Something of a pattern is developing in the fascinating world of the MinnPost Verse or Worse contest. As did the first challenge two weeks ago, the second one — a call for a name for Karl Rove's new column in Newsweek — got only two responses on the first day.

Your genial host concedes that there might be great appeal in working at an entry on and off for three or four days, much of that perhaps on company time. But he begs you to consider that having to twice sweat out the possibility that there won't be enough entries from which to select the five best has caused him to increase his consumption of creme-filled snack cakes to dangerous levels.

Happily, the lure of capturing the contest's top (and only) prize — the achingly beautiful MinnPost T-shirt — once again overcame perfectionism (or inertia), and by the 5 p.m. Thursday deadline the extinguished judge had a sufficient accumulation of entries to be able to winnow them to five.

Voting is now over. Come back next week to see who the winner is!

Here were the choices:

1. Red Rover
—Mary Grace Flannery

2. Karl Rove: Erudition Accomplished
—Ervin Stembol

3. Karl Rove: 3rd Blossom
—Fred Abuan

4. Rove: How Right Can I Be?
—Judi Vincent

5. Brain Drain ...by Karl Rove
—Dan Maki

On Dec. 10, the results of the voting (who gets that unforgettable MinnPost T-shirt?) — and a new challenge.