Noel Yovovich from Evanston, Illinois

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Ode to an Ugly Effort

In the place I often teach,
There sits a cardboard box
Containing things that no one wants
From beads to bling to rocks.

On Mardi Gras I found myself
Pondering the Ugly Challenge.
Was contravening all the rules
A thing that I could manage?

The urge to order is quite strong --
There are those who call me "anal".
So could I make an ugly thing
And chance I'd just be banal?

To win the contest I must lose
The stuff of my beginning.
Is that a chance that I should take?
For me -- would that be winning?

But heedless of conundrum dire
With caution to the wind,
I plumbed that cardboard treasure trove
For things gilt, stamped and tinned.

At first ignoring finished stuff
Like earrings, toys and bracelets,
I soon remembered "Break the rules!
It's ugly! I embrace it!"

Anything I'd never touch,
In ways I'd never use things,
I delighted in the freedom, now,
Ignoring all my musings.

My Ugly Necklace, friends insist,
Should be a fine contender.
I'm just proud a thing so vile
Is one that I could render.

Ugly, yes, without a doubt,
Uncomforable and tacky.
But fond of it, I find I am.
It's good to free up "wacky"!