Contest: THE SIMPLE POETRY
Sponsor: Sotto Poet
Date: September 4th 2026
A warning signals
at the daylights dim.
An inconspicuous drop or two
tap my cheek -
An impulsively deep inhalation
as I glare at the clouds.
A more rhythmically consistent
offering of droplets touch down!
More excitable water follows
trampolining on the ground.
Puddles beat like drums
in a heavy rock band.
Soggy wet through
where I stand...
The brolly blew the wrong way out.
My waterproofs a flapper.
I grumble a sigh and shrug
at my failure to stay dry
as I'm caught out in the rain.
There was once a dock worker whose name was Dick,
His employers knew not, Dick had worked out a perfect trick,
Forty five was his speculated age,
He dressed according to his meager wage,
Went home daily with a barrow, security noticed dick was quick.
On other days they noticed many a different kind of trivia,
Told security was selling empty boxes to buy pills, had leukaemia,
Will tell you more when I retire,
Continued with his routine and poorly attire,
His secret, confessed stole a barrow a day, headlines in media.
Moved to Mexico, learnt Spanish, dyed hair black so could blend,
Applied for a job in revenue office, made many a friend,
Managed and learnt to cheat a little,
Hey Dick be careful, don’t fiddle,
Persisted to play his tricky games, predictably caught at the end.
caught by the wind silk scarf becomes winding snake
Y60TH I WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT DEAD ON 60TH STREET MY DAUGHTERS EX IN SON FATHER'S FAMILY'S THEY USE TO BABYSIT MY GRANDDAUGHTER YKIRBY HER MOTHER LIVED ON 60TH STREET NOT ME STOP SENDING TERRORIST THREATS ON LICENSE PLATES INTIMIDATION I NEVER LIVED ON 60TH STREET YKIRBY MOTHER PERKINS RESIDED ON 60TH I HATED THAT MY DAUGHTER TOOK MY GRANDDAUGHTER TO THAT BAD NEIGHBORHOOD WITH HER BOY FRIENDS GRANDMOTHER HER DAUGHTER WOULD BE YOUR YKIRBY ON 60TH STREET TODAY I'M GETTING INJECTIONS IN MY HEAD WHY TERRORIZE ME WITH THREATS Y60TH WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED ON 60TH STREET YOU THREATENING THE WRONG YOLANDA
Grab a crab, nab a snack.
Crack a claw, smack a stack!
Mayo mellow, a silky spread.
Ham piled high on crusty bread.
Salad stacked, crisp and bright.
Every mouthful is pure delight.
Best darn sandwich you've ever seen.
Packed with pickles fresh and green.
Watch them crab claws — They're set to go!
Grab too late? — You'll know your woe!
Toasted, roasted, golden brown.
Best darn snack in town, hands down.
Crunch and munch, chew with cheer,
Grab another while you're here!
Hands have fingers; crabs have claws.
Both love lunches—that's the cause!
Faces has smiles; claws have jaws!
So grab a crab and catch a snack.
Smack your lips and whack it back!
caught up in nature
trees surround me like blanket
my mind at peace
Caught in the act, the cat.
Behind-the-couch-brazen,
like a lithe gymnast.
She stretched vaingloriously,
her claws clinging to the fabric.
In rapture, I beheld her Olympic bend.
I’m in awe of her prowess.
Perfectly timed; an amusement.
Might as well break into a smile.
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
Delay, Delay, Delay, How long of a delay? 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours
no, not 8 hours, yes that was the delay when my Texas train did not arrive on time.
I caught the old-time blues, when my Texas train did not arrive on time.
Cry, shout and holler quietly in my heart and mind. What was I to do?
Delay, Delay, Delay How long of a Delay? 1 hour, 2 hours, 3hours, 4 hours,5hours
no, not 8 hours,yes,that was the Delay when my Texas train did not arrive on time.
What was I to do? Shout or Cry?
I caught the old time blues, when my Texas train did not arrive on time.
Our love floats in the wind
only mine was caught
by someone who really cared
oh no
what is that caught in my beard?
a chocolate chip and some salsa dip
winter woolly coats and a herd of goats
seaside rocks and a pair of stripy socks
a large corn husk and a double decker bus
a day oh a day feeling very very weird
but how did all that get caught in my beard?
Inspired by Andrea Dietrich's poem: One More Lonely Night - Revised
With an uneven complexion - off-white,
the moon said, to Andrea, shining bright,
"Won't you, mine, always be"
"No sir, I cannot", said she -
"You are just a 'fly by night'".
Whimsical scatterings from the sky.
Fall greets her with a fresh kiss.
Bemused she twirls and dances.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: 1st place 2026
They threw the hook
Knowing the fish would have to look
They were right, he took a look
They reeled him in for something to cook
Little did they know there was no hook
For the fish was as clever as a book
He untied the bait from the hook
And swam away, better saviour than crook
In darkness, the whirlpool has an eye;
High up, over seas, peaking through.
The placid swoosh of glittery sky,
With ebb and flow of tropical blue.
Glitzy diamonds make a quiet splash.
Ruby-tangerine, low in horizon’s limbo.
Artist sighs at shore’s moonlight glass;
With frame, I step through Aloha window.
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