Round One: Hush vs Ullr - ULLR WINS!

[Johnny 6 feet]

Hush- Great stuff man. Firmly on topic with a barrage of metaphors from start to finish. Word choice and rhyme scheme was strong from start to finish. Some stand out lines:

'My mouse darted forward and back as if in a room full of cats

I’m out my element ..Why couldn’t the cool table be periodic

Thought about it for a fortnite... been building to shoot the school up'

The imagery was vivid throughout. You said a lot in the short amount of lines you were allowed. Definitely be one to watch if you're still around as this tournament unfolds.

Ullr- On topic like white on rice. You told a tragic story of love and loss and weaved it into the image. The ending was bitter but not a shocker. Great rhyme scheme that never fell off and kept the flow of the piece smooth as silk. Stand out lines:

Our hands interlocked as we swayed in the breeze -
the canvas of Autumn, her weight was braced on my knee,
My dearly beloved, in the shade of the trees,
We danced into night as we faded beneath...

You'll never know pain until you've tasted its depths
the strain upon your brain, bitter flavor of death
depression is incessant, can't contain or repress it
Until it reaches fever pitch, igniting flames from the pressure...

You guys made this a really tough choice. I had to go back and re-read, then re-read again to make a judgement call. In technical terms there was little to call in terms of rhyme scheme or word choice. Hush had better wordplay but Ullr told a better story. It boils down to personal preference so...

Vote- Ullr, by an inch, this'll probably back and forth a lot IMO. Great work gents.