ROUND ONE: 3-awry vs. 14-verjuice

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:

3-awry
Alone?
By Robyn Hood Black

Door ajar, chairs askew –

Something shadowed slips from view.

Tables turned, thoughts awry –

Goosebumps gather, multiply.

Wind blows wild. Door slams NOW!

hold – my – breath…

hear Meow.

vs.

14-verjuice
Senescence
By Matt Forrest Esenwine

Drink from the cup of your youth, my child,
Sup and be merry while young;
For the meal always cools
And verjuice of old fools
Is sour and sad on the tongue.

3-awry vs. 14-verjuice

3-awry (Robyn Hood Black) (64%, 114 Votes)
14-verjuice (Matt Forrest Esenwine) (36%, 64 Votes)

Total Voters: 178

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Marcus Ewert

Matt – if there is some nectar to be pressed out of the swill that is VERJUICE and if you, sir, are the one to decoct it – then I shall raise a glass in your name!

Though not a glass of verjuice, duh.
http://julielarios.blogspot.com Julie Larios

Verjuice, which comes when you squeeze vers libre really hard?
http://www.quinettecook.com Quinette Cook

I might put these two words in the blender and whip up something evil. Bwaaahahaha (evil laugh just for Ed).
http://www.NoWaterRiver.com Renee LaTulippe (@ReneeMLaTulippe)

I knew this was going to happen. You’ve both given us beautiful language to savor and images to ponder. Darn it! I have to go meditate on this…. Beautiful work, Robyn and Matt!
http://www.quinettecook.com Quinette Cook

Well done. Ed, can I split my vote? They were so different but so very well done.
http://www.buffysilverman.com Buffy Silverman

I agree….these are both terrific!
http://susantaylorbrown.com Susan Taylor Brown

Oh no, I don’t want to have to choose between these. They are both wonderful poems with such beautiful language. Kudos to both talented poets.
http://www.lizsteinglass.com/ Liz

Tough choice!
http://www.MattForrest.com Matt Forrest Esenwine

Thank you, folks! Robyn, I really love yours.
http://catherinemjohnson.wordpress.com Catherine Johnson

Two of the best poems in this competition. Well done both of you.
Eric J

These poems are Fantabulously Fantastic!
http://www.lindaboyden.com Linda Boyden

Both so good and in different ways. You two are winners!
http://www.loridegman.com Lori Degman

This was a tough one!! Great job, both of you!
Heidi Mordhorst

Something has gone terribly awry, and now I taste the verjuice of indecision….
http://www.robynhoodblack.com Robyn Hood Black

(Heidi, you are too much…!)
Thanks, all – and Matt, Well Done! (Did you have to do such a nice job with such a challenging word?!)
http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Such smooth reads! And well-tucked words! I struggled here, and I bow to both Robyn and Matt.
Carrie Finison

I was so curious how Matt would cope with ‘verjuice’ and he did so well. Two very evocative poems here….
Hannah Ruth Wilde

Hi Robin, Nice to see you here!
Hannah Ruth Wilde

OK, Robin and Matt, you might have made the voting easier!!!! Congrats to both – wonderful!
Michele Krueger

I enjoyed both poems, Matt and Robin!
http://www.childrensauthorbjlee.com B.J. Lee

Both great poems. A tough choice.
Matt – I was wondering how you were going to use that word and you did marvelously well!
http://www.stephenwcahill.com Stephen W cahill

Is this the strongest pairing in the tournament? I think so. And I have no idea which poem to vote for!
Janet F.

And Matt has added another layer with his title…..a word somewhat familiar, but not right on the tip of my tongue. And I love the surprise at the end of Robyn’s filled with “am I being silly to be afraid of the dark” kind of tension. Had to think more than twice about these two poems.
http://www.robynhoodblack.com Robyn Hood Black

Thanks for these comments – it’s an honor to be in the same ring with Matt. Janet, I love his poem’s title too, and will admit to looking it up to double-check the meaning! (I love poems that make me smarter.)
So many terrific poems starting off the tournie this year!
http://tanitasdavis.com tanita

Oh, man.
Well, now I have to find a way to use both verjuice and awry in conversation today. It’s the least I can do…
http://www.thinkkidthink.com Ed DeCaria

I had to do it. I finally voted. This was my one holdout because I couldn’t bring myself to NOT vote for the other one.

Well done, Robyn and Matt.
http://www.robynhoodblack.com Robyn Hood Black

Honored to be part of a holdout, whichever way it went, Ed. Kind of makes my day in a warped sort of way….
http://www.MattForrest.com Matt Forrest Esenwine

Thanks, Ed – and everyone! I’m honoured to be up against Robyn…she’s a fine poet, so I was hoping I’d be able to hold my own. As for my title, I figured a poem with a word like ‘verjuice’ required a title just as obscure! And it really seemed to fit the tone of the poem…so it worked out!
http://www.MattForrest.com Matt Forrest Esenwine

btw…I just noticed something. This matchup has one of the lowest vote totals of any of them – only 160 as of this moment. Most have at least 200, some have over 400. I wonder why? (not complaining or anything…just thought it seemed odd)
Domd

Matt, I am afraid the vot total is low because a vote for one is sadly perceived as a vote against the other, and these are both way too good to vote against. Absolutely stunning matchup – fantastic work by both of you. I’ve yet to choose……..
http://www.MattForrest.com Matt Forrest Esenwine

Thank you! I hope no one misunderstands, though – I’m not mentioning this to sound negative, as I’m very happy with my poem whether it wins or not. This was about having fun & promoting poetry! Robyn did an excellent job, too, and I think hers is more kid-friendly, so I congratulate her fullY! All I’m saying is the vote total is low – that is, the total number of people who voted one way or the other. There were some matchups that had totals of 200, 300, 400 or more people voting, yet Robyn’s and mine didn’t even get to 200…which indicates less people actually saw ours. It’s no one’s fault – and again, I’m not complaining – it was just a mathematical observation.
http://sevenacresky.wordpress.com Damon Dean

Congrats Robyn! Both poems were great, but I admit Ed I voted for the more kid-level poem…found myself doing that throughout the competition. Enjoyed watching this match.
http://www.robynhoodblack.com Robyn Hood Black

Thanks, Damon! You know, I did the same thing with some of the match-ups. Just TOO hard to decide on writing alone. Matt made a wonderful poem with a terrifically challenging word (I got lucky this round with my word, I know) – and my hat is off to him.
http://www.izatrapani.com Iza Trapani

Congrats, Robyn! This was a tough choice, indeed. Both poems were beautiful!
http://www.robynhoodblack.com Robyn Hood Black

Thank you, Iza!

ROUND ONE: 3-awry vs. 14-verjuice

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