Sharing my Favourites

Woohoo, my 1.2.3 Challenge has come to an end and it's time to share my favourites! You can find the details here.

Thank you to everyone who participated. I loved reading the wonderful entries! You can find a full list of all the poems at the end.

There's absolutely no criteria to how I selected the winners (or whatever you want to call them), it was purely which ones I enjoyed/ appreciated the most. But you should definitely take the time to read the others as there were sooo many amazing ones. I managed to only select eight though (partly because those were my absolute favourites and partly because 8 is an awesome number :)).

Okay, let's get into it...

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How To Forgive Yourself - Recipe by Paul Stewart

Paul was the only one to set his out as a recipe and he did an absolutely fantastic job of it. This is a wonderful poem on self-care, as the title suggests. The gentle but realistic tone of this was just marvelous. So well done Paul.

Add to a large mixing bowl and set aside for tomorrow

It will of course ferment, stew and stick to the sides of the pot

How to Fall in Love at First Sight by Teresa Renton

The juxtaposition in this is so impactful, as well as the way it comes full circle. The specificity in each line paints such a vivid picture and really draws the reader in, especially when it all builds up to the one word lines. So well written.

Walk through a crowd and notice yourself

not noticing that you’re being noticed.

Paper Heart. by Celia in Underland

Celia mixed emotions with origami instructions so masterfully. The whole poem felt like a warm hug. The tone was so tender and soothing with gentleness seeping into each and every line. I adored it.

Crease memory into a pyramid of hope

Fold angles upwards into congruous tips of smile,

Meet at the apex of opalescent acceptance.

Going Home by Mackenzie Davis

Oh. My. Gosh. The GPS/ directions idea was brilliant, as well as the unique details of the love story. And Mackenzie, of course, carried out the idea perfectly. Every line was a masterpiece.

There is a space here

for your heart to leap, and the seed

of an idiosyncratic smile to take root.

How to write a love poem by Ashe Lawson

The raw, down to earth tone of this is so powerful. The reader is taken on an emotional rollercoaster, from the brutal reality read in the first few stanzas, to being reminded of the title/ purpose of the poem, and then that wonderfully dramatic ending. This was a truly enjoyable read.

Second, you must allow another person to see you, too.

(This is, by far, the most scariest thing there is.)

How to keep going by The Invisible Writer

This was incredible. So realistic, raw and vulnerable. Every part of this was written wonderfully, heartbreakingly and extremely evocatively. I want to read it over and over again.

Because the numbness helps the pain feel more like a companion than a knife tearing your flesh.

Live Like a Labrador by Angie the Archivist

These last two kind of go together, with a similar wonderfully humourous theme. Obviously, this hit my soft spot since it was about labradors, but Angie wrote from a dog's perspective very successfully and made it a very enjoyable read. Mixing up the order of the numbers was an awesome touch.

I see my Bestie put on her shoes…

Oh no!! Slippers mean she’s off for a snooze!

Feline Dignity (How to be a Cat) by Andrew C McDonald

This compliments Angie's poem perfectly, written very accurately from the perspective of a cat (evidently quite different from a dog's). Each line was so funny and I found myself half believing a cat did indeed write it.

When a dog licks you, scratch it on the nose ... Unless you are fond of it which sometimes happens..

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Thank you so much to everyone who took part in this, I had so much fun reading all the amazing entries. Please go check out the full list below!

All the Entries:

Mine: