Hard Choices

I sit here debating which of three poems best conveys my message. 

The first was an assignment on the Color of Nature.  It had to be a rhyming poem. I quickly set out to meet the given criteria.  The resulting poem is light and pretty. While it softly addresses my message that being kind is not always easy, verses lack emotion.

My second attempt goes into more depth. I abandoned the assignment and strayed from end rhymes. It better conveys my message. But, it lacks a poetic feel.

Edgier was my third attempt. It is not pretty. Rather, it expresses more raw emotion. This poem lacks extra words, maybe even important connecting words. It is grittier than the other two.

Three poems with the same message. Interestingly, the concept got riskier with each attempt. But, as I stand before a microphone, which will I be most confident reading? I didn’t know, so I asked others.

Four people consulted. The results…a tie. Two people think the softer poem is the best of the three. It is definitely the most traditional. The other two prefer the edge of the last poem.

One person explained. She, a senior citizen, thought the first poem was the prettiest. However, it was the raw emotion of the third that drew her interest. It best revealed the poet.

I have gathered all three poems. It will be interesting to see which one I am brave enough to read this evening. Do I go with safe or expose myself to the audience?

Oh, just an interesting side note: the youngest and the oldest (both females) of my four people preferred the edgier piece. The two middle aged males liked the softer rhyming piece. My risk taker thought the rhyming piece was best. Although he never said it was good, just better than the others.