Poetry Event
by Michael Anthony Dottino
She’s not your average canine, scruffy,instead she is both white and fluffy;
Only handled with great care; the gentleness of a Gund Bear
Nine pound princess rests upon her Throne With ruthlessness deserved of Al Capone Her royal staff includes my wife to whom she’s pledged to serve for life. My lovely spouse Magnificent Celi, when comes to Mia, turns to jelly Precious Mia, what do you require? Silk, hors d’oevres, your pillow higher? Fresh blanket, or plush toy? My purpose is to give you joy! The tiny bully rules the park, Great Danes shudder at her bark A correction, now, lest I be slapped, it’s less a “bark” and more a “yap: But still it freezes mighty foes, who show their bellies then lick her toes Trotting softly on dainty paws, “Oh dear that concrete scraped my claws!” She must not touch foul things as soil – her wardrobe befit a royal Her princess gown, or pirate suit, complete with cutlass and black boots Sweaters pink and pearls so white, they glisten even in the night. Dresses, costumes, scarves and hats her fashion sense displayed most phat. Always adorned above her station, sartorial choices exceed most nations.
Mental Athletes will have 15 minutes to memorize a previously unpublished poem.
Once the memorization period is over, the Mental Athletes will have 20 minutes for recall. Competitors MUST recall the poem from the beginning by writing it down exactly as it was written (the title and author also score). Mental Athletes must also make it clear where one line ends and other line starts as well as indicate where lines were omitted from their recall. A maximum of 2 consecutive omitted lines is allowed.
Points are awarded for correctly recalling:
- every correctly spelled word
- every incidence of a capital letter
- each punctuation mark (to include italics, underlining)
Each line has a different number of points available. Zero mistakes in the line scores all of the points. One or more mistakes in the line scores 0 points. The last line is scored a bit differently from the rest. A partially completed final line of the answer scores the marks for the portion remembered if the line is correct as far as it goes.
