[Alex Pepple]

Now that all our finalists poems have been posted, it's time to vote for your favorites.

Vote for your three favorites of the poems in the Deck the Halls 2010 event. Post your choices in this thread labeled as 1, 2, 3 (for first, second and third place).

You have today part of tomorrow (up to about this time of day, as time-stamped in this post) to post your choices. I'll tally the votes and ask our Distinguished Guest and Judge to post hers. And then, I'll reveal who wrote what (after Maryann, the anonymizer for this event, reveals them to me!).

And now, I declare the voting booth open!

Cheers,
...Alex

[Mary Meriam]

1. Little
2. Mizar and Alcor in Winter
3. Buying Sneakers

[Tim Murphy]

Little
Buying Sneakers

[Rick Mullin]

1) M&A in Winter
2) Talcott Mountain
3) Symbiosis

[Richard Meyer]

1. Mizar and Alcor in Winter
2. Little
3. Buying Sneakers

[Catherine Chandler]

1. Mizor & Alcor
2. Rainbow Bridge
3. Sneakers

[Petra Norr]

Thanks to everyone, poets and participants, for an enjoyable Deck the Halls.
Thank you, Maryann, for coordinating the event.
And special thanks to Alex and Catharine for selecting and commenting!

1. Mizar and Alcor in Winter
2. Matryoshka
3. Foxgloves
.

[Maryann Corbett]

Thanks, Alex and Catharine, for your time and work.

I always feel weird about these votes; I feel that there really is no way to rank poems that aim to do such different things, so that what I'm doing when I vote is saying something about my limits and narrownesses. But I have them, and they're undeniable: the short, direct poem that reaches me immediately will have more pleasurable impact than the longer one that asks me to ponder. So for me it comes down this way:

1. Mizar and Alcor in Winter
2. Little
3. Triduum

I really do have to learn to write short poems!!!

[Tim Murphy]

I praised Little so highly because it reminded me of this Hardy poem I posted years ago at our mastery board.

Proud Songsters



The thrushes sing as the sun is going,

And the finches whistle in ones and pairs,

And as it gets dark loud nightingales

In bushes

Pipe, as they can when April wears,

As if all Time were theirs.



These are brand new birds of twelvemonths' growing,

Which a year ago, or less than twain,

No finches were, nor nightingales,

Nor thrushes,

But only particles of grain,

And earth, and air, and rain.


The author of Little should die happy for a life well spent.

[John Beaton]

1. Mizor & Alcor
2. Little
3. Rainbow Bridge