A contest

[Vlad]

I propose to start:

A contest, of sorts.

Simple in nature,

But of noble stature.

 

To enter you must

Be a member of guild.

An artisán resides

Within your own heart.

 

To write a ballad

Or a poem of love

To the most worthy

Of targets ever made.

 

To woo an orange

Is your final goal

And a "citrus crooner"

You shall become.

---------------------------

 

For you poem illiterate folks out there:

 

I'm proposing a contest.

The participants have to write a love poem to an orange.

 

That's the only restriction, make it as creative (or hum-drum) as you want.

There will be a two week (subject to change without prior notice) time limit.

That's until 23:59 Sunday, May 2nd. In *MY* time zone (GMT -6:00).

 

This contest is open to everybody who wants to participate, but only members of the AAA (Articulate Artisans of Alliteration) will be eligible to win.

 

The reward for non-members of the AAA will be a good experience, and hopefully some fun.

The reward for members of the AAA will be the title of "Citrus Crooner."

 

 

Post submissions here [in this thread].

And drop me a PM when you do, just in case I miss it. ;P

I think I will limit it to one entry per person.

 

I of course, will not compete, but will instead judge.

Enjoy.

Edited April 19, 2004 by Vlad

[Peredhil]

The dimpled rind is really quite kind

And tasty sweet to boot.

Everchanging shade will color the blade

As you slice into the fruit.

 

Orange in hue and quite good for you

'tis full of vitamin C

When juiced is mixed, with vodka fixed

By others but not me.

 

This pagean is done and it's been fun

fun opportunity

Support a Guild and feel fulfilled

Like Vlad and me.

 

[Sorciere]

A warped Love, Ode to an Orange

 

Your scent it calls me from afar

You sit there, shining, on the bar

Your green eye stares and tempts me in

That 'eat me' look, I start to grin

 

The visions of your zesty skin,

Peeling back to what's within

You make it hard to be undressed

Acidic eyes are not the best

 

I continuing peeling blindly on

Til that skin is all but gone

And now you're naked in my hand

I see it now, the promised land

 

As i prise you open wide

Your juices flow from deep inside

Tasting you in little sips

I tease you with my gentle lips

 

You drive me wild, you citrus flirt

Who would think you came from dirt?

Your pips don't even bother me

Our unison is destiny

 

Edit: merged to the contest thread, by request.

[Rahsash Geldich]

It reminds me of satire in that wonderful way of hearing something said that should be innocent is taken very not so. Snickeringly hilarious.

[Rahsash Geldich]

Men and Oranges

 

Coming home from school one day,

There was a hunger in my belly

That simply wouldn't be ignored

By veggin' out via the telly.

 

So I turned it off to look around

And what would I espy?

A fruit of sunny color

Lying close nearby.

 

After valiant battles fought

With siblings for posession,

I must profess, ashamedly,

This rather odd confession.

 

I couln't peel the blasted thing!

Its bitter peel refused to crack!

I glared at it and grabbed a knife,

My thoughts on a delightful act.

 

To stab, and gut, and eat it up

Would fill up every need

Except the want to savor

Was taking away my greed.

 

So I used the knife to gently pry

The outer shell away

Leaving the juicy filling

"How marvelous" I say

 

And that bit of agitation

Alright-hatred, led

To a deep and special bond

With fruit of mixed yellow and red

 

(to all of you who missed finger-painting 101 as a child, red and yellow make orange.)

 

Well, not the best thing ever concocted, and not exactly a love poem, but close enough for government work.

[Quincunx]

http://www.patrickdurham.net/themightypen/index.php?act=ST&f=20&t=11539

[Katzaniel]

O shining sphere of radiant orangeness!

O smooth hard surface, so round and right!

O crisp tangy aroma to erase all sorrows!

O shining sphere of radiant perfection.

 

The way you languish in the sun's rays,

Letting the warmth outline your shadow on the table.

The way you look at me so coolly,

Although you move not there is a subtle shake of head.

 

But you woo the others,

Lying incautiously amidst the apples in their skins.

With your ever imprudent stare,

You seem to be stroking the grapes with your cheek.

 

O why must you distain me, shining sphere?

O why am I like nothing to your whims?

O why can't you just acknowledge my tokens?

O why must my love shatter against the hard edge of your perfect indifference?

[WrenWind]

So good

 

Round orange orbs hang pregnantly.

Sweet nectar fills the air.

Honey seeking bees have done there part.

 

The fruit becons invitingly.

No time to waste on flare.

Tear an orange from it's start.

 

Remove the peel delicately.

There will be none left to share.

Taste the perfection of nature's art.

 

 

mmmmmmmmmmm

[Vlad]

The contest is CLOSED.

I'll post winners with critiques as soon as I can.

Expect them by Sat.

 

Thank you for participating.

There will be more to follow!

=-)

[Vlad]

Well... Originally I wanted this to be a contest of love poems TO an orange, but people naturally don't follow directions. Instead this will be a completely subjective evaluation system, but I'll justify my opinions, of course.

 

Out of six entrants, only three are eligible for the prize.

However, it was still very hard to decide between them.

I'd like to say the winner was a clear choice for me... 'xept it wasn't.

And now, without further ado...

 

Quincunx

Your poem took an unexpected approach, but was very enjoyable nonetheless.

I loved reading it, and it took a couple of times to get the meaning. Clever use of genus and species.

As I understand it, this wasn't an original work, but a parody, so I can't give the title to you.

 

WrenWind

You had a few typos, which could have easily been fixed by a spell checker.

Other than that, you had a very creative approach! Vivid imagery of the orange being one of nature's masterpieces made this an interesting read.

Oh, and I loved the ending too!

 

Rahsash Geldrich

Your poem told the tale of an after-school treat wonderfully.

A happy and jovial poem, you kept it very refreshing and original.

Refreshing like an orange. =)

 

Peredhil

I now know why oranges are good for me.

Your support for the guild is much appreciated.

Thanks for posting first, I believe that generated more interest in the contest.

 

Sorcerie

An actual poem directed at an orange! Somebody *did* read the instructions!

(Can you tell I'm happy?)

This poem really shows a devotion (for lack of a better word) to the orange.

The rhythm and rhyme make this an easy and enjoyable read.

 

Katzaniel

Congratulations - you won!

I love the first and last stanzas. I love the way you took several cliches and melded them together. I love the poem's genereal feeling.

A very good job, if I do say so myself. And I do.

Please PM me after you read this. (Or catch me on chat).

 

 

To all participants:

Thank you very much for participating!

I hope you all had a good time, regardless if you won or not.

The next contest will be up... soon?

[X-Sabre]

fruit is good. i lik fruit. good poems every1

[Yui-chan]

Congratulations, Katzaniel! And similar congratulations to everyone who participated. I got a good laugh out of some of the entries and simply enjoyed those that were more serious. Not a one of these was anything less than top-notch.

 

Katz, as the official Citrus Krooner, I'm going to have to see to it that you get a shiny to wear under your member title. Don't forget, when the time comes, that it falls to you to host another contest and give the title away to some other worthy soul!

 

Yours,

~Yui

[Katzaniel]

Yes, I've got some ideas a-flowing. I'll post something this week, I should say.

[Yui-chan]

Katzaniel,

 

If you look under your name on the left-hand side of the screen, you should see the brand-new Citrus Crooner Shiny. Congratulations. Wear it with pride until your heart tells you to pass it on; you've definitely earned it.

 

Yours,

~Yui