Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who participated in Edition Two!

We are thrilled to be hosting this mini contest because you guys do not disappoint! You all submitted such wonderful pieces!

Bear in mind, while this edition has ended, there will be plenty more to satisfy those poetry itches in the future.

Currently, the third edition is OPEN. Please check it out if you'd like to enter!

Now, without further ado;

🥈 SECOND PLACE 🥈

"A Cursed Fairytale" by unsaid_stories

Title: 5/5

Content: 5/5

Imagery: 4/5

Flow: 5/5

Vocabulary: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Creativity: 5/5

Grammar/Punctuation: 5/5

Adherence to the prompt: 5/5

Total: 44/45

Comments by Read-aholic2006:

The way you started your poem already had me sold. The direct invitation for the reader to "Come sit by the fire" sparks a vivid image of a now-old female lover, flames flickering across her wrinkled face, passing down her bittersweet folktale to her audience (at least, that's what I saw in my mind's eye).

Besides a capitalization error, your grammar is spotless. If only you had embedded more of your lines with powerful and expressive diction—greatly enhancing your imagery—my approval would have skyrocketed. Consider the following example:

Our bond was carved from loyalty
Etched into stars and stone
A bond I shall cherish for eternity
No matter how many opposed

Nevertheless, your poem is captivating and well-structured, wonderfully seasoned with a dark, tragic atmosphere.

Sticker:

🥇 FIRST PLACE 🥇

"Edge of Dawn" by Aravis-Brightspell

Title: 5/5

Content: 5/5

Imagery: 5/5

Flow: 5/5

Vocabulary: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Creativity: 5/5

Grammar/Punctuation: 5/5

Adherence to the prompt: 5/5

Total: 45/45

Comments by Read-aholic2006:

I do not have enough words to encapsulate the beauty of your poem. The simple, uncluttered writing style adds to the fluidity of your lines.

Your work displays a decent vocabulary and such remarkable metaphors! Your poem doesn't sound like a narration but like an actual poem, telling a story without explicitly spoon-feeding every detail to the readers. Well done!

Sticker:

Below is our runner up!

We wanted to shine a light on your fantastic piece as well!

Well done!

🏅 RUNNER UP 🏅

"Ready to be?" by rynahatcher

Title: 3/5

Content: 5/5

Imagery: 5/5

Flow: 5/5

Vocabulary: 4/5

Originality: 4/5

Creativity: 5/5

Grammar: 5/5

Adherence to the prompt: 5/5

Total: 41/45

Sticker:

✮ ✮ ✮

Congratulations to all of our winners!

Stay tuned for your prizes to roll out shortly.

Below are the rest of the participants and their scores. Thank you all for giving us a chance to read your poems.

We hope you can use the feedback as a way to improve and inspire you to create more. Some masterpieces just need a little polishing.

✿ "Letter of No More" by taicardi

Title: 4/5

Content: 4/5

Imagery: 5/5

Flow: 4/5

Vocabulary: 4/5

Originality: 3/5

Creativity: 4/5

Grammar: 3/5

Adherence to the prompt: 4/5

Total: 35/45

✿ "Day and Night" by KanhaiyakiSakhi9112

Title: 3/5

Content: 3/5

Imagery: 2/5

Flow: 5/5

Vocabulary: 3/5

Originality: 5/5

Creativity: 4/5

Grammar/Punctuation: 5/5

Adherence to the prompt: 5/5

Total: 35/45

Comments by Read-aholic2006:

You have perfectly shaped your poem to fit the mould of the given prompt. And although the reality of the situation between your two characters is heartbreaking, you managed to end your poem off on a sweeter note, which I think is beautiful and refreshing.

I find the title to be quite bland. When it comes to imagery, I wouldn't describe your poem as evocative. Perhaps you could utilize more figures of speech and striking diction to illustrate the story instead of just telling it.

In my opinion, the constant use of the words "light", "bright" and "night" sounds repetitive and makes it seem like you have a limited vocabulary. There are many creative ways to refer to daytime without even using the word.

For example, your second stanza could be rewritten as follows:

One works beneath a golden disc
The other beneath the stars
Both wishing that they may co-exist
In a future that's still too far

Of course, I would not advise you to destroy your AABB rhyme scheme, but I was just trying to substantiate my point. Overall, an undoubtedly lovely poem.

✮ ✮ ✮

And, that's a wrap for Edition #2.

Looking forward to reading all of your incredible pieces in the next one!

Read-aholic2006 - please get in touch if you'd ever like to judge again! You have done a wonderful job 💛

Lots of love,
~ HWC Cheerful Contest team 🌻