Well, hello everyone - long time no blog! (Told ya!)
But here I am, rested and refreshed and ready to defend the choices I made in the poetry contest I just finalized ("Just make me laugh").
First of all, when you decide to set up a poetry contest, you are setting yourself up for guilt feelings. Because everyone who submits a poem is taking a risk - the risk that someone they've never met will read their poem - their work of art - and reject it.
Or worse, laugh at it - or not, in the case of this particular contest!
And believe me, I know that feeling very well! I've entered my share of contests of all sorts, and know the pain of being rejected.
So why, you ask, did I set up a contest in the first place?
Well - y'see (shuffles feet awkwardly) ... I just finished binge-watching "Mr. Selfridge", and there's nothing else to do and ... um ... yeah, it's like that.
Also, I've never sponsored a contest before, and I really wanted to see what it's like to be on "the other side".
And it wound up being sort of like the time I got picked for jury duty. We all thought the guy was probably guilty, but we really felt sorry for him, and gave him all sorts of benefit of the doubt, and the upshot was ... hung jury! Because we just couldn't decide.
I *did* make a decision on my contest, but wound up having SIXTEEN "Honorable Mentions" instead of the 12 I'd originally allotted. Because there were so many I just really, really liked and didn't want them to feel bad!
However, I just have to give mad props to the first place winner because as soon as I read it - even before all the rest of the entries came in - I knew it was going to wind up at least in the top three! Let me post it here, for your enjoyment:
Frankenstein wears bunny slippers
The London fog is thick as smoke this chilly autumn night.
He walks the streets and alleyways, his evil grin a fright!
His shrieks bring terror to the folk who dare to brave the dark.
The body count grows higher 'round the place they call Hyde park.
Scotland yard stays busy in their quest to end the madness,
the monster that's eluding them just revels in the badness.
But when he's home he's Frank to her, the soup's been on since five.
Despite his reputation she don't buy that monster jive.
He's home by ten 'most every night to watch the evening news.
His antics make for great T.V., he swears it's just not true.
And though his reign of terror lives thus giving all the jeepers,
truth be told when Frankie's home he's wearing bunny slippers!
(Author: THE SEEKER)
Isn't that great? Now let me just explain two important aspects of this poem which struck me as funny and made me laugh:
1) the character name - Frank / Frankenstein - reminded me of the late, great Peter Boyle. Mr. Boyle not only played Frankenstein in the classic Mel Brooks movie "Young Frankenstein", but also cracked me up as Frank, the crabby grandfather in "Everybody Loves Raymond". So as I was reading this poem, that's who I was seeing!
2) the bunny slippers. Come on, who doesn't laugh at bunny slippers? Sure, they're big and fuzzy and soft and warm and comfortable, but ... heh heh ... bunny slippers!
Very subjective and totally unfair, I'm sure, to the other contestants. But hey ... you take risks when you JUDGE a contest, as well as when you ENTER one!
So thanks again to everyone who took the risk of entering! And to those of you who didn't win - it's perfectly OK to egg my car. Frankly, it would improve its looks. A LOT.