between flashes of light
on a heated dance floor
a lone magician
locks eyes with me--
meow

Brittany Mytnik

rolling sweets
on my tongue
I remember
the kisses
of autumn lovers

Samantha Parks

There is something almost melodious about this tanka. It seems very lyrical. I enjoy the imagery, as well. I never would have thought to say "rolling sweets on my tongue," but it is a common action. The turn is very appealing to me, also. It is interesting to me that this action is related to the "kisses of autumn lovers." It strikes me as a very unique thought. Brittany

pray a hail mary
bless the ground
beneath my signature print
steal, crossover,
DUNK!

Cristy Carranza

a runner running,
crunching shades of brown.
crescent moon
don't leave me
for I'm almost home

Cristy Carranza

This tanka caught my attention because of the use of repetition in the opening line. When it’s done properly I like to see that form of repetition because it adds a sort of linguistic kick to the poem. I also liked the use of sensory details because it enabled the reader to automatically create a scene without using basic descriptions. The last few lines seemed to say something about a more internal conflict that nevertheless created an emotional impact. Owen

rolling sweets
on my tongue
I remember
the kisses
of autumn lovers

a runner running,
crunching shades of brown.
crescent moon
don't leave me
for I'm almost home

rolling sweets
on my tongue
I remember
the kisses
of autumn lovers

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

unfolding the flesh
of a ripe pomegranate
if only
the seeds of love
were so easily released

bottom quarter champion

unfolding the flesh
of a ripe pomegranate
if only
the seeds of love
were so easily released

unfolding the flesh
of a ripe pomegranate
if only
the seeds of love
were so easily released

breaking through
I climb up to Earth
in search of the
coward who stole
my heart

unfolding the flesh
of a ripe pomegranate
if only
the seeds of love
were so easily released

Randy Brooks

I liked this one because I loved the image. And for me, I though of unfolding the flesh of a pomegranate was like unfolding the flesh of a person. Because later the poem mentions love and when a person is in love they are kind of unfolding their life and everything that they normally keep secret from everyone. And I liked the part that said "if only the seeds of love were so easily released" because when you eat a pomegranate the seeds do basically just fall out, but when you are in a relationship and you are getting to know the person, the "seeds of love," which I took to mean the secrets and insecurities that you open up when you love someone, are harder to get out. Sometimes it takes people a long time to open up. I just really liked this one. Morgan

two headstones
joined by a stone heart--
I wonder how
to tell if this
is a happy ending

Brittany Mytnik

breaking through
I climb up to Earth
in search of the
coward who stole
my heart

Desi Thomas

I liked this tanka because of the way that it describes a story in a very concise way. It's easy to infer the missing details of the story (i.e. the painful breakup, the mourning) and to associate with the poem. I also liked the language used ("breaking through", "climb", "coward who stole my heart") Owen

no name
on the grave
moonlight
writes a new
history for us

Carmella Braniger

TOP half champion

unfolding the flesh
of a ripe pomegranate
if only
the seeds of love
were so easily released

CHAMPION
 

unfolding the flesh
of a ripe pomegranate
if only
the seeds of love
were so easily released

enchanted by
the witch's kiss
he hides his heart
behind a scarecrow's
simple smile

BOTTOM half champion

enchanted by
the witch's kiss
he hides his heart
behind a scarecrow's
simple smile

Samantha Parks

I liked this tanka because it reminded me of the story of Fiyero and Elphaba in "Wicked". Fiyero is 'enchanted' by Elphaba. They are in love, and they do actually kiss, but he isn't supposed to love her and he is forced to become a scarecrow in order to escape from the wizard's guards who are going to kill him. So he hides the fact that he is in love with Elphaba and that he is really a person behind the fact that he looks like a scarecrow because the Ozians wouldn't recognize that he was Fiyero and not simply a scarecrow. Morgan

I really like this poem because I'm working on reading wicked right now (its now finished), but I like the idea of such a simple smile. For thel ongest time I thought this tanka was actually mine, but sam said in class it was hers and I was like, "IT'S AWESOME!!!" I like the symbolism between the scarecrow being brainless and its simple smile, a smile that could be hiding more than meets the eye. Joseph

scarecrow
in the mist
if only
I had
a brain

Randy Brooks

as Harry made his way
into the dark forest
he accepted his fate:
neither can live
while the other survives

Morgan Ewald

This tanka was so awesome because of the tie to Harry Potter. It made me rethink of when I read this part in the book. It was so suspenseful. I really liked the fact that Harry really accepted his fate in this tanka. Though he knew of his fate beforehand, this is the real moment where he truly accepts it. He knows that he has to get rid of the horcrux inside of him. Bill

slasha films
driving my
actions.
do...not...open...
the knob turns

Joe Sparks

enchanted by
the witch's kiss
he hides his heart
behind a scarecrow's
simple smile

as Harry made his way
into the dark forest
he accepted his fate:
neither can live
while the other survives

enchanted by
the witch's kiss
he hides his heart
behind a scarecrow's
simple smile

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

enchanted by
the witch's kiss
he hides his heart
behind a scarecrow's
simple smile

bottom quarter champion

costumed as lovers
for the night
you're mine...
I awake to the sight
of a smashed jack o' lantern

costumed as lovers
for the night
you're mine...
I awake to the sight
of a smashed jack o' lantern

silent night
she calls the wolves
to her circle
preparing
for one last hunt

standing before his friends
in honesty
his mask
ripped away
by the wind

Owen Kosik

costumed as lovers
for the night
you're mine...
I awake to the sight
of a smashed jack o' lantern

Kendall Robison

The first line of this tanka grabbed my attention immediately. I love the expression "costumed as lovers," because it relates to Halloween, but also could be thought of in a different context, of people pretending to be lovers on any day of the year. The turn is intriguing, as well. I did not expect a smashed jack o'lantern to be the site one lover wakes up to. Comically, my first thought was that the lover turned into a pumpkin, or was a pumpkin, and was smashed by the other lover. It makes me wonder why the pumpkin was there (a more logical explanation, that is), and the possibilities fascinate me. Brittany

I once was a
teenage werewolf,
prowling the theater
pews
hungry for your touch

Samantha Parks

silent night
she calls the wolves
to her circle
preparing
for one last hunt

Carmella Braniger

This tanka was so awesome. First, I loved envisioning a circle of wolves in a forest clearing. I could see the breath the wolves exhaled in the winter weather. I imagined the snow on the ground and on the pine trees. It was very wild. But, it also had a calm feel to it. I actually heard Silent Night the song in my head. I also liked the fact that while hearing Silent Night, you could also hear a wolf howl above it. It just was super cool! Bill