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Whatfinger Poetry Contest
Judged by Mike Bryant
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FIRST PLACE
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Untitled
by Damian Robin
Support the online enterprise
that picks the brave from molten lies,
that fields the small heroic acts
and hits the twists of woken ‘facts’.
It shines a light on broken bends
and soaks the fires from token ‘friends’.
A worthy wordy wordly slinger
of stones like David’s—Go Whatfinger!!
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RUNNERS UP
(in alphabetical order)
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The Point
by C.B. Anderson
__Thumbs up, thumbs down —
We’re just expressing our opinion,
Detached from Government dominion
__In this old town.
__I like the truth
Served raw, without incessant cooking
The Leftists try when we’re not looking.
__I like a sleuth
__Who never shies
From tracking down a malefactor
Or anyone who might have backed her
__Most blatant lies.
__There’s Hillary
And also Darth Pelosi; foreign
To me is that Senator Warren.
__A pillory
__Out in the sun
Would suit all three, where we might linger
To point them out. With what finger?
__The middle one!
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In Praise of Whatfinger
by Joshua C. Frank
If something should happen disproving woke “truth,”
It’s labeled “fake news;” disagreeing’s uncouth.
The sheep hear the wool-wearing wolf howl and eat,
And they’re bullied to blindly believe it’s a bleat,
But Whatfinger News shows you both kinds of sound;
You decide who’s a wolf and where shepherds are found.
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Whatfinger News Source
by Roy E. Peterson
Whatfinger’s a news source to which I now relate.
They stand for truth and justice overcoming hate.
They take on transgressors like with a sword and shield
Pinioning opponents and making dastards yield.
Fake news is running roughshod everywhere I look.
We become the victim when truth the news forsook.
I count on Whatfinger to rectify their sins.
Research is the answer to cease their careless spins.
They list vast sources on the right side of their site.
Whatfinger aggregates the news from left and right.
Whatfinger is the answer to the “Drudge Report.”
They share more news than the combined next nine import.
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Stick With Guys Like Us
by Mark Stellinga
“Who do you feel’s responsible for ‘taking out the garbage’?”
Carlton Whitney quizzed me, as we filled our cups with ice.
“Anyone who can,” I said, “especially—guys like us…
And well before they get a chance to do their damage twice!
“Long before they break the law again which, as you know,
Isn’t often lengthy till the day they do arrives
And, once again, they flood their victims worlds with endless
Pain, unconcerned with crushing hearts and mutilating lives.
“Steve an’ Dave agree with me… Grant says he’s on board…
And based on what you’re saying, Mark, I’m guessing you are too.”
“Count me in,” I spouted, “it’s a fight I’ve hoped to join
For several years and many reasons, and… the same as you…
“When I fin’ly get the chance to save the county funds
By ending someone’s spree of crime… even fifty cents…
I’ll make absolutely sure… to which you’ll testify…
The move I made to stop the perp was done in—self defense!
“Sergeants Pat an’ K an’ L an” Mike are on our side,
Deftly using Whatfinger to put things back on track…
To point out who the culprits are…expose them one and all…
And make them pay the piper for the common sense they lack!
“See…’rehabilitation’…though a tactic worth attempting…
When it comes to actually working seldom ever does,
So… count me in, Whatfinger, ’cause the only way I see
For—‘taking out the garbage’—is to stick with—guys like us.
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Thank you Mike, for setting up this recognition of Whatfinger. It’s a privilege to be part of honoring the stand-strong website. It is innovative in seeing the power of poetry to push forward political and daily truth — as you have said when putting forward the prize, WF has forwarded a lot of poems from the SCP.
As you must be in touch with WF and have the prize money, will you pass it onto them, please? I am okay for money at present and would like to support their efforts at maintaining truth.
Go Whatfinger !!
Congrats to the others you picked out for special mention above in a very densely supported competition.
https://classicalpoets.org/2023/02/27/whatfinger-poetry-contest/
Congratulations, Damian!
Sorry. Good poem – short, to the point, classically rendered and relateable.
Thank you, Mike Bryant, for the Whatfinger Contest and Judging. Congratulations to the winner and the other Runners Up.
These are all delightful! C.B., I love the structure of yours (a well as the content, of course): your metrical and rhyme schemes are fun, and work well. Joshua, your sheep-and-“wool-wearing wolf” metaphor is great!