation. I eventually got to sleep when I stopped worrying what people were going to think about my poem.
I know how you feel on that one. I kept thinking…eeesh…just drop it…click Send already!
Susan,
I get that about the poem and sleeping! It took me the longest time to sleep. Both poems were amazing. Hard to choose.
Jone, first I can’t sleep because I can’t come up with the poem and then I can’t sleep because after I write one, it makes me think of more I want to write!
Cement Ed is fabulous! Both wonderful poems, good luck ladies!
Thanks, Catherine. Ed said I could get points by using his name, but then he took them ALL away because he didn’t like his fate…
Wonderful job to both of you!
Nice work ladies! This is going to be a close one, and I agree, translucent cement would be a great poem topic
Yes, I started to do that a couple times. But got bogged down and pressed for time and the need to sleep! Maybe another day another time and place! ‘Twould be fun!
Those were both wonderful poems, and so very different! Not fair to pit those 2 against each other as they are both winners, for different reasons. Great job!
This makes my brain hurt. In this case we’ve got apples and oranges. I couldn’t decide so I consulted my son. I asked my son why this “apples and oranges” stuff didn’t bother him. He replied, “I like oranges better.” Hmmm. Good point. I guess ultimately we like what we like what we like. Further proof that my March Madness Mantra is apt: There are no bad poets; there are only bad judges!
Gotta love kid logic!
This is really close ladies! Both of these are total opposites, both are wonderful. Donna, I can totally see one of those Saturday morning cartoon shorts with your poem. Poor Ed! Susan, you should not have lost sleep regarding your art. It’s kinda Shel Silverstein-esque!
My life IS a Saturday cartoon, even on Tuesdays!
I practically had to flip a coin on this one!
This may go into overtime folks. I, personally, will not be satisfied until I see Susan and Donna leg-wrestle for it!
Or what if we made them each add a line to the end of their poems. Something to one-up the punch line of the original. THAT’D be cool. Though not as cool as leg-wrestling.
Allan, I’m barely 5feet tall. I’d never stand a chance in leg-wrestling.
Oh, yeah, leg wrestling…I had two brothers!
Uh oh. Only child here who learned to run away from confrontation. Hmmm…I will offer you chocolate to take a dive. That’s it. Ooh, wait, cases of cat treats for your Maine Coon cat, that’s it. To the mat with you!
Wow. Such different words and poems. Great job, you guys!
Hmmmm…chocolates or cat treats? Better be safe and go with cat treats….he’s a big cat and leg wrestles the dog.
Thanks to all for the kind words.
Ditto to that! I feel privileged to be writing alongside everyone here! Thank you for all the encouragement!
It’s a knuckle-biter when it’s so close! Wear gloves–not for slugging it out; for protecting those joints.
Already chewed off my fingernails. Gonna have to start on those knuckles soon.
Getting down to the wire and I have that queasy taking-a-ride-in-a-roller-coaster feeling.
So many close races this time!
Congratulations, Susan! Best of luck in the next round!
Thank you, Donna. I have a stack of bricks to move in the yard. I know I’m going to think of you and your poem when I move them.
Thanks to everyone who came and read and voted and chattered with us.
Just don’t pile them up around yourself when you move them! You have poems to write on the other side of the wall!