Good poem, 42.

I didn't say that I thought everyone posting on this thread was mediocre.

I commend Bearded Bruce for exploring the traditional forms of poetry and for exercising some of the discipline needed to use them; my only reservation being that he sometimes forces the scansion by dropping out ordinary articles to the detriment of his meaning. The will to practice technique is commendable. I agree it is worth points, for sure!

as for a "best poet" contest, I do not think this is the place to hold such a judgment. By their nature, folkies tend to be poetical to greater or lesser degree and I think it is far more important to build a site where that perspective can be exercised without the hindrance of worrying about competing with others. The Mudcat Poetry Corner thread as an example allows free entry of any poem you want to share. The minute you propose to name one as better than another, you engage a whole different set of vectors and things can very easily get quite unpleasant and full of egos clashing in the wings. Not worth it, in my opinion.

Of course, if Blackcatter, who threw this cat among the pigeons in the first place, wants to run a contest, and announce the rules and criteria and how many entries per participant and who shall be the judge (and why he/she is qualified to do the judging), why that's his call, and I just hope he doesn't get stoned by the end of the show!!

Another "win-win" example is the Song Challenge Threads, where virtual prizes are handed out in a generous and delightFUL big-hearted way and everyone who enters gets acknowledged for their best lines and gets an imaginary Cow Chip prize to take home and put on their mantle. But notice that in that most gracious of games, the Most Gracious Gaelic Goddess also cares enough about her poets and bards to make sure that no-one loses. In my humble opinion there is something purely divine about inventing a game where no-one loses.

A