VIBRANT VERSE COMPETITION REPORT

The Vibrant Verse Poetry Competition attracted 136 entries, encompassing a variety of form poetry and free verse, ie. villanelles, odes, sonnets, bush verse, humourous verse etc. While we enjoyed the 'feast' of reading, the high standard of entries made it a difficult task to select the winners, as did the diversity of styles.

There were, however, a small number of entries which were disqualified; they had the writers' names typed on the entry itself. This is not permitted under competition rules. Another point to mention is that some of poems had errors - apostrophes, subject/verb agreement, spelling etc which also feature in the selection process, so check your printout before you mail it.

The chosen entries all showed an ability to create vivid, even original images, maintained the poem's rhythm throughout (free verse or form) and maintained an atmosphere to impact the reader which stayed long after it was read. Due to the large number of entries we have chosen: 1^st and 2^nd prizes, 2 Highly Commended, 3 Commended and 3 Worthy of Mention.

Here are the results:

1^st Prize: "Shadowlight" by Margaret Campbell

This is a poem which evokes an atmosphere of aloneness, of memories blending with the present, and follows that feeling to the conclusion of the poem. Its rhythm carries it on relentlessly like the train on the tracks carries the mourner. Images like-'smoke disturbs the quiet air', 'images streaming across the night', ‘mettle cattle' etc bring a richness to the whole.

2^nd Prize: "New Day, New Life" by Dorothy Walker

This poem is a villanelle. It shows a 'whisper' of soft images set side by side ego 'tiny might', 'hovers in the stillness', 'silver light', 'cloth of softest white' while maintaining the rhyme and the rhythm of the villanelle. Its flow is smooth and effective in the progression of both theme and atmosphere.

Highly Commended:

·        "Galileo's Dance" by P.S.Cottier: This poem has used great images, has a

steady rhythm and flow. It has a completeness of subject from beginning to end, creating a whole.

·        "Shoes Empty" by Cynthia Rowe: A poem that flows and progresses in meaning. Images like 'scrubbed feelings', 'new wife's paw' etc, add life to a sombre theme, ending with a poignant image of the person in the empty shoes and the garden.