Poetry Challenge

At the risk of sounding like the head of the Department of Redundancy Department, I am really blown away by the TALENT of the members of this site in general and, in this case specifically, the entrants of this contest. Oy! I vacillated a lot, and the G*d's-honest truth is that there was no "bad" choice. All were so excellent for such different reasons. Dementia's Closed Door was memorable for its current-versus-previous states of being and a fog that is irrefutably present yet still iridescent enough to see - every so often - through to the other side and yearn. All this is contained within meticulously chosen rhyming couplets. WHISPERS BEHIND THE DOOR features rhyming couplets that are simultaneously lilting...and chilling. They're what drive this work in a way that feels both mysterious and eloquent. It becomes hypnotic and mesmerizing, forcing readers - almost against their will - to continue across a foreboding threshold. I chose THE DOOR because of its tantalizing way of drawing the reader in, giving us a fleeting hope, then snatching it away and quietly, stealthily breaking our hearts on so many levels. The emotional cat-and-mouse of it was all too raw and real. Congratulations to all three poets. Your work brought me great joy to read. Thank you for all the heart that went into these treasures. xoxox