COMMENTS FROM CONTEST JUDGE MARIE KANE:

This is a poem full of sound that vividly describes what can be heard at night. Each section begins or contains an onomatopoetic word that could contradict the word "peaceful" in the title, but at the end, we see they do not.

Opening with the word "Shhhh!," the poet begins with the universal sound for 'quiet.' The definition of that sound follows as: "The roll of the river passes by." The alliteration using 'r' and the verb "passes" creates a memorable phrase that mimics the sound of the river itself.

The next section takes the reader to the sky. It begins with he sound "Wooooo!" that is described as

The peaceful moon glides
Across the air and shines,
Bright upon the darkness of the sky.

The use of the verb "glides" to describe the moon and the rhythm of the last line is a testament to this writer's skill.

The next two sections mimic the first two in structure. The third begins with "Chhh! Chhh!-a sound that is described as the "rustling of the forest that "awakes the forest animals." While the fourth section uses the sound "Whhh! Whhh! to describe the wind that "howls / Over the classic songs of the sea."

In the final section, the poet changes the form of the poem and also instructs the reader in how to listen to the rain. One has to listen "carefully / The rain powerfully goes / Rat-a-tat-tat." This onomatopoeic phrase appears in the third line of the section, not the first, and accurately represents the sound of the rain at night. To end the poem, the speaker says one can "Fastly fall asleep in a cozy bed / Aaahhh!" Here, the lovely sound of relaxation when listening to the rain, "Aaahhh," provides the peace that the title of the poem includes.

This lovely poem represents sounds of nature at night with accuracy and a sense of peaceful awareness.

Thank you for the privilege of reading your work!

Marie Kane
Final Judge, Sarah Mook Poetry Contest
engmrk@aol.com