Zy -- I liked this verse. It felt very methodical and fleshed out.. I just hate the fact that the topic was Christianity because of what the commentary about the religion is. I think of it as relating more to empires or legacies; but i guess in just the same way you could say it about a religion. I can't conjure a word better then methodical for the wording and I keep wanting to point out how good it was -- It's not often you see an allegory that well thought out. I feel like this was more about the stories in the bible than the religion as a whole though when I look deeper into it. "snake charmer" alluding to the snake that baited Eve. The pine tree was (maybe?) your depiction of God, planted firm and towering in this story. When someone (snake charmer - laying seedlings) came to "overtake" what he has created. As the vine's scheme succeeds quickly - it doesn't intimidate the pine (god) - because he enforces the cycle of life and, really, who gets to be among the tree-tops for their efforts over a long period of time. I dont know if my train of thought makes sense but thats one way my mind spun the allegory. Either way well worded and definitely got my mind going so great verse.
Mike -- There were two lines in this verse that really stood out to me and sent my imagination in two different directions. The first line, and in my opinion the most powerful one was -- "magnetism of lovers." It got my head into a concept of actually talking about atoms and ions in the human body and our electrical and magnetic qualities and how they're relative to how we find a mate. I think a verse against religion but based on finding a mate on that level would be extremely rich in conceptual freedom. The second was the line where you said testament. I thought it was peculiar you used a bible-related word (in its most used pretense) and tried to use it against the religion and for atheism. The idea of using the bible against itself for the purpose of explaining love sounds like a cool concept to me also. The problem, at this point, is that both of those seemingly cool concepts were gleaned from the wording in your verse, but not actual ideas in your verse. As it is I think conceptually your verse lacks in rolling a fresh concept from start to finish - instead it has bits and pieces of interest littered within it. Nothing wrong with that, just not as well rounded as your opponents.
Overall -- Zygote wrote something that could be interpreted many ways on many levels and still holds a message that is strong in stand-alone form as well. Mike had some good ideas littered within his subject matter but I felt the overall product was much stronger from
Zygote
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