Poetry Republic and "Dental Poem"; "When We lived In Trees" and "Death, Who Never Stays for Breakfast"

Greetings all,

I've been participating in this really cool competition today. It's a poetry competition called Poetry Republic, google it to know more. But basically it works by having the entrants judge each other's poetry. It's fascinating to see how other people write. And I don't mean in the professional and perfect sense, the great thing about this is that really poetry can be exactly what I think it is! Like I would know, but to me and today it is perfectly clear good poetry is play!

I mean all the worst poems I read were afflicted with someone writing clearly what they thought would be good instead of what they wanted to write or what they considered fun. One of the best poems...and sadly I can't post some of them up legal reasons! But one of the best poems was called "Dental Poem" once the competition ends I swear I'll find who wrote it, but if you want to check it out, It'll be there on the Poetry republic website, they keep all the entries published on the website. Pretty cool huh?

Anyway, "Dental Poem" it is basically a whole lot of onomatopoia, it's literally playing on the sounds of words. And he/she separates the syllables up. One line is zzzzzt zzzt as the dentist drills into the teeth and another is P-p-pain Pa-Pa-pain and then the next line Pay-ment...I love the connection there between Pain and Payment, which in truth is the real pain of visiting the dentist. But the poem is so simple and honestly funny? I've got nothing against a poem that is serious, but man I enjoyed this one and I actually laughed out loud, not Lol. That's very different as all of us know.

Another one I really loved was called "When we Lived in the Trees". It had four sections, it's basically about a relationship and the seasons of that relationship, but the language the author uses is as though it's like the relationship is a metaphor for growing up. At first they live in the tree, then they're flying, then they're facing the rocky seas and at last sadly the "girders" of the relationship rust and then nostalgia hits and the narrator again longs to live up in the trees. Isn't it such a perfect image! It seriously effects me just writing about it now. I wish I could post these poems here for you, but that's intellectual property for ya!

Now the third poem I'd like to mention because I liked it conceptually, was called "To Death, who never stays for Breakfast". Now this is such a delightfully dark and fun poem. This is the sort of idea that has to come from that sense of play. The narrator in this poem is well I won't ascribe gender (although...haha already I'm thinking female), but this narrator is being gilted by death. Yeah...it's like a bizarre take on suicide or is it? It's bloody brilliant really, the idea had me hooked the author/narrator are describing death that hooded guy with the sickle (or maybe in this universe a sexy guy wearing a hood with a sickle?) as a player unable to commit to the narrator. In other words unable to just let the narrator die. Yes suicide was never such an amusing topic. The melodrama in the language just makes it all the more amusing.

It's a shame the poets are left annoynmous during voting. I wish I could tell you who they were. All I know is that this is what poetry is about, it's about exploring our deepest impulses and playing with what we're capable of. The playful and simple Dental Poem and the very silly and dark "To Death, Who never stays for Breakfast". Then of course "When We lived In Trees" the sort of poem I'm a sucker for, because this is written by a person who truly longs to live in trees. Because when you write from the heart your essentially exposing yourself on the page like nothing else. Poems often deal with feelings and emotions. Admire those brave enough to be silly, because in my humble opinion play is what makes poetry live.

Perfection is overrated! (Keep that in mind all you insane perfections - including myself of course). Anyway, that's all for now. I better move along to my third round of twelve poems, the first poem has a curious title, "Ramblings of an Unkempt Man". I'm hoping it will be very silly.

J