The Perfect Competition Entry
Stanza One, metaphorically speaking,
Raised the curtain on scene, plot and cast;
The result of meticulous tweaking,
It was clear it could not be outclassed.
Two and Three, in an intricate metre
Not uncommonly fatal to wit,
Played tricks with new terms, such as ‘tweeter’,
Yet alluded to stars of Eng. Lit.
Stanza Four was superb, deftly crafted
To conclude sixteen lines with a roar,
Leaving rivals, for once, truly shafted
And the readers all gasping for more.
It stuck to the rules, without fudging,
Each phrase polished up till it shone
Like a gem for the moment of judging—
But the deadline by then was long gone.
Jerome Betts lives in Devon, England. His verse, light or otherwise, has appeared in a wide variety of British magazines and anthologies as well as UK, European, and USA web venues such as Amsterdam Quarterly, Lighten Up Online, The New Verse News, Per Contra, Snakeskin, and Tilt-A-Whirl.