Stumbling

There's a storm

I can't escape

It's pushing me down,

Invading my head,

Crippling my thoughts

And I'm

S

T

U

M

B

L

I

N

G

And the light is fading

And the dark is inescapable

And the stars are blinking out

And

Is this just me?

Or is the world ending

And the flood of unending chaos

Beginning?

How

Do I clear my head

And shake away the fog

Of confusion?

Can I?

Or will I keep

S

T

U

M

B 

L

I

N 

G

? 

(wow Serenety just said "DnD"!!! 

She held my hands delicately

As if they would break if she let go

And smiling warmth and wistfulness

She guided me across the bridge

My eyes would wander down to

What was below the bridge—

The darkest abyss, neverending,

Or the beasts that would swoop down,

With threatening eyes and claws,

And I would stumble, afraid of

What I could fall down to…

And she would catch me, 

Reassure me that as long as I

Was with her, I would not fall

Down, down, into the abyss,

Nor be taken away by any

Vicious beast of the shadows,

And with the confidence and care

Filled in her voice, I could easily

Believe—so I walked with grace,

My head held high—so when

She finally succumbed to the abyss,

Was it a mistake that I was always

Full of trust and confidence?

Did it give me a lack of preparation

For what was to come—

To face a darker abyss, fiercer beasts,

Tread on a string-width bridge—

Or was it a gift so I could cherish

Those times in my memories while

I still could—but now, without her

If I stumble, fall down into the

Dark abyss, or attacked by some

Ferocious beast, there would be

No one to steady me—

No one to save me

The only one that could prevent

Me from stumbling would be

Myself, and my will

To carry on

It’s written in the stars, (6)

Our fates (2)

They say (2)

And when I look into that speckled void (10)

Disaster is what I see: (6)

//

A shattered heart, a broken wing (8)

A pair of crumbling souls no longer able to sing. (14)

I am the bull, and you the twins (8)

Though it should be reverse, the truth remains that no one wins. (14)

// 

Easily frightened and flighty, (8)

Full of passion and motion, thrill, fear, and anxiety (14)

Fluid, flirty, ever on the move (8)

Projecting warmth, but ever-afraid of finding true love (14)

Is me. (2)

// 

Meanwhile you are strength, fortitude (8)

A solid castle, the fort to be sought when trouble’s brewed (14)

A stalwart, gentle king you are (8)

Always willing to search the land for your love, wide and far (14)

You're free (2)

// 

From the monsters that tear me up inside, (10)

You'll never quite understand, although kind (10)

I am utterly undeserving of your affection (14)

Of your mirth, your love, your attention. (8)

// 

I have stumbled (4)

Where you stand strong (4)

And I worry we won't last long. (8)

you look so lonely,

small,

a spark almost lost in an ocean of

darkness,

a bit overwhelmed, suddenly, a bit uncertain

the world is not quite right for you because

it's too big and you're too special

So when you feel that gravity is too much

and you can't stop the fall,

come to me

when you feel fragile i will be strong

when you're alone, i'll be there to hug you

when no one is right, i'll defend you against a thousand dragons

and when you stumble, i will be there to catch you

even though

Time for my judgements! You all did incredibly well.

Honorable Mentions:

AvaraStar – Wow! I love the spacing out of the word “stumbling” as it sort of falls onto the page. I particularly like the lines “And the light is fading / And the dark is inescapable / And the stars are blinking out”. The imagery is so vivid, and I also just really like the way the lines sound, if that makes sense? I feel like they would be very satisfying said aloud. Well done!

Amethyst – I love this one! It was very comforting to read, so thank you for that. The imagery at the beginning was very vivid, and the switch over to the narrator comforting the reader was very nicely done. I really liked both “a spark almost lost in an ocean of / darkness” and “i’ll defend you against a thousand dragons”, for the imagery and also because I really like dragons. Good job!

Third Place:

Hawkstar – This is so well written! I love the parts in parentheses especially. I feel like the dilemma was very well visualized – I assume it’s a metaphor for people who can’t be together for one reason or another, and having it illustrated as a literal wall that can be climbed was very powerful. I like the dynamic of a relationship on the edge of something that it will never become, and I think you got the tension of it perfectly. I especially liked the line “i just want to tumble to the ground”, because I like how it sounds and because it works really well as an aside within the context of the poem and also because I think it’s compelling to have the narrator this generally negative experience. Anyways. Well done!

Second Place:

Jaybells – I love the way this was formatted – it took me a minute to figure out what the numbers at the end of the lines were [it is the number of syllables, right?], but I really like how it looks. I also just really like the two stanzas next to each other describing the narrator and then the subject, and how they are the only two with the exact same number of syllables. The imagery was very strong, and I especially liked “A shattered heart, a broken wing / A pair of crumbling souls no longer able to sing”. Which reminds me – very good job on the rhyming! Well-executed rhymes are more difficult than they look, and yours were very well executed.

First Place:

Moon Wolf – The narrative arc of this was so satisfying! The visuals were also stunning – I feel like I could see the abyss and the beasts swooping around. It’s a sad story, but I like that it has a hopeful ending anyways. My favorite lines were actually the first ones: “She held my hands delicately / As if they would break if she let go”, because they’re very pretty and also serve to set up the rest of the poem, with this person taking care of the narrator almost more than necessary, whether that helped or hindered them in the end. Congratulations!

These were such cool poems – I had a great time reading all of them and seeing the different ways in which you all interpreted my prompt! 

Her soft fingers brush the screaming burnt-yellow ivory that used to curve into the shape of a pot; it is, among other things, something to caress, and tomorrow when she wakes up with bandaids on her fingers, at least the pieces will be in the trash; the almighty wastebasket, where good things and unimportant things and gross things go to die; there was something alive, once supported by the yellow pot, a twisted, browning, leafy wonder, but it died long before yesterday; yesterday, when her

I think I'm made of

Steel

Yet you shattered me

Like porcelain 

A china doll just for looks

To be pretty and to comfort 

To be knocked on the floor

Scattered about 

Leaving me hollow

We broke the rules it be us 

To be one

Together 

You seemed sincere 

You called me near

Captured my affection 

My attention 

Considered me caught 

I thought you gave me truth

Apparently, all lies

I know hearts don't actually break 

But mine feels torn apart 

Can I ever

Trust again?

You can piece yourself back together 

Glue the breakages 

But the cracks will still show

Displaying the fact

I'm broken

Sky the color of the mourning gray catbird

Stroked with ashy strips of smoke

Sleek black crows tear their way across the horizon

Racing the looming storm home

Angry waves violently thrash across beaten rocks 

Battle scarred by many a wind

Stray kittens dart beneath the refuge of stone

That was a castle oh so many years ago in times forsaken

Minnows bolt quickly behind the reeds

Salt spray on my cheeks and the wild wind ruffling my hair

Fear went numb an eternity before

Zephyros’ fury fierce and stinging like piercing nettles

Thick raindrops slash the abused earth

Foam-capped waves accelerate; rising to meet the enemy 

Thin tendrils of lightning lash across the sky

A symphony of thunder orchestrates it’s vexed roar

The beautiful beryl earth as precious as jade desecrated

The jagged, emerald land bears the wrath of the storm’s ruthless bane

I too am marred and broken like this land

Stones shouldn’t hurt the reckless ocean so much, they say

Numb and raw and shattered, that is who I am

Obsidian clouds roll across the sky like hate rolls across my barren heart

Call me a witch, a siren singing sailors to the sea

Because all they know are the sunken ships and drowned trimeres

What they don’t is my splintered heart

Hidden behind an vast ebony ocean of the endless sky 

Am I just a broken bird that longs for flight?

Blood is ink is tears is spilling is splattered is me is forever  

Tears roll helpless helpless helpless helpless

 Like a wind-washed driftwood splinter struggling to stay afloat

Survival is an always losing losing losing game

The hungry wrath of the storm and the sea consumed me once

Mourning is an eternal concept of pain

The gravitation of the sable tempest annihilates all thought

Once long ago they said they said

Meet me by the cove before I have to go and I’m still always forever waiting

For the time when you return home to the cove, our cove

Down by the waters deep and that tranquil blue 

Crested with mountainous dunes and white sandy shores

Where the selkies flirt, where the grass grows our shade of evergreen

Planks of driftwood floated to meet us, rising towards the shaded sun

Cloudy skies and smooth sea glass would always greet us

That’s where I’m forever waiting for you