Sandra Haight Poet Verse

The Mystery of the Na

I was once really new to our Poetry Soup,
and I knew I should try to join in with the group;
post my poems on-site to be read by a few,
and then give it a whirl, join a contest or two.

Soon a couple of them were a win, a good score;
was on top of the world, so I entered one more.
But to my big surprise when that contest was done,
my sad eyes saw in fact that my write had not won.

I clicked on 'Contest Entries' and saw it was there.
But, behold, a strange sign near that one, I declare!
A N/A- what was that?  Very weird, was this right?
Could not find what it meant anywhere on the site.

So I looked up N/A on the Internet, but
what I found was not good, left me still in a rut.
This N/A symbolized a long list, now for me,
my head spun to fit in which of these it could be??

   N/A…Not Applicable………Did I not follow rules?
   N/A…Not Available………Did my entry get lost?
   N/A…No Answer………Did they try to call me?
   N/A…Not Authorized………Did I need an okay?
   N/A…No Action………Did I fail to take steps?
   N/A…Negative Approach………Did I say something wrong?
   N/A…Not Analyzed………Should my write be explained?
   N/A…No Acknowledgement………Did I fail to respond?
   N/A…No Account………Did PS lose my file?

I Soup-Mailed contest judge and her answer therein,
“Well you see, the N/A means your piece did not win!"
Now I still do not know what N/A represents
When my poems don't win in Soup contest events!


December 22, 2014

~1st Place~
Contest: All Yours (Jun 8)
Brian Strand
Judged: 06/09/2021

~1st Place~
Contest: Quirky Things That Confuse and Confound Me
Sponsor: Caren Krutsinger
Judged: 07/14/2018

~1st Place~
Contest: New or Old 4
Sponsor: Eve Roper
Judged: 08/05/2016

~1st Place~
Contest: The Contest
Sponsor:  Jerry T. Curtis
Judged: 01/10/2015

Anapestic Tetrameter (5 verses of 12-syllables lines)
Anapestic Dimeter (N/A Section - Questions Only)

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Brian Strand June 10, 2021 at 7:19 AM Sandra ..'not awarded' ie a place.. ..certainly in my contests when it is not awarded as a winner.Thanks for supporting my endeavours here.Cheers stay creative Sandra Haight June 10, 2021 at 11:29 AM Thank you, Brian, for my placement- and for suggesting your words 'not awarded' as the meaning of N/A! Yours makes perfect sense! Cheers back to you! Sandra

Sara Kendrick June 9, 2021 at 4:07 AM Good one. I have questioned about mine that did not place so I could improve and really that was not helpful. So we just have to accept that the person who ran the contest and was the judge did not like it for some reason. Congrats on your winner. Sara

Kim Merryman June 8, 2021 at 4:40 PM I enjoyed your poem, Sandra! I, too, couldn't figure out what N/A meant, but I knew it wasn't good. Congrats on your win in Brian's contest! Blessings, Kim M

JC Brul June 8, 2021 at 1:56 PM This is a sublime piece Sandra.. I enjoyed reading. Maybe N/A is “Not Acknowledged”.. The poem no matter how good isn’t acknowledged haha.

Barbara Barry-Nishanian July 17, 2018 at 4:13 PM Congrats, I felt your pain not understanding and now ...What do these initials N/A represent on P.S., and when and where used. Sandra Haight July 17, 2018 at 4:49 PM Hi Barbara, thanks for your visit and the congrats. If you enter a contest and it does not place, you receive an N/A next to your poem on your member's contest page, meaning it was rejected. I don't think anyone here really knows what N/A really means as to what the letters stand for, hence my poem!

Eve Roper July 14, 2018 at 1:02 PM :) Congratulations on your awesome win and well crafted write . The N/A still confusing. Hugs Eve Sandra Haight July 17, 2018 at 7:59 PM For sure it is confusing, Eve! Thanks for your congrats and appreciated support! Hugs, Sandra

Susan Gentry July 14, 2018 at 8:15 AM Lol. I remember this from before because it helped me undersrand. I still think there has to be something better than N/A. Congratulations on another #1 win. Clever funny, informative. Sandra Haight July 17, 2018 at 7:58 PM Thanks for remembering this poem, Susan, and for your lovely comments! Hugs, Sandra

Tom Cunningham July 14, 2018 at 6:51 AM No n/a here Sandra, congratulations. Tom Sandra Haight July 17, 2018 at 7:57 PM Thank you, Tom, for your visit, congrats, and supportive comment! Sandra

Jesse Day August 6, 2016 at 5:32 AM Representing the choir - funny! Congrats on your win!

Jan Allison August 5, 2016 at 4:14 PM You didn't get an N/A this time Sandra:-) congrats on your win:-):-) hugs Jan xx Sandra Haight August 5, 2016 at 9:31 PM :-) No, Jan, not this time, but I do have quite a few!! Thanks for your nice visit and congrats. Hugs, Sandra

Bl Devnath August 5, 2016 at 12:37 PM Congrats on your superb win my friend. Hugs, Cloudy poet Sandra Haight August 5, 2016 at 9:30 PM Thank you so much, BL, for your visit and congratulations. Sandra

Eve Roper August 5, 2016 at 11:59 AM Sandra, congratulations on your win Hugs Eve Sandra Haight August 5, 2016 at 9:26 PM Thank you, Eve, for another contest to bring out some older poems and for my nice placement. Hugs, Sandra

Poet Destroyer A April 5, 2015 at 11:08 PM Once again, thank you for the reply on my poem...PD

Casarah Nance January 12, 2015 at 2:09 PM Very well done! I like all the possibilites that NA could have meant, I never thought about it that way. Nice write and win!

Poet Destroyer A January 11, 2015 at 10:28 PM SANDRA:) :) :) I smile at every entry in this contest.. Congratulations, on your #1 placement. Always & Forever *LINDA*

Kayod5 Kayode January 11, 2015 at 4:27 PM You are very funny Sandra,I can not just imagine your list of N/A,congrats on your very worthy win my friend...huggs Sandra Haight January 11, 2015 at 6:44 PM Thank you, Kayod5 for your nice comment and congrats. I did have a lot of fun with this one! Hugs, Sandra

Eileen Manassian January 10, 2015 at 10:48 PM oh...thanks so much for explaining what that N/A could mean. I've been stumped by this and yes...I've gotten a few. :( I don't join many contests, Sandra. Being super sensitive, I just don't need the extra pain. I join ones I feel I can do well in and I'm happy to say I've done quite well with some top notch sponsors. Some sponsors I just don't write for. Why bother when they don't like my style. Thanks for your visit. This is a superb write. CONGRATS! :) Sandra Haight January 11, 2015 at 6:47 PM Hi Eileen, thanks for stopping by with your nice comment and congrats! I had some fun with the poem. I think your contest decision might be a good one. I'm learning too. Thanks again, Sandra

Connie Marcum Wong January 10, 2015 at 8:58 PM It means Not Acceptable I have surmised. No one tells you these things when you join. You are just jolted into that reality the first time it happens to you. An excellent expression of how we all feel when this happens to us. I am happy to see this in the number one spot Sandra. Congratulations!#7 Connie Marcum Wong January 11, 2015 at 7:45 PM Yes, I don't accept it, means I just didn't like it. Haha. Thanks, Connie Sandra Haight January 11, 2015 at 6:54 PM Hi Connie, but...what does "not acceptable" mean??? If all the rules are followed, it should be acceptable...perhaps, DL would be a better label...Don't Like! Ha, Ha...still having fun with this. Anyway, thank you so much for your positive comment, congratulations and support. Hugs, Sandra

Ilene Bauer January 10, 2015 at 5:26 PM glad to see that your poem got the accolades it deserves this time around, sandra! Sandra Haight January 11, 2015 at 6:55 PM Hi Ilene, thank you so much for stopping by with your positive comment and congrats. I really appreciate it. Sandra

Jan Allison January 10, 2015 at 1:53 PM Loved your creative write it sure made me smile - many congrats:-) Hugs jan xx

Barbara Gorelick January 10, 2015 at 12:05 PM Maybe Not Acceptable...lol..Having fun with all the HM's and NA's..Your poem is creative and funny..Congrats. BG Sandra Haight January 11, 2015 at 6:56 PM Thank you, Barbara...I had fun trying to make it funny. Thank you for stopping by with your nice comment and congrats. Sandra

Edward Ebbs January 10, 2015 at 10:20 AM Very Clever, congrats :) Sandra Haight January 11, 2015 at 6:57 PM Thank you so much, Ed. So nice of you to stop by with your comment and congrats. Sandra

Richard Lamoureux January 10, 2015 at 10:18 AM This is cleverly presented, I enjoyed your winning entry! Sandra Haight January 11, 2015 at 7:04 PM Thank you so much, Richard. I had a lot of fun writing this one! Sandra

Dr.Ram Mehta January 10, 2015 at 9:27 AM A great write, congrats on the win, Sandra Sandra Haight January 11, 2015 at 7:05 PM Thank you, Dr. Ram, for stopping by with your nice comment and congrats. I really appreciate it. Sandra

M. L. Kiser December 27, 2014 at 1:37 PM This was a great idea; to write about the experience of not winning. I absolutely love it.

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