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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.
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- 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:
5-puttering
Say The Ducks
By April Halprin Wayland
The man on the bank of our beautiful pond—
why is he punching his fist at the sky?
The skater with headphones who’s singing out loud—
is she missing our quacking as she whooshes by?
The girl asking questions while wild wings are fluttering
could soak up so much if she opened her eyes.
Enough with your what-tering and all that tut-tut-tuttering!
Come sit by the pond for a lesson in puttering.
vs.
12-sophisticate
SophistiCat
By Deborah Holt Williams
To sophisticate is to alter,
To adulterate or change.
I’d like to sophisticate Walter,
or at least get rid of his mange.
5-puttering vs. 12-sophisticate
- 5-puttering (April Halprin Wayland) (63%, 147 Votes)
- 12-sophisticate (Deborah Holt Williams) (37%, 85 Votes)
Total Voters: 232

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