Love in iambic pentameter

Young Chang

Just stay away from rhymes like “June-tune-moon.” Try not to be

“drippy” in describing love or a first kiss and avoid letting

five-syllable words take over the poem.

Other than that, “anything goes, as long as it’s good,” said Lee

Mallory, a Newport Beach poet and organizer of Friday’s Valentine’s love

poetry contest at Alta Coffee House.

The first 15 contestants to sign up will get five minutes at the mike

to read their poem aloud. The works will not be screened beforehand,

Mallory said. Winners will get cash or other prizes and, hopefully, a

positive reaction from the special someone they’re reading to or about.

Neil Miranda, a Costa Mesa guitarist and songwriter who is part of a

band called Liquid Muse, will accompany the readings with acoustic-rock

and middle-eastern sounding love songs.

“I really enjoy the poetry,” Miranda said. “I think it compliments my

music and vice versa.”

Daniel and Lori McGinn, Fullerton poets who are titled “the ultimate

love poets,” will judge the poems.

In it’s sixth year now, the contest emphasizes the importance of

writing poetry about love. Mallory said he believes the craft can save

people from the adverse effects of technology.

“We’re caught up in computers, we’re tied up with the television, and

instead of hugging or giving a kiss, we just sit in front of the TV and

watch the color of the channel,” he explained. “I think high-technology

is estranging [us from] one another.”

Honest poetry written from strong feelings about a loved one,

especially if presented dramatically, can effectively communicate love,

he said.

Winners from past years have varied -- from older men in Pendleton

shirts writing about their first loves, to younger poets writing about a

love they’ve just found. The poetry has taken the forms of contemporary

free verse and haikus to the more traditional sonnets, Mallory said.

First, second and third place winners will probably receive cash

prizes, though organizers of the contest have not yet decided the exact

amounts. Other prizes and winners will get free dinners and services

offered by local businesses.

Material awards aside, the poets may be rewarded in a deeper way.

“I really believe in poetry. I really believe poetry can bring us back

together,” Mallory said. “And I really believe love is the most important

reason we’re on the planet.”

FYI

WHAT: Valentine’s Love Poetry Contest: From the Erotic to the

Tastefully Sublime.

WHEN: Sign-ups begin at 7 p.m., the contest starts at 8 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Alta Coffee House, 506 31st St., Newport Beach

COST: Free to watch, $4 to compete

CALL: (949) 675-0233