According to the Oxford English Dictionary, commitment means "an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action." And I certainly understand this true definition more than I ever have before. Because I made a commitment to judge the uninspired entries of this year's poetry competition and they have, indeed, restricted my freedom of action.

I will give no further explanation of the disappointment I felt reading this year’s poems, other than to say, it brought to mind the feeling I had viewing my husband’s purple-clad coffin being lowered into the ground.

The 2nd place winner was written by someone named JULIA, who insisted on signing their poem in capital letters without a last name, an affect I find particularly unappealing. Regardless…

In Question Mark, Ohio, a mystery unfolds,
Whispers in the wind, tales left untold.
Ghosts dance through the streets, time in
their control. Signs vanish, shoes disappear,
secrets take their toll. Oh, Question Mark,
enigmatic and unknown. In your depths, the
truth lies, patiently sown.