SunfloweRose - Either My Favorites, or Those Who Have Me As Their Favorite

***If you want to enter, but do not have me on your favorites, please add me before you enter. If you don't add me, I will DQ it, seeing as it's ONLY for my favorites or those who have me on their's. It's only fair, y'all.

In short, mostly only my AP Family can enter this one...If you enter, I'll know if you added me just to do so - & your poem had better be worth the read & follow the rules, if you choose to do it that way. Those who already have me on their faves, I want a beautiful poem from you on what you feel the deepest, strongest, most passionate about. Mine would be love (I know it's cliche, but I can't help it - I'm a hopeless romantic) and/or God/Jesus Christ/Holy Spirit...but not from the most popular view of Catholicism, as you know if you've read my profile.

Again, the subject is:

Anything you feel the deepest kind of emotion toward or about. What makes you love to cherish it quietly in your secret heart? What makes you want to strangle those who don't see it your way & why?

I know those who are part of my AP Family will follow all the rules that shouldn't have to be spelled out in every single contest, but for those who aren't part of that family or who recently added me as a favorite:

RULES:
1. I absolutely HATE lots of obvious, easy to fix errors, especially when typed...spell check is your FRIEND, so kindly use it. It's my number one pet peeve, so make sure spelling & grammar are correct - or incredibly close to it. Once I've pointed out any errors, you have two (2!) days to fix them. After that, it's a DQ for you. Punctuation COUNTS!

2. I am going to judge this fairly harshly because I want beautiful poetry that will last many lifetimes. Whining, or anything I perceive as such, gains an automatic DQ. Those who know me know I'm not mean, so don't let this scare you - too much.

3. Bashing is obviously not something I practice - nor do I tolerate it. Taking something & NICELY stating why you believe it's wrong (or right) is very different from calling someone stupid because they don't hold your opinion/belief. Respect others, or you will not get it yourself...at least, not from me. I warn any "newbies" - I'm very protective, so if I catch you bashing my AP Family, I'll be very vocal - as it were - about it. ANY bashing is an automatic DQ.

4. This kind of ties in with #2, but in case you haven't figured it out, I'm direct. I don't pussyfoot around my opinions or beliefs...& as I will be harsh in my judging, I will not tip-toe on eggshells to make sure feelings are not hurt when I comment on a poem. Again, I'm not going to be mean, but nor will I use the sugar-coated approach. If you feel I am wrong in my opinion, feel free to let me know why I should rethink my decision...IN AN ADULT MANNER. I have four little sisters that I grew up with, so I've had my limit for whining filled up & overflown. If you act like an adult, I will respond that way. Same as if you act like a child.

5. Make it a poem...I do both free-verse & rhyme & like to read both. But if you rhyme, make it good. If you make it free-verse, make sure it's still a poem. Non-poetry will get 3 days from date of warning to be fixed. After that, it gets disqualified. Exceptions on case-by-case basis.

6. Writing in English is necessary for me to understand what you've written. American or England/Scottish/Irish/Australian English is what I understand. Ebonics is very much not wanted. Txt spk, or anything related, won't fly. iF yOU TyPE lIKe ThIs, I will DQ your poem. If you use numbers to the point where I can't understand what you wrote, I will DQ your poem. All the others get 1 day to be fixed from date of warning, then they will be disqualified. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you use any foreign language (including my favorite - German), I expect to see the words and their ENGLISH meanings in your AUTHOR'S NOTES. I'll give this one 2 days to be fixed from date of warning.

7. Now that all the technicalities are taken care of, I have only a couple more rules...this one is: ENJOY YOURSELF!!!!!

8. Have lots of FUN!

9. Be creative, too.

10. Commenting on other's work is a nice thing to do...not required. Brownie points only count when I'm not the judge. & since I don't hold many contests...I'll let you finish this sentence.

11. I almost forgot - cussing, erotica, dirty pretty, emo, & anything else along those lines gets disqualified AUTOMATICALLY - UNLESS the poem fits my above specifications. The first three I mentioned don't have any "unless" or "except" attached. Meaning: the following three things get an automatic DQ: cussing, erotica, & dirty pretty. If you go with dark/disturbed/or whatever related topic, I highly suggest you clear it through me if you have fragile feelings. If you don't care what I think, or you think it fits my requirements, feel free to enter it. Just know this: it already has one strike against it, so it has to be phenomenal to make it to the trophies.

12. Last rule, I promise: READ THOROUGHLY BEFORE ENTERING!!!!!!! If you have to, read it as many times as you need in order to understand. I'm not afraid to use the DQ option. I'm not afraid of you or your feelings. Since these poems are bound to rival the old poets', I want them to look like it & will be harsh in judging.

I will comment on every piece, minus those that fall into the AUTO DQ category. If you find your poem in that situation, you already know I DQ'd it for one of those reasons. It's up to you to figure out which one.

If I have my baby before I judge this contest (I'm 33 1/2 weeks along, so that's highly possible), I ask for patience...birthing a child is no tiny feat. Nor will I have daily access to the Internet once that happens. I will judge it ASAP after the date this closes.

Should you find your poem DQ'd, you may enter another, provided it follows the rules/you think it follows the rules. Just because one poem didn't work, doesn't mean I won't like another you've written. If I have to DQ 2 of your poems for the same thing (i.e, cussing both times), I will AUTOMATICALLY DQ anything else you enter. Has it clicked about reading & following the rules yet?

I don't play nicely when those who enter my game don't follow my rules. I don't think any of the above is unfair. If I'm wrong, negotiations may be had, but I warn you: I reserve the right to keep all rules as they stand.

My reservations of rights:

~DQ'ing poems that don't follow the rules.
~Commenting on every piece ASAP.
~Stating my opinion of your piece as I see it.
~Making sure everybody has fun!
~Changing anything I deem needs changing: rules, closing date, whatever. It's your responsibility to check back periodically, & I hope that you do so. If I close this out early, I'll give everyone a warning. If I intend to extend it, I'll let you find out for yourself.
~NOT apologizing for extra-sensitive feelings. Grow up. I play fair & reasonably. Like my aunt says, "If you can't play with the big dogs, then get your puppy-butt back on the porch & stay there!" OK, slight paraphrasing by me, but I'm sure that adequately illustrates my point.

Once again, I want beautiful, nearly timeless poetry. I know my faves will do so, so the rules are mostly for those others. My contest, my game, my rules: we play my way.

~Reservations are welcome.
~One entry per person at a time.
~If you'd like to donate points so I can give my trophy winners closer to the amount they'll deserve, I'd be grateful for them.

Since this is a faves contest, I ask that y'all let me know which poem you wrote, but it's not required, since I can figure it out.