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-ruckus
Sticky Situation
by Vanessa Hancock
“Play outside!” We were told.
So we ran, and we rolled.
Oh the ruckus we made
In the leaves as we played.
In the mud and the muck,
Oh how good it all stuck.
Mommy had not a clue
We were covered in glue.
vs.
14-inconsequential
Inconsequential
by Allan Wolf
Most things inconsequential go unmentioned in the news.
But a ray inconsequential lights a rainbow’s many hues.
A flame inconsequential lights a firecracker fuse.
And a thought inconsequential can become a poet’s muse.
A breeze inconsequential keeps a bird aloft in flight.
A drip inconsequential keeps a plumber up all night.
A dog inconsequential is a forest to a flea.
What’s your inconsequential may mean everything to me.
