This month, we ran a poetry contest to celebrate National Poetry Month. We challenged our readers to craft a poem using only the words that appeared in one of our newsletters (here are the original contest guidelines if you want to give it a try).

While prose is our newsletter's bread and butter, it turns out that you all certainly aren't op-prose-d to verse; we received several creative, intriguing, and beautiful poems that we narrowed down to our top five finalists.

Check out the poems below, including the contest winner our readers voted for.

Winner: "The Forecast is Great" by Peter W.

Race to more knowledge, variety is fuel, Your abilities are unique, 'know' exception to the rule. Amazing, full of creativity, this Summer is for you, Libations, Food, Community...it’s all good news. The Forecast is Great, a tribute to you, Charleston Palms, location, and lifestyle, forget any Snafu. Are you ready?... The Happy Hour has come, be good, be friendly, be interesting, and please...have some fun.

Finalist: "The Tide Poet" by Cassell P.

In honor of The Tide Poet! We are simple at sunrise with the need to pull poems from precipitation. We’ve found feature in the forecast, form in the fungi, to forget Today’s poem only appears once– We do not have limitation. Calling all, anywhere: Be easier on yourself. We’ll recommend our favorite poetry process out by the tides– they’re open to all and today’s words are totally here for you.

Finalist: "Charleston is an Original" by Hellen G.

You will find style highlighting the originality. You can see the creativity in the poem we submit. CHStoday will feature our artistic quality. We’ll vote for our favorite. We’ll be ambivalent to some. Don’t forget to have fun! Your words are an exception. Your poems have happy words. YOU BE YOU! (Interesting… Red. Fungi.?)

Finalist: "Poetry" by Cathy F-H

Poetry is based on using words to celebrate creativity. It appears a simple craft – An open game with no rules. You play. You discover you will work. And, inspired, you courageously submit to a good process. Takes abilities to turn a collection of words Into a pretty show. You clarify. You mix and match. You use your unique style. You play with words. You are officially a poet.

Finalist: "Relationship" by Cathy P.

Sunrise, Sunset. Day, Evening. Low, High. You're Ambivalent. Once mix and match, the dress pants are now impeccable. Like a variety of red wine or tequila, your style is the ultimate, an original. With all your friends you work, play, and swing, party, and celebrate. Honor? You do not know it. This weekend is building to a reckoning. You are invited to his death.