It has been extremely difficult to choose the winners of this giveaway competition. It was so difficult that I’ve decided to give up further book vouchers so that I could award further prizes. It’s book voucher season!

Unfortunately Jerry was unmoved by any of these poems, even those that were particularly complimentary to him. So I took decision-making matters into my own hands. I want to stress that this was VERY DIFFICULT, AS ALL OF THE POEMS ARE VERY GOOD. Everyone who contributed just really got Jerry, and I was not expecting that.

A $40 voucher goes to Jacqui Hammond.

I’d like to award Eamonn Marra the VicBooks voucher for $45.00.

And Rochelle Savage a $40 voucher.

And Rebecca Hawkes a $40 voucher.

A $50 voucher goes to Mae (5) and her big sister Jean (7) for their poems.

The $100 voucher goes to Grisham Langston.

Thank you to everyone who wrote poems. They are all, without exception, a total delight and some of them are unexpectedly moving. I will probably make this an annual thing, book voucher situation depending. And fingers crossed *somebody* doesn’t get hit by a car or stuck in someone’s garage.

Here are all of the winning Jerry poems.

JERRY POEM

Ko Jerry tōku ingoa (My name is Jerry)
Kei te ngenge ahau (I am weary)
Kei te tuahuru ahau (I am hairy)

—Rochelle Savage

JERRY POEM

Ballerina slippers, a forest axe
This time a velvet suit
I see you from the shore, Jerry, you’ve marched this earth before.

—Jacqui Hammond

JERRY POEM

Once upon a time there was a cat named Jerry
Who rode his bike everywhere
And his tail was stripy.

—Mae (5)

JERRY POEM

Once there was a cat named Jerry,
Who lived in a house on a hill,
His owner’s name was Ashleigh and he wanted to go to school.

—Jean (7)

JERRY POEM

thys jerrye boye he’m flex hys toes
an crinkle up hys little noes
for wen ye pet, hys purr doth groe

—Rebecca Hawkes

JERRY POEM

Jerry is twelve feet tall, which is big for a cat,
and carries Ashleigh to work everyday then
takes a nap by the heater

—Eamonn Marra

JERRY POEM

Hairy Jerry soft and fat.
Wary Jerry, don’t eat that!
Cheery Jerry wondrous cat.

—Grisham Langston

The Dribble of Appreciation