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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.
- Votes are counted in real time and cannot be changed once entered.
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- 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-imminent
Hurricane Trevor
By Charles Waters
Daddy says “Hurricane’s coming,”
Grandpa mutters, “Yep, he’s imminent.”
Judging from the look on their faces,
Creases of lines sharper than a shard of glass,
I don’t take it this to mean good times
Are about to happen. I hold Grandma’s hand
To comfort her, hoping she can’t read my heart,
See that I’m projecting false confidence.
vs.
14-denuded
Top Dog
by Suz Blackaby
Scrawny kitties cow and shuffle
When our tom cat starts a scuffle,
On patrol in the back alley,
Hounding rivals to kerfuffle.
Wounded slightly (just a scratch)
And denuded (just a patch),
Still he’s bested all contenders:
Puff has yet to meet his match.
3-imminent vs. 14-denuded: Which Poem Did You Prefer?
- 3-imminent (Charles Waters) (24%, 49 Votes)
- 14-denuded (Suz Blackaby) (76%, 154 Votes)
Total Voters: 203
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