Okay. I'm here now. Sorry I wasn't before, I have a very long list of excuses why (It was my friend's birthday, my Bat Mitzvah is now less than a month away, King of Scars came out, I just genuinely thought Abi would win and I'd get second) but I'm here now and thank you so much Twirlgirl-- you have no idea how much this means to me. I've only ever won the poetry contest once before, and I think I can safely say that this poem way much better than the last one. I'm defenitely going to continue to expirement with the abstract, intense imagery in the future. Sorry this sounds kind of rambley and incoherent, I'm just very excited and worked up, going back to professional mode now.

The next theme is transformation. Be it a haiku alight with butterfly metaphors or a sonnet about the pressure and transformation of growing up (I'll admit it-- I'm secretly hoping to get some older participants from the Valentine's Day celebrations), I'll be excited to read your entries, which will be due by the beginning of March, and I'll try to judge by the 3rd or 4th. Hope to see your enties soon, sorry again it took me so long. 

Time flies

like a whirlwind

blowing me away 

I'm here then, the next minute I'm somewhere else

Someone else

millions of different personalities

have all been mine

Now what is happening to me?

I'm a thousand years older than I was a second ago

I feel like I don't own my own name

I feel like I'm not myself

The person who is me is long gone,

buried deep in the snow of memories 

Transforming

~

Okay, guys, I seriously don't think this will even get honorable mention, but this is practically my life. Not exxagerating. I feel like I'm someone else... But not in a really sad way like my (terrible) poem! Just sort of in a longing way...

I think I really get what you're saying, Aqua. And by the way, your poem isn't terrible at all.

Happy early Bat Mitzvah, Stardust! Or, Mazal Tov! 

I wrote this poem a while ago and posted it on the regular poetry thread, but I think it really fits with this theme.

You step onto the dance floor

Hesitantly, falteringly,

Practiced.

you try to move with the group

Together as one

none unique, All alike - 

their Heartbeats

their Pace

their Hair flips

their gum popping

their movie smiles

Clearing a path through the jealous crowd

you try to follow

They turn

Look you up and down

Size you up

And beckon graciously for you to join

To try your hand

But you - no darling, you are not like them

for you

your Heartbeat

your pace

your hair flips

your gum popping

your fake smile

Are ahead of the timing

For darling you are

Real

Have you finally realized

That life

Isn’t practiced?

that life

Isn’t paced?

that life

Isn’t choreographed?

That life

Isn’t contained?

And you step in front

Glance back

Then run ahead

And let the music take your hand

And set you

Free

Eyes closed

Hair whipping

body twisting

Arms flowing

Feet tapping

Heart racing

And you finally

Let go 

And 

Breathe.

Dance.

Fly.

______________________

xuzz? almost fuzz... 

I'm not sure what you'll think of this poem, and the style is kind of new for me, but here it is!

-- 

it is a beautiful dome of cream shell, smooth, uncracked

it is an impatient dome of cream shell, still despite its time spent waiting

it is a slow-moving dome of cream shell, sleepily beginning to develop

it is an egg, waiting for its time to come, waiting for the moment to split open, waiting for the soul inside to be ready

it is months later, many long, boring months, thousands of hours of nothing to see, nothing to do, nothing but waiting

there is a crack in the dome of cream shell, barely visible, a hairs-width wide

it is enough

there is a beak, small, yellow, frantic

there is a peck, another, many, as quick as can be

the crack begins to open

farther, farther, farther

it is a dome split in two, open wide to allow its inhabitant - small, gangly - to escape

appear

emerge

it is a magnificent mustard yellow body with small delicate wings and an urge to fly

it is a curious mustard yellow creature with a large developing brain and sparks of happiness leaping up

it is a new mustard yellow dragon with the will to survive despite the obstacles in the world

it is life

beautiful

magnificent

curious

hopeful

unrelenting

wonderful

life 

Untitled

I am finally calm, at peace.

but then, something changes, and

i just feel w r o n g

something inside isn't working the way it's supposed to

why is this happening

everything was fine before-

where did those shdows come from?

it was light just a minute ago...

what did i do? forget to breathe? forget to love? forget... to have hope?

it's too late now

why can't i just make it stop? because...

it's you. you, wearing converse with busted toes. you, flicking your thumb up and letting a penny fly off of it. you, plucking a blade of grass from the ground and sticking it in-between two of your yellowed teeth.

this darkness is becasue of what i did to you.

i cry as your face dissolves from in front of me.

now read from the bottom up.  

Ok here's my poem. It's probably pretty bad but oh well. By the way, I really like your poem, Soren.

~

You are always so predictable 

You were always so predictable

I begged you to try something different

And you listened

I remembered when

You showed up at school

Hair streaked rainbow

Ripped jeans

That belonged to your sister

You'd been laughing at them yesterday

V-neck shirt

That went too low

And scuffed up, scribbled on Converse

You looked at me

And winked

"You like it, huh?"

You grinned

Then you flipped

Your long hair

It used to be never out of place

Over your bare shoulder

And strutted away

To go laugh with the boys you hated

Until yesterday

You used to be so predicable

Then you changed.  

uh. does this count.

changeling/cages

they say i'm not/you're not/i'm not myself today

different/better/weird/better 

and i, i just want to shake you/me off, you locked me/my choices away

i'd have to say, "hey, that wasn't me, i'm not your/anyone's friend-"

i can't, i can't, i can't, but that's the price i pay-

i throw you in a cage

and lock us all away