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Voter Instructions:
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Things to Consider in Making a Choice:
- How well the poem incorporates the authlete’s assigned word.
- Technical elements: meter, rhyme, form, shape, and other poetic standards.
- Creativity: wordplay, imagery, unusual approach, etc.
- Subtle elements that make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
- Your overall response: emotional reaction such as admiration, tears, laughter, terror, or some indefinable feeling.
Here are the poems:
4-caulk
A Sticky Situation
By Kathy Ellen Davis
Mom was caulking the tub;
Dad was frosting a cake.
I was helping them both,
and that was a mistake.
Caulk and frosting look alike,
and they’re both dispensed in guns;
Now our bathtub’s tastin’ sweet,
but that cake gave us the runs!
vs.
13-venal
The Venal Judge’s Change… of Appetite
By Gloson Teh
In the city of Kludge, there was one venal judge.
The rich bribed him with cappuccino—
He called the good “filthy”, acquitted the guilty!
The peasants all called him a meano.
One day, he decided he’d be peasant-sided
And pleaded with them, “I feel awful!
I’m sorry I lied, but I’ll switch to your side!
….in exchange for your crispy, sweet waffles.”
“Mm…mm…mmm!”
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