Full Moon Challenge Winners

Create a poem inspired by a wild vision.

In some ways, dreams function similar to poems. They usually conceal their meaning using images and allusions. It requires a sharp eye to understand the two. If you study the images too close, they might not understand the meaning.

We loved every one of the entries submitted to this Challenge. They fully utilized the prompt's interpretational nature. Certain poems were night-time dreams about moons and monsters. others were daydreams about animals or childhood, as well as the ice cream.

We've read hundreds of your poems, we've discovered that they belong in an art category that's dependent on the viewer. Let someone else read the meaning of a poem, and you could cause confusion. In this regard, we'll end here and announce those who won the Full Moon Challenge and spotlight on the runners-up. The complete list of winners here.

$1000 Grand Prize Winner

Ward Norcutt's poem is one of the finest we've ever read on Vocal. A deservedly acclaimed poetry and poet. "The" Topsy Turvey Men felt like it was written years back, as if it was immortalized and recited by people all over the globe seeking the perfect to scare. The poem's images were as crisp as its rhythms, its narrative as captivating and its core. The chills were palpable while reading this poem, and not only because of its eerie, beautiful story , but also due to the quality of it.

We've observed repeatedly that rhymes often limit the possibilities of a poem. The poet struggles to incorporate their ideas within the rhyme scheme. However, in this case the message of the author was strengthened by his rhyme scheme. We didn't know the meaning of the rhyme as you might in a popular song or children's poem. The rhymes were enjoyable as well as a bit frightful and intriguing, and gave us an eerie sense of security within this nightmare. We felt that this poem evoked the rare air that is Poe, Howitt, Lolland and other equally spooktacularly talented poets. It is worth reading it twice, once and then wait several hours before falling asleep. Congrats, Ward Norcutt!

$225 Second Prize Winner

The poem's gentle tone is prayer and a remembrance all in one. The tale of a father asking his father to assistance. Nature as a memories. It was cold and cold. and we watched the words disappear into the air. The relief was felt from the last line. It's a sweet powerful piece that is brimming with love and passion. The poem is truly a beauty. Thank you, Geoffrey Philp!

Honorable Mention

It's impossible to take this poem out of our minds. It's written like a child's limerick or classic cautionary tale, and we're saying that in the best possible way. It brought back memories of Flannery O'Connor's work, in that it was adamant about its message, but was also funny, fun sharp and memorable. Very well done, R F Kellet!

Bex Jordan's thought-provoking musing on the liminal space was a touching reflection of the prompt. Dreams are liminality that takes place in real time, in melted time, a space to be but not being. We were enthralled by this poem's clear style and sparse prose however, we loved the message the most of all. There are places where we are that we are not there or here in which we are able to express fully ourselves. Where is your liminal space? What can we achieve if we feel like there is no one looking at us? What is the closest we can reach our authentic selves?