she picks a pebble off the ground, grey as a cold sky

she brushes dirt off, sets it gently in her palm

what is life, she thinks, but a cracked pebble that thinks it's special?

nevertheless, she threads a chain through it, and wears it around her neck

life, she figures, may as well be enjoyed

she bakes bread and eats it,

she picks berries and talks to her friends

she stares at the ceiling and whispers the things she's only ever thought

then she takes it off to shower and it stays there, on her bathroom counter

the flourescent light shuts off,

she goes to sleep.

the next morning, she knocks it off the counter

it falls on the floor amid cobwebs and dust

she contenplates saving it, but she might be late for work

she leaves it lying there, dirtier than before. 

but it was beautiful while it lasted.

perhaps that's worth the ending. 

This is far from my best work but I wanted to enter something for this contest. 

the silent sparrow

it’s small, 

smaller than it should’ve been,

lying there on the cracked concrete

beside the curb

as cars barrel by without a thought,

clouds of exhaust like

smoky ghosts,

forever haunting the city streets.

its soft white underside is what first caught her eye,

a sort of vulnerability there’d never have been in life.

its wings, a brown and black tapestry,

curl around it, like some

mock funeral shroud,

and its talons forever claw at the air,

rendered in lifeless stone.

its beak glints like a dull, rusted sword—

useless, now, but reminiscent of the

conquest it might’ve led.

a warm august breeze rustles the feathers on its chest—

if she squinted she could pretend it was still 

alive,

breathing,

but it isn’t, of course.

she picks a golden wildflower,

delicate petals like silken sun rays,

growing from a crack in the sidewalk,

places it upon the bird’s naked white chest, 

bows her head, solemn

as a churchyard angel

made of stone,

or perhaps as a humble peasant

being knighted by a noble king. 

after a moment, she stands up,

walks away, 

and the bird remains.

and life goes on.

Life is meant to be real,

Full of feels and smells and sensations: 

So many strive for authenticity,

Chasing 'organic,' 'all-natural' and 'freedom'

We are appalled by the barbarousness of the wild,

Yet lust after her serene sheen of youth and animation

Whilst also pumping the planet full of plastic,

Smothering her oceans in oil,

Coating her pores in asphalt,

Drilling and scraping away her organs for her limited resources, and

Hunting her vivacious spirit through the forest

Until there is no tree nor stag nor wild at all.

We leave nothing but destruction in our wake.

After all, we are the type to feverishly take and take and take. 

Taking, taking. Always taking. Only ever taking.

Only then do we toss our refuse,

Our waste, our broken dreams and lost causes, our death

Filling her stomach with rubbish and pretending it to be our thanks --

Such a cheap repayment for the life she has given us;

The life she so painstakingly breathed into existence,

The small spark she patiently kindled into a raging inferno,

Sacrificing her time and body, nurturing us

Until we have no choice but to thrive

But oh, do us humans hate to thrive.

We court our vices so dearly, starstruck yet terrified

Of what lies beneath our flesh and bone and blood --

It is so hard to look past those things, though

So we turn our wrathful frustrations out at all those around us;

Ourselves, our neighbors, our planet.

As if we detest her for birthing our sorry selves,

We strangle the shine out of the Earth who raised us.

No more sights or smells or sensations.

No more freedom or nature or realness. 

Not after all we've done to steal her flame,

To take it as our own,

Only to douse it in our pathetic, damp, heavy mass of sins.

Do we really deserve the life we so often trample on? 

Can we truly claim to live when it is at the expense of all others? 

Hey Moon Wolf, just a reminder, it's judging day! No pressure, though :)

These poems were so hard to judge, as they were all so good. It was quite nice reading all of them, and I enjoyed them a lot...

Honorable Mentions (of course, in no particular order):

BookGirl!

I really enjoyed how your poem questions what life means, and the examples of certain precious moments that capture what a person's meaning in life could be. I also enjoyed how you leave a question for readers to ponder, as something similar to what was listed or something completely different. Good job!

CelineBurningBright!

You truly captured the topic of life in this poem, showing how you can live in the world however you want, as it is yours to make. I especially enjoyed your descriptions in the beginning and how you described life as an energy "Crackling, leaping, jolting / Me". And the ending gives me a determined feeling, about how you should continue living for your purpose. Amazing!

Hawkstar!

I liked how you showed a life throughout your poem, from a childhood to the teens to adulthood and lastly as an elder. I enjoyed how throughout the childhood, you showcased a feeling of carefreeness and freedom, and in teens, you showed a scene of hanging out with friends and reading, slowly growing out of childhood, and as an adult, you revealed a family, and lastly, you showed a more thoughtful stage of any dream "to come true / for you", which I especially enjoyed. 

WordSong!

I loved the way you showed a girl thinking about life, and as she goes throughout her day, it is portrayed in a gloomy-kind of light. You showed a kind of feeling of life being short and unappreciated, "but it was beautiful while it lasted. / perhaps that's worth the ending." That part was my favorite, as it really made me think about how life is beautiful, and maybe it's worth the death in the end. Awesome job!

Sylvazia!

Wow. I really liked how you portrayed rain and water as life, as an essential for everything. I also enjoyed the metaphorical meaning to it, of how although rain/life may seems gloomy, it's also a part of it. I especially enjoyed the lines, "Though some may hope for warm days / Sunny, and hot days / What gives us life is the water, those hard days where the sky is gray." It really shows how life grows out of not the easy and enjoyable times, but the harsh times when it looks more bleak. I loved this take on the topic.

Third Place:

Jaybells!

Throughout the poem, you showcase how the Earth is unappreciated, trashed by humans. I loved the way you come to question the way we treat life, and the environment, about how we take away from the Earth and, "Only then do we toss our refuse, / Our waste, our broken dreams and lost causes, our death / Filling her stomach with rubbish and pretending it to be our thanks --" I like the way you show Earth as a sort of being that we should enjoy and protect. Really great job! 

Second Place:

Pangolin!

This poem is truly amazing. I really enjoyed the way you made your poem based on the topic, of how it focuses on a lifeless sparrow, and your descriptions on a what could've been of the sparrow's life. I loved the last few lines, "walks away, / and the bird remains. / and life goes on." It shows how although there may be loss in life, it still goes on nonetheless, without it. Again, truly amazing. 

First Place:

Ultimatum! 

This poem feels professional. I loved what you did with the topic of life, of how you depict people wanting to move faster, in a way like through life, and on how it is useless to just cast it away when all will move on eventually. My favorite part is, "Can you make out / the lantern fading into the night / Can you laugh at me / wave goodbye to the person not standing in the light / I stride away by the side of the Styx / with sorrows and joys in my mind unfixed". This poem is really meaningful, and I love the description that went in with it. Congratulations! You're the next judge! :D