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The Other Valentine's Contest - finalists and ballot
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George Dance
Feb 16, 2013, 12:34:22 PM2/16/13
to
I'm pleased to report that we had 11 submissions for the Other
Valentine's Contest, 9 of which qualified. (I disqualified one because
it did not contain the word "love" or a variant, and the other due to
COI.) To eliminate bias as much as possible,the 8 contestants are
presented here without the author's name, in a random order.
Birds on the Lake
Valentine Street
Passion
on a valentine's day
inLove*
Sex Cells
Miss Alice Crenshaw
A Valentine's Fantasy
As you read this
To encourage a close reading of all poems, the voting is by ranked
preference. (For those new to the term, ranked preference voting is
voting for more than one option, identifying their most preferred as
1, their next as 2, etc.) A person need not assign a preference to all
8 poems. Those who wish to vote for only one poem, in the traditional
way, may still do so; that will be counted as a preference ranking of
1.
Bcause the ballot is a bit late getting out, and because this Monday
is a statutory holiday, voting hours are extended until 6 a.m. Monday
Eastern Standard Time.
Only one ballot per voter will be counted, but voters may change their
preferences any time up until the deadline. If you change your ballot,
please indicate that you have done so, so that you may not be double
counted.
The top three poems will be published in The Penny Blog under the
poet's name (if the poet agrees to that) later this month.
~~~~
Birds on the Lake
Summer's end
spawns the skydance
Endless flocks
alight on countless perches
Watching dreamily
I wonder
if my heart watches
her own spectacle
from our garden's gate
remembering
as do I
this scene played
many summers ago
as if just for us
on the lake
where she became
my heart
and we watched
as Summer ended
and forever
began
~~~~
Valentine's Street
What a loveless homestead
this would be, if love were celebrated
in only holiday meets
Like Sunday worship we erect abodes
for occasions as if we
with love's passion cold
could control our hearts
for conjunction of stars.
Just give me love in every way
and give me God in every day
The Moon rises thirteen times a year
The stars even gleam behind sunshine dear
And in passing days, hours are struck
Let my heart toll love of my grandest luck
Let my hands guide this greatest joy
Give my ears sight, Give my tongue life
In greater service riding high
for minds flight over mundane lands
to realize mankind stands with women alone
beholding futures and pleasant homes
to civilize planets and pick stars
for hearts alive and minds warm.
~~~~
Passion
Panting, wet with the dew of shimmering sighs
Music, sweet and luring
As wave after wave of chorusing rhythms
Pound every pure eight note into oblivion
We lay immersed in our love
In moonbeams eerie light
Our bodies bathed in sweat
Passion, hot and beating
Our breaths touching
We drift on a sea of ecstasy
~~~
on a valentines day
i opened a box
why, well why?
and you jumped out
the end of the beginning
and love?
just exactly what is love
don’t say sorry
don’t cry and weep and say ‘drunk at the time’
don’t do something behind your lovers back
love is bullshit
it’s just a rezone…
to feel it
and never recognize
exactly what it is
one never seems to know the meaning
might we ask adam and eve…
doubt it
there is always an apple and a snake
when the word love comes into play…
and yet
we profess to love
live trying to find it
die trying to prove it…
~~~~
inLove
I am just a poet in love
stray in Your smiles
fascinated by Your pure beauty
since the soul is there
where the love finds the soul
with living what the being feels
which sings the future
enchanted by the soul-joy
~~~
Sex Cells
Someone said a "kitchen bitch" is
what I am, a goddamned witch's
tit as old and cold as ice who'd
cut your throat and not think twice. You'd
think the stinking fucker who said
that, in fact, was soon to be dead,
and you would be right. Despite the
years of queer like fights, we might be
gone, forgotten. Not in minutes,
but in moments. Finished. Then it's
passed, at last, and settled for life.
Fuck that stinking fucker, my wife!
You'll note the nose, its width and length.
It's meant to tell of smells and stinks.
It tells us now how our last night lingers,
stinking up our noses with fingers
thrust in just the perfect way
as [...] Well, that's all I'm going to say.
The politics of compromise
when once resolved between one's thighs
extends unending through the mind.
At least that's what I hope you'll find.
~~~~
Miss Alice Crenshaw
Little Victoria
stepped on a bumblebee,
near the sawmill millhouse.
Cousin Maxwell
saw it while sitting in a tree,
on the hill
across from Uncle Grouse.
Near the house of
Bullethead & Shorty...
Always late, never home,
they's a fighting,
they'll get home the best they can.
With some luck and
a Southern wind.
Shorty's chasing Bullethead
with a frying pan
full of chicken bones.
Jerked wire
someone tried to call the cops
on the telephone.
Sort of in the backyard
of the old waterpump house.
Near the canepatch,
Miss Crenshaw's creeping like a mouse.
She said some odd words,
seen them spit right out her mouth.
Everybody's watching television,
or Miss Crenshaw's hipshake.
She's a stroller in technicolor
up and down a dirt avenue
for goodness sake.
If you need a girl
you can converse on love with...
She's a good listener
and she ain't quite loud!
But a looker in a crowd.
On a two stooler bike,
somebody easing down the path.
Near the house of
Bullethead & Shorty...
Working late at the mill again.
Scoop the sugar with cabbage,
wash it down with cold gin.
Never sure when the morning starts
or where it ends.
I recall a bit later,
when she shook her peaches for me.
Shady silver leaf maples,
and a lonesome persimmon tree.
Full moon and hay fever
schoolhouse looking like a Sphinx.
She's a sweetie,
her hair's like a chestnut minx.
Everybody's watching television,
or Miss Crenshaw's hipshake.
She's a stroller
up and down a dirt avenue.
If you need a girl
you can converse on love with...
She's a good listener
and she ain't quite loud!
But a looker in a crowd.
~~~
A Valentine Fantasy
Valentine's Cupid stayed by her side
And watched o'er her lovingly all through the night.
At dawn he placed rosebuds around where she lay.
A greeting of love on St Valentine’s Day ...
As they wandered the woodlands through day's happy hours
He picked her ... sweet snowdrops and wild fragrant flowers.
saying ... he adored her .. and ne'r could there be
another .. as fair .. or ... as lovely as she
but .. he had to go to a land far away ..
Where flaxen haired angels and sweet cherubs play ..
Now .. deep in the woodlands in February days.
His image is seen in the sun's golden rays ..
A shower of red petals on the green forest floor
and baskets of kisses arrive at her door
She can tell they are gifts .. from him
straight from above
'cause they're sealed with his kiss and
made bright by his love ..
And oft' in her slumber ...
She dreams of him then
and longs for the time she will see him again.
Knowing ... he'll return with the first bloom of spring
When blossoms are bending and little birds sing ...
He'll come back from the magical land far away
To be with her once more ...
on
St Valentine's Day ...
~~~
As you read this
As you read this, you are challenged.
As you read this, that is proved.
For though I write with meager talent,
As you read this, you've been loved.
~~~~
Finis.
Valentine's Contest, 9 of which qualified. (I disqualified one because
it did not contain the word "love" or a variant, and the other due to
COI.) To eliminate bias as much as possible,the 8 contestants are
presented here without the author's name, in a random order.
Birds on the Lake
Valentine Street
Passion
on a valentine's day
inLove*
Sex Cells
Miss Alice Crenshaw
A Valentine's Fantasy
As you read this
To encourage a close reading of all poems, the voting is by ranked
preference. (For those new to the term, ranked preference voting is
voting for more than one option, identifying their most preferred as
1, their next as 2, etc.) A person need not assign a preference to all
8 poems. Those who wish to vote for only one poem, in the traditional
way, may still do so; that will be counted as a preference ranking of
1.
Bcause the ballot is a bit late getting out, and because this Monday
is a statutory holiday, voting hours are extended until 6 a.m. Monday
Eastern Standard Time.
Only one ballot per voter will be counted, but voters may change their
preferences any time up until the deadline. If you change your ballot,
please indicate that you have done so, so that you may not be double
counted.
The top three poems will be published in The Penny Blog under the
poet's name (if the poet agrees to that) later this month.
~~~~
Birds on the Lake
Summer's end
spawns the skydance
Endless flocks
alight on countless perches
Watching dreamily
I wonder
if my heart watches
her own spectacle
from our garden's gate
remembering
as do I
this scene played
many summers ago
as if just for us
on the lake
where she became
my heart
and we watched
as Summer ended
and forever
began
~~~~
Valentine's Street
What a loveless homestead
this would be, if love were celebrated
in only holiday meets
Like Sunday worship we erect abodes
for occasions as if we
with love's passion cold
could control our hearts
for conjunction of stars.
Just give me love in every way
and give me God in every day
The Moon rises thirteen times a year
The stars even gleam behind sunshine dear
And in passing days, hours are struck
Let my heart toll love of my grandest luck
Let my hands guide this greatest joy
Give my ears sight, Give my tongue life
In greater service riding high
for minds flight over mundane lands
to realize mankind stands with women alone
beholding futures and pleasant homes
to civilize planets and pick stars
for hearts alive and minds warm.
~~~~
Passion
Panting, wet with the dew of shimmering sighs
Music, sweet and luring
As wave after wave of chorusing rhythms
Pound every pure eight note into oblivion
We lay immersed in our love
In moonbeams eerie light
Our bodies bathed in sweat
Passion, hot and beating
Our breaths touching
We drift on a sea of ecstasy
~~~
on a valentines day
i opened a box
why, well why?
and you jumped out
the end of the beginning
and love?
just exactly what is love
don’t say sorry
don’t cry and weep and say ‘drunk at the time’
don’t do something behind your lovers back
love is bullshit
it’s just a rezone…
to feel it
and never recognize
exactly what it is
one never seems to know the meaning
might we ask adam and eve…
doubt it
there is always an apple and a snake
when the word love comes into play…
and yet
we profess to love
live trying to find it
die trying to prove it…
~~~~
inLove
I am just a poet in love
stray in Your smiles
fascinated by Your pure beauty
since the soul is there
where the love finds the soul
with living what the being feels
which sings the future
enchanted by the soul-joy
~~~
Sex Cells
Someone said a "kitchen bitch" is
what I am, a goddamned witch's
tit as old and cold as ice who'd
cut your throat and not think twice. You'd
think the stinking fucker who said
that, in fact, was soon to be dead,
and you would be right. Despite the
years of queer like fights, we might be
gone, forgotten. Not in minutes,
but in moments. Finished. Then it's
passed, at last, and settled for life.
Fuck that stinking fucker, my wife!
You'll note the nose, its width and length.
It's meant to tell of smells and stinks.
It tells us now how our last night lingers,
stinking up our noses with fingers
thrust in just the perfect way
as [...] Well, that's all I'm going to say.
The politics of compromise
when once resolved between one's thighs
extends unending through the mind.
At least that's what I hope you'll find.
~~~~
Miss Alice Crenshaw
Little Victoria
stepped on a bumblebee,
near the sawmill millhouse.
Cousin Maxwell
saw it while sitting in a tree,
on the hill
across from Uncle Grouse.
Near the house of
Bullethead & Shorty...
Always late, never home,
they's a fighting,
they'll get home the best they can.
With some luck and
a Southern wind.
Shorty's chasing Bullethead
with a frying pan
full of chicken bones.
Jerked wire
someone tried to call the cops
on the telephone.
Sort of in the backyard
of the old waterpump house.
Near the canepatch,
Miss Crenshaw's creeping like a mouse.
She said some odd words,
seen them spit right out her mouth.
Everybody's watching television,
or Miss Crenshaw's hipshake.
She's a stroller in technicolor
up and down a dirt avenue
for goodness sake.
If you need a girl
you can converse on love with...
She's a good listener
and she ain't quite loud!
But a looker in a crowd.
On a two stooler bike,
somebody easing down the path.
Near the house of
Bullethead & Shorty...
Working late at the mill again.
Scoop the sugar with cabbage,
wash it down with cold gin.
Never sure when the morning starts
or where it ends.
I recall a bit later,
when she shook her peaches for me.
Shady silver leaf maples,
and a lonesome persimmon tree.
Full moon and hay fever
schoolhouse looking like a Sphinx.
She's a sweetie,
her hair's like a chestnut minx.
Everybody's watching television,
or Miss Crenshaw's hipshake.
She's a stroller
up and down a dirt avenue.
If you need a girl
you can converse on love with...
She's a good listener
and she ain't quite loud!
But a looker in a crowd.
~~~
A Valentine Fantasy
Valentine's Cupid stayed by her side
And watched o'er her lovingly all through the night.
At dawn he placed rosebuds around where she lay.
A greeting of love on St Valentine’s Day ...
As they wandered the woodlands through day's happy hours
He picked her ... sweet snowdrops and wild fragrant flowers.
saying ... he adored her .. and ne'r could there be
another .. as fair .. or ... as lovely as she
but .. he had to go to a land far away ..
Where flaxen haired angels and sweet cherubs play ..
Now .. deep in the woodlands in February days.
His image is seen in the sun's golden rays ..
A shower of red petals on the green forest floor
and baskets of kisses arrive at her door
She can tell they are gifts .. from him
straight from above
'cause they're sealed with his kiss and
made bright by his love ..
And oft' in her slumber ...
She dreams of him then
and longs for the time she will see him again.
Knowing ... he'll return with the first bloom of spring
When blossoms are bending and little birds sing ...
He'll come back from the magical land far away
To be with her once more ...
on
St Valentine's Day ...
~~~
As you read this
As you read this, you are challenged.
As you read this, that is proved.
For though I write with meager talent,
As you read this, you've been loved.
~~~~
Finis.
claysl...@yahoo.ca
Feb 16, 2013, 1:08:56 PM2/16/13
to
As You Read This
Will try to rank others later
Will try to rank others later
Will Dockery
Feb 16, 2013, 6:47:02 PM2/16/13
to
On Saturday, February 16, 2013 12:34:22 PM UTC-5, George Dance wrote:
> I'm pleased to report that we had 11 submissions for the Other
>
> Valentine's Contest, 9 of which qualified. (I disqualified one because
>
> it did not contain the word "love" or a variant, and the other due to
>
> COI.) To eliminate bias as much as possible,the 8 contestants are
>
> presented here without the author's name, in a random order.
>
>
>
> Birds on the Lake
>
> Valentine Street
>
> Passion
>
> on a valentine's day
>
> inLove*
>
> Sex Cells
>
> Miss Alice Crenshaw
>
> A Valentine's Fantasy
>
> As you read this
A great turn out... the future of Usenet poetry is looking brighter!
> I'm pleased to report that we had 11 submissions for the Other
>
> Valentine's Contest, 9 of which qualified. (I disqualified one because
>
> it did not contain the word "love" or a variant, and the other due to
>
> COI.) To eliminate bias as much as possible,the 8 contestants are
>
> presented here without the author's name, in a random order.
>
>
>
> Birds on the Lake
>
> Valentine Street
>
> Passion
>
> on a valentine's day
>
> inLove*
>
> Sex Cells
>
> Miss Alice Crenshaw
>
> A Valentine's Fantasy
>
> As you read this
Will Dockery
Feb 16, 2013, 7:23:04 PM2/16/13
to
Casting my vote now for "Passion" at top spot, and will decide on the other rankings as the night progresses.
Will Dockery
Feb 17, 2013, 8:17:34 AM2/17/13
to
On Saturday, February 16, 2013 1:08:56 PM UTC-5, claysl...@yahoo.ca wrote:
> As You Read This
>
> Will try to rank others later
George, one vote here.
> As You Read This
>
> Will try to rank others later
George Dance
Feb 17, 2013, 8:17:54 AM2/17/13
to
1 A Valentine Fantasy
2 Valentine Street
3 Birds on the Lake
4 As you read this
5 InLove
6 Miss Alice Crenshaw
7 passion
8 sex cells
Will Dockery
Feb 17, 2013, 8:27:18 AM2/17/13
to
Let me get my coffee and I'll give it a shot with the limited time I have... from the looks of it though, this may be a busy day in "Real Life", everything from a birthday party to overdue laundry to a pivotal recording session tonight, saxophone overdubs! There's a chance I won't be on here that much, or not enough to study 8 poems and pick a best order.
Maybe with this good coffee and having read and enjoyed them, I can.
I did think I read that a full vote wasn't mandatory somewhere though?
thegold...@gmail.com
Feb 17, 2013, 8:35:42 AM2/17/13
to
On Saturday, February 16, 2013 12:34:22 PM UTC-5, George Dance wrote:
George Dance
Feb 17, 2013, 9:06:32 AM2/17/13
to
8.
Your top choice gets 8 votes, your second 7, etc. If you vote for all
8, last choice gets 1 vote. If you don't vote for any, they get 0, of
course.
I thought this would encourage a closer reading of all the poems. I
hope people like the idea.
George Dance
Feb 17, 2013, 9:07:17 AM2/17/13
to
Will Dockery
Feb 17, 2013, 9:16:38 AM2/17/13
to
George Dance wrote:
>
> Recorded. Thanks for voting.
Okay, here's mine to get some momentum:
1) Passion
2) A Valentine Fantasy
3) As you read this
4) Valentine Street
5) Birds On A Lake
6) Sex Cells
7) In Love
8) Alice Crenshaw
And awwway we go..!
>
> Recorded. Thanks for voting.
Okay, here's mine to get some momentum:
1) Passion
2) A Valentine Fantasy
3) As you read this
4) Valentine Street
5) Birds On A Lake
6) Sex Cells
7) In Love
8) Alice Crenshaw
And awwway we go..!
George Dance
Feb 17, 2013, 9:18:31 AM2/17/13
to
George Dance
Feb 17, 2013, 9:57:43 AM2/17/13
to
On Feb 16, 1:08 pm, clayslady2...@yahoo.ca wrote:
> As You Read This
>
> Will try to rank others later
> As You Read This
>
> Will try to rank others later
George Dance
Feb 17, 2013, 10:13:37 AM2/17/13
to
On Feb 17, 9:30 am, Hieronymous House <hieronymous...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Okay, here's my vote. Basically, mine's the same as Will's except that I switched places with him to seem polite.
> 7) In Love
> 8) Sex Cells
wrote:
> Okay, here's my vote. Basically, mine's the same as Will's except that I switched places with him to seem polite.
>
> 1) Passion
> 2) A Valentine Fantasy
> 3) As you read this
> 4) Valentine Street
> 5) Birds On A Lake
> 6) Alice Crenshaw
> 1) Passion
> 2) A Valentine Fantasy
> 3) As you read this
> 4) Valentine Street
> 5) Birds On A Lake
> 7) In Love
> 8) Sex Cells
George Dance
Feb 17, 2013, 10:31:31 AM2/17/13
to
1 A Valentine Fantasy
2 Valentine Street
3 Birds on the Lake
4 As you read this
5 InLove
6 Miss Alice Crenshaw
8 passion
9 8 sex cells
This looks like a good place to remind voters that you can change your
ballot any time up until the deadline; just indicate that it's a
changed vote, please, so your votes aren't double-counted.
Will Dockery
Feb 18, 2013, 4:23:52 AM2/18/13
to
Okay, changed vote for Will Dockery, as I accidentally left a poem off in my haste:
1) Passion
2) A Valentine Fantasy
3) As you read this
4) Valentine Street
5) Birds On A Lake
6) Sex Cells
7) On a Valentine's Day
8) In Love
9) Alice Crenshaw
1) Passion
2) A Valentine Fantasy
3) As you read this
4) Valentine Street
5) Birds On A Lake
7) On a Valentine's Day
8) In Love
9) Alice Crenshaw
George Dance
Feb 18, 2013, 8:43:51 AM2/18/13
to
Patricia Suddeth
Feb 18, 2013, 8:49:45 AM2/18/13
to
On Saturday, February 16, 2013 12:34:22 PM UTC-5, George Dance wrote:
> I'm pleased to report that we had 11 submissions for the Other
>
> Valentine's Contest, 9 of which qualified. (I disqualified one because
>
> it did not contain the word "love" or a variant, and the other due to
>
> COI.) To eliminate bias as much as possible,the 8 contestants are
>
> presented here without the author's name, in a random order.
>
> I vote for Passion
>
> Valentine's Contest, 9 of which qualified. (I disqualified one because
>
> it did not contain the word "love" or a variant, and the other due to
>
> COI.) To eliminate bias as much as possible,the 8 contestants are
>
> presented here without the author's name, in a random order.
>
George Dance
Feb 18, 2013, 10:58:28 AM2/18/13
to
On Feb 18, 8:49 am, Patricia Suddeth <suddethpatri...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
I talked to Patricia on Facebook this morning, and got her vote.
wrote:
Will Dockery
Feb 18, 2013, 11:33:57 AM2/18/13
to
On Monday, February 18, 2013 10:58:28 AM UTC-5, George Dance wrote:
> On Feb 18, 8:49 am, Patricia Suddeth wrote:
>> On Saturday, February 16, 2013 12:34:22 PM UTC-5, George Dance wrote:
>
> > > I'm pleased to report that we had 11 submissions for the Other
>
> > > Valentine's Contest, 9 of which qualified. (I disqualified one because
>
> > > it did not contain the word "love" or a variant, and the other due to
>
> > > COI.) To eliminate bias as much as possible,the 8 contestants are
>
> > > presented here without the author's name, in a random order.
>
>> I vote for Passion
>
>> On Saturday, February 16, 2013 12:34:22 PM UTC-5, George Dance wrote:
>
> > > I'm pleased to report that we had 11 submissions for the Other
>
> > > Valentine's Contest, 9 of which qualified. (I disqualified one because
>
> > > it did not contain the word "love" or a variant, and the other due to
>
> > > COI.) To eliminate bias as much as possible,the 8 contestants are
>
> > > presented here without the author's name, in a random order.
>
>> I vote for Passion
>
> I talked to Patricia on Facebook this morning, and got her vote.
Did Patricia mention Corey's "Poet of the Month" contest? I think she's interested in that, also.
George Dance
Feb 18, 2013, 12:15:18 PM2/18/13
to
The Other Valentine's contest is now over. Thank you to everyone who
participated, either by submitting a poem or by voting:
The top five finishers, in order, with the names or nyms of the
authors, and the points received, were:
A Valentine's Fantasy, by Grace Nerissa - 33
Passion, by Dana Dodd - 29
As you read this, by Hieronymous 707 - 29
Valentine Street, by doubleV - 26
Birds on the Lake, by Hell Stomper - 24
As announced, the top 3 poems qualify to be posted on The Penny Blog.
However, that does not include "Passion", since it appeared on the
weblog 2 years ago:
http://gdancesbetty.blogspot.ca/2011/04/panting-dana-dodd.html
So I would prefer to expand the offer to include the (other 4 of the)
top 5. Given that Valentine's day is now days in the past, I would
also like to save these poems and print them next year.
participated, either by submitting a poem or by voting:
The top five finishers, in order, with the names or nyms of the
authors, and the points received, were:
A Valentine's Fantasy, by Grace Nerissa - 33
Passion, by Dana Dodd - 29
As you read this, by Hieronymous 707 - 29
Valentine Street, by doubleV - 26
Birds on the Lake, by Hell Stomper - 24
As announced, the top 3 poems qualify to be posted on The Penny Blog.
However, that does not include "Passion", since it appeared on the
weblog 2 years ago:
http://gdancesbetty.blogspot.ca/2011/04/panting-dana-dodd.html
So I would prefer to expand the offer to include the (other 4 of the)
top 5. Given that Valentine's day is now days in the past, I would
also like to save these poems and print them next year.
George Dance
Feb 18, 2013, 2:29:25 PM2/18/13
to
didn't have to rank all 9 of the poems.
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted
Message has been deleted
Chuck Lysaght
Feb 19, 2013, 4:05:59 PM2/19/13
to
Pete. You're in full tilt kook mode again. heh.
0 new messages