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Poetry Contest
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Poetry Contest
Poetry Contest
Well, we haven't had one of these in a while, have we? Time for a new one, I say! Welcome, resident poets!
The rules are pretty simple. I am the first judge. I will give you a theme, and you must write a poem relating to the theme. Be creative with your interpretations! I will then judge the entries by a set date, and the winner will then be the next judge, and set the next theme. And so on, and so forth.
The first theme will be... *dramatic drumroll*
Stars! Whether you chose to write about the kind of stars you wish on, or the kind that take the stage, I will be eagerly awaiting your sparkly, shiny, beautiful poems. Have them in by... Saturday, March 18. Two weeks. Sound fair?
I hope to see your poems soon!
~Booksy <3
submitted by Booksy Owly
(March 4, 2017 - 8:58 pm)
(March 4, 2017 - 8:58 pm)
(May 7, 2017 - 11:13 am)
The Dream
I go to the beach and find
That shells are everywhere
With a closer look I find
They are all sprouting hair.
Pink, orange, yellow, green,
I wonder what all this can mean.
Suddenly they all grow legs
And the tallest jumps over to me.
"Look" it says.
And I see.
The sea is yellow, the sand is green.
The sky is orange with a purple sheen.
Then the shell starts shaking me
And I wake up the find
That it's just a dream.
~~~
The poem focuses more on one dream then dreams in general, I hope that's okay? Also, I'm sorry I'm late. I kept forgetting to post.
(May 8, 2017 - 1:19 pm)
Well, I'm a day late, but since you haven't judged yet...
I remember when you first asked me
“What do you want to do when you grow up, darling?”
Back in the first grade
Expecting something normal
A firefighter
An astronaut
Or, at the very least,
A ballerina.
And I smiled at you
With my innocent, shining eyes
And I told you I wanted to write stories.
“That’s nice, dear.”
I didn’t hear
The surprise in your voice.
When in the fifth grade,
We were going around in a circle
“What do you want to be when you grow up, children?”
Listening to the normal answers
A police officer
A teacher
Or, at the very least,
A super model.
I said I wanted to be a writer
To make up universes from my fingers
And travel through time with the aid of a pencil.
“Wow, that’s quite ambitious.”
I didn’t notice
The note of sarcasm in your voice.
That day in eighth grade
We were sitting at the dinner table
“What do you want to be when you grow up, sweetie?”
The normal answers on the tip of your tongue
“A lawyer?”
“A doctor?”
“A software developer?”
And I told you I wanted to major in English
Learn to analyze works of the great masters
And to write with the lightness of a butterfly
And then, I’d become a teacher
Introduce others to these mystical worlds
And write on the side
Beautiful stories I’d publish and share with others.
And you shook your head,
And smiled
While you crushed my dreams beneath your heel.
“You can’t be an English Major!
They don’t earn enough money.
That’s a hobby, not a profession,
Darling.”
And then you added
As if it would make your worlds
Sting any less
Or mend my heart a little
“You have plenty of time
To decide.”
And now, a month ago
You asked me
As if you didn’t remember
How you ripped up my dreams with your own hands
“What do you want to be when you grow up, honey?”
I looked you in the eye
And I smiled.
As I told the lie.
The white lie.
No!
The red, spotted, evil, and mean lie
The fake lie
That broke my heart even further.
I don’t know yet.
I have plenty of time to decide.
You looked at me,
And you smiled.
For you could only be satisfied
If my little dream were destroyed.
(May 8, 2017 - 10:23 pm)
Oh, Booksy--that's beautiful! I love it!
(May 9, 2017 - 1:40 pm)
Wow, Booksy. . . that was amazing. . . I related to this so much.
(May 9, 2017 - 5:48 pm)
Thanks so much, you guys! *hugs* Yeah, deeefinetly not based off of personal experience. Not at aaaaall. *sighs*
(May 9, 2017 - 8:02 pm)
Oh nooooo, this poem makes me want to cry. I don't like it when people base career options on money, they're basically giving it more worth than happiness :( This is a great poem, Booksy!
(May 10, 2017 - 5:11 pm)
Could I join the next round? I was in a poetry contest, but it died, and I'm sad :(.
(May 10, 2017 - 7:49 am)
AH! Sorry for being late! Those who posted poems after the deadline but before now, don't worry I included you in the judging (which was really hard because all your poems are so great)! After much pondering, here's the results:
Honourable Mention: September!
Your premise is really cool and very original! I like the tone of your poem, it feels like the speaking character has a definite personality – tired of being asked about their dreams by the “you” character, and determined to find a way to show how their dreaming experience is just as good as the others. It's so true that sometimes the most vivid part of a dream is indescribable, more of a feeling than a story. I love the description in last verse/stanza:
but i?
i can only remember
the darkness, the
warmth, the kind that comes
before the light
before the sounds, before
the consciousness—
i can never remember my dreams.
i only wake up.
Third Place: Rosebud!
I didn't quite get the message you said you were aiming for from the poem, I wasn't sure which side of the mirror you were on and if the window was related to that. But then again, the uncertainty about that makes it more dreamlike, and I absolutely love the rhythm of your lines and the beautiful imagery of your words! Especially the lines:
but really, I’m only
leaving a cage of illusion
sometimes tears are
more freeing than smiles and laughter
because I know
someone is watching.
Second Place: Booksy Owly!
I love it! The story of your poem is so beautiful and sad (and definitely, absolutely relatable...). I especially love the wonderful imagery you use when the character describes being a writer. This part of the poem spoke to me especially:
And to write with the lightness of a butterfly
And then, I’d become a teacher
Introduce others to these mystical worlds
And write on the side
Beautiful stories I’d publish and share with others.
And you shook your head,
And smiled possible
While you crushed my dreams beneath your heel.
First Place: Bluebird!
Oh my goodness it's so beautiful! I love the way you break up the lines and the rhythm and feel of your words – it feels like it could be a spoken-word poem or even lyrics to a song. And I like how no capital letters (except for Coke, which makes me think of a Norman Rockwell painting and that adds to the feel of your poem too) makes it look as light and sunny as the images you convey. I can't really pick out any one line from the rest, they all fit together so well, but I do especially like this bit:
i'm dreaming of a red gingham
picnic, the taste of
watermelon and Coke
from an old-fashioned bottle. i see
iridescent beetles and honeybees, i
hear frogs croak in the shallow
muddy water. i look toward the sky like
a sunflower-
Bluebird, you're the new judge - let us know your theme and deadline!
(May 11, 2017 - 12:27 pm)
Squeee second! Yays! Congrats, to everyone! Bluebird, you definetly deserved it. I can't wait to see what theme you come up with!
(May 11, 2017 - 6:01 pm)
Congratulations, everyone, and thank you, Pied Piper! I have to think of a good theme now! Let's see, we've had stars, change, and dreams...
My theme will be only this- 'The End'. I think it can be taken a lot of different ways- you could write about the end of the world, the end of a relationship, the end of a season, an end that is actually a beginning, the end of a book, the end of a civilization, etc, or even just use the words 'The End' somewhere in your poem.
The deadline is May 27, about two weeks. I can't wait to read your poems!
(May 11, 2017 - 6:58 pm)
Yay, thanks, Pied Piper!! Congratulations to Rose Bud, Booksy, Bluebird, and everyone else who participated as welll! I loved all of your poems!!!
(May 11, 2017 - 8:49 pm)
This is taken from something written by Leigh Bardugo (author):
"My mother is Ketterdam; she birthed me in the harbor, and my father is profit; I honor him daily."
I know Bibliophile and a couple others will recognize this! I know it's not my best, but I didn't have a lot of time.
and you will meet my end
(May 12, 2017 - 8:03 pm)
AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Another Six of Crows fan!!!!!!! I absolutely love this, by the way!
(May 13, 2017 - 3:38 pm)
YAAAAY Six of Crows!!!!!! This is so cool, Rosebud!
(August 15, 2017 - 6:10 pm)