evolution

i.

you smell march before

it hits. mist on the mailbox,

haze contained in ivory envelopes.

uneven days transform into routine.

parking the sedan in the driveway,

snow shovel forgotten by the garden 

gate. giddy, coffee cup in your hand,

you find a flurry of letters. you find them

every evening

now.

they keep you warm like the fireplace did last winter.

ii.

summer creeps in on padded feet.

you book a flight.

three thousand miles just to see the stars.

the airport, sundresses and sunlight.

but everything is dim compared to your love.

a candle in your life, illuminated.

you spend that summer on the rooftop of

long red buses and

in corner cafés on foggy daybreaks.

your laughter lives through the night.

one midnight, you sit on the balcony, caught in a dream.

iii.

every pretty thing ends too soon.

in an explosion of rose petals and 

tea to last a year, you

find yourself alone driving in your sedan again.

rooted firmly in loss, the leaves

change hue. vibrant green to crisp apple red.

across the street, the neighbors

string purple lights and balance pumpkins in a 

pyramid. the autumn air chills your fingers.

during lunch breaks in the office, you

pour tea into disposable cups and drench yourself

in memories. 

at home, you spill candle wax on your slippers.

iv. 

december is the loneliest month.

no matter how many candles you light,

everything remains shrouded in darkness.

the only thing that could shatter the 

shadows

is a lifetime away.

christmas trees in the mall, glittering.

lovers buying gifts.

you walk this road solo.

you sweep snow off your driveway.

at the bottom of all the ice,

you find

a glowing red petal. 

Candle

Like a little candle’s flame

I’ve been brightened since you came

You lit the light within me

Forever together we will be

This flame shall keep me warm

Even during the darkest storm

So long as we stay strong and true

My light will never die….for you

Dark

Dank

Damp

This is my home of Despair

Cold

Wet

Sad

This is my home of Tears

Hurt

Broken heart

Pain

This is my home of Lonely

Hate 

Anger

Rage

This is my home of Fury

Hope

Kindness

Love

Has left, no home here

The sun is covered by clouds of tears

That fall and sting my skin

I have fallen into a pit of despair 

Of tears, lonely and fury

You left me

When I needed you the most

My cries went unheard

Or so I thought

A ray of sun through the rain

A ladder to the surface

A smiling face

Open arms 

Loving gaze

My heart is whole once more

I can love again

My eyes have opened

And I run toward the light.

Uhh... did this poem get away from me completely? Yes, yes it did. Hope it didn't stray too far from the prompt, though...

~~~

warm air pulling water droplets from our hair

sitting shoulder to shoulder on pine-needle sewn slats of wood

I told you I'd never seen so many stars at once

you said you hadn't either.

backs against a wall, facing absolute darkness

twisted into the shape of trees

the boughs bent towards us

& pulled us closer to the sky.

our voices felt quieter than total silence

the moon was so bright it burned my eyes

& stung like dry ice when I reached out to touch it.

secrets spilled out of my mouth in waves

& the fireflies snatched them up & hoarded them.

a single shooting star alighted

from God's hands into our own

& I don't know if I loved you then

but in that moment

we were the only two people to ever see the sky. 

Um, I hope it's okay if I join the contest. I've been on the CB a long time but *deep breath* I'm a little self-conscious about posting my poems. So any constructive feedback would be great! Hopefully the format doesn't come out weird with this one

Untitled

you

alight

bird-like

hummingbird wing heartbeats 

thrumming inside my chest, bursting

flying       and

soaring      and 

crying       and 

f

a

l

l

i

n

g

for

you 

brown feathersoft eyes leave

songbird-shaped prints on my soul, then

you

fly

a      w              a                        y

and

i'm left on the ground

'cause i never had wings without

you 

late, and with less-than-adequate feedback, i’m so sorry :/ you all had amazing poems, and it was so hard to pick a winner. thank you all for your patience <3

honorable mentions~

moon wolf! this poem is so sweet! i always find it so hard to write rhyming poetry without it feeling forced, but yours doesn’t seem like that at all! the rhyming is really natural, and adds a nice rhythm to the poem. and i really like how you compared love to a candle—you executed it really well, too. nice job :D

hawkstar! ooh, this is really pretty. i love the short one-world lines at the beginning—they create a really cool rhythm, and then when you start using longer lines halfway through the poem it’s really effective in shifting the tone. the repetition with “This is my home of Despair,” “This is my home of Tears,” and so on sets the mood really nicely. overall, i really love the message and it’s just really beautiful :)

celineburning bright! whoa, i love this! it’s got a really nice rhythm and rhyme scheme, and the message is kind of complex but executed really well—the way i interpreted it, it’s about how growing up and maturing and leaving behind that childhood innocence and carelessness? and it’s also got themes of not being able to show your emotions without people making you feel guilty for not being happy all of the time. it’s really relatable, nice job :)

sylver! ooh, this is lovely! i love the repetition throughout—not just with the italicized words but with “moonrise, sunfall / sunrise, moonfall” too. i especially like the lines “the night / closes in with shadowy hands”—the imagery is really pretty. i love the celestial themes as well. nice job :D

third place

silver crystal! this is so pretty?? i love the unconventional (?) imagery: “pine-needle sewn slats of wood” and “fireflies snatched them up & hoarded them”—it’s all just really creative and adds to the uniqueness and beauty of this poem. you’re always able to establish such a vivid atmosphere through your poetry, and i really love that about this piece. it’s such a sweet poem, capturing a small moment and writing about it with a sense of beauty and wonder. nice job :D

second place

flamarestii! whoa, this is so beautiful! i totally understand being self-conscious about posting your poems (i used to be/am still? like that) but the poetry contest is a great place to grow as a poet :D anyway i really love your poem! celine said it better than i ever could XD but i really do like the formatting—it adds a lot to the poem, and honestly it’s just so cool. i love how you used birds as a metaphor for falling in love and—ultimately—unrequited love (at least that’s what i got from it). the imagery is also beautiful—i especially like the lines “hummingbird-wind heartbeats / thrumming inside my chest.” it’s really beautiful, nice job! i’d love to see more of your poetry (only if you’d like to share, ofc) :)

first place

cruciverbalist! what this is so good!! your writing is simply beautiful—i’m especially fond of the lines “you smell march before / it hits. mist on the mailbox, / haze contained in ivory envelopes.” i love the imagery. the concept is really cool too—using the seasons to tell a story about a relationship, and you executed it really well. there’s so much emotion in this piece, too! lines like “the autumn air chills your fingers. / during lunch breaks in the office, you / pour tea into disposable cups and drench yourself / in memories” do an excellent job of creating the overall tone. i really love this poem, it’s gorgeous. you’re the next judge! :D