"Lost-ish" Unofficial Poetry Challenge WINNERS!

I want to open this announcement by simply expressing my deep, deep gratitude to everyone who joined in this unofficial challenge. As has already been the case so many times over, I am once again blown away by the participation, creativity, and support of this wonderful community! While I am so very honored by how you all took to my quirky, vague prompt with such verve, I have been moved even more as I've gone through each piece and witnessed the endless words of encouragement, appreciation, and praise generously shared with each other in the comments of each piece. So thank you all, truly, for the kindness and curiosity you all have towards each others work; as corny as it might sound, I must affirm that the greatest prize to be won on this site has nothing to do with money or fame - it is the community which supports its fellow writers forward with each courageous step of creativity.

This contest yielded thirty-five (!!!) fantastic entries, a number which far exceeded my expectations. So many folks showed up for the challenge that my initial uncertainty as to whether even ten entries would be submitted was wiped out almost immediately. I am so proud to als0 share (as many of you already know) that this list of submissions includes five Top Stories from Vocal! If you haven't already, do check out the brilliant works by JBaz, J. Delaney Howe, Shaun Walters, Dharrsheena Raja Segarran, and Katarzyna Popiel; I'm so pleased to be able to shout out these folks whose skilled wordsmithing got Vocal's attention! I'll be including the link back to the original challenge, with all of the submissions, at the end of this piece.

I have struggled immensely to come up with a list of victors. Judgements of artistic excellence will always have a measure of subjectivity, but sweet mercy are there a lot of objectively darn good writers in this crew. Hours of this day have been spent juggling many different entries between podium spots; and there are so many which still deserve recognition and victory, which don't appear on this list. Inspired by Vocal's system, I have decided to add five additional 'runner up' winners - each of whom will receive a $5 tip for this placement. There were simply too many inspired works; even with these five extra slots to recognize submissions to this contest, I cannot say that I have even come close sufficiently recognizing here the artistry you all produced. So whether you placed or not, please try to leave this challenge fully convinced of your own brilliance.

But now, all my verbose sentimentality aside, allow me to announce the winners of the "Lost-ish" Unofficial Poetry Challenge!

FIRST PLACE WINNER: "In the Stillness Between" by Diane Foster

With this poem, Diane finds and flawlessly shares with all of us readers a space which carries at once the quiet hope and soft melancholy of the lost-ish moment. Her carefully woven images and subtle turns of phrase evoke the heart of what this challenge sought to find: something gentle, luminous, and uniquely tricky to define, which lives in the stillness between. I am honored and so pleased to award first place to this genuinely lovely piece!

SECOND PLACE WINNER: "Traveller" by Katarzyna Popiel

In relatively few lines and words, Katarzyna creates a strikingly eloquent window into the disorienting and wondrous experience of finding oneself somewhere new and unfamiliar. Her take on a lost-ish experience can inspire readers to newfound wanderlust with its rich, impressionistic scene-painting and wistful internal reflections. I am so pleased to award second place to this subtle masterwork!

THIRD PLACE WINNER: "Sitting One Out" by D.K. Shepard

Beginning in the unusual and striking setting of silent disco, but ending in a quiet, solitary, kitchen afire with profound hope and loss, D.K.'s "Sitting One Out" takes us on a truly remarkable journey. The poem does not shy away from the raw depth of feeling in a lonely moment, even as it's clever framing and careful imagery pave the path there with loving, lost-ish charm. I am thrilled to award this piece third place!

RUNNER UP WINNERS:

"Lost Thoughts" by Shaun Walters

Through a masterful metaphor, Shaun delves boldly into his own experience to ask questions about the nature of creative inspiration and the strange and beautiful paths on which it is often found.

"Lost and Found" by Cathy Holmes

Fresh seaside sights and sounds dance alongside a flowing internal dialogue in this gorgeous and soul-searching reflection from Cathy.

"Melancholy Drift" by Rachel Deeming

Scenes of vivid beauty bordering on the surreal pair with insightful honesty as Rachel explores the tantalizing pull of ungroundedness amidst a visiting melancholy.

"On the Edge" by Alyssa Nicole

Brief, to the point, and packing an emotional punch, Alyssa's rhythmic and relatable piece illuminates the painful and yearning space found on the edge of something real.

"The Journey" by Cindy Calder

Cindy masterfully weaves the inspiration of literary giants into a present and deeply magical setting: a writer's headspace, adrift in the hope of creating something timeless.

CLOSING NOTES:

Regarding the monetary prizes, I will be submitting the awards through the Vocal tip system by the end of this weekend! I want you all know that I could gush about every one of the entries to this challenge, and the gratitude and joy I have from seeing my humble prompt engender so many stellar works of poetry from you all will remain with me a long, long time. Thanks again, so much, all - and keep on wandering! :)

Original Challenge (full list of entries may be found here):

My take on the challenge: