Come on guys! Only 4 days until judging! To the top! 

Side note: My CAPTCHA, Roxy Foxy, says haymg. Is there a magazine entirly about hay? Seriously?! 

Hey guys, I'm going to be busy tomorrow and on Saturday, so I'll be postponing judging until the 25th. Thanks! <3

Hey everyone! This round was extremely hard to judge. My theme wasn't very broad, so a lot of these have similar ideas. A lot of this judging has come to personal preference, so don't feel bad if you don't place! All of your entries were awesome and I had a lot of fun reading them. ^^ Alright, back to the show!

Honorable Mention: Tie betwen Luminescence and Nightfall!

Lumi: Those last few lines really hit hard. They pack some punch and really get the message through. I love how the choppy lines and descriptions really fit the theme. You also did a great job of being conscious of your capitalization. Well done!

Nightfall: There's something very sweet about this poem, and I kind of enjoy how short it is- the length and the message really seem to compliment each other. Your descriptions were short, but spot-on; I really got the feeling of fall from your words! 

Third Place: Hawthorne!

You wove story and poetics together perfectly. You used spacing and line breaks very well to both tell a story and paint the scene. I can gather so much information about both of the characters from your words and the format, which is a pretty impressive thing to do! 

Second Place: Kitten!

I always seem to enjoy your poems! There's something very unique about them. You always make it clear what a talented storyteller you are, and this was no exception. You took me on a journey from your epiphany of why Autumn is awesome to the encouraging message at the end- and you managed to keep it coherent and flowing nicely. You have some lovely desciptions here, and your word choice is incredible. (I might need to borrow the word "Marchgustuary".) Awesome job! <3 

First Place: Azalea! 

You manage to convey really strong messages of despair and hope in a very short poem. You kept the story very clear and you told it beautifully. The short lines and breif descriptions really add to the mood of the poem and leave lots of room for what the poem is really about. I can picture the scene perfectly, even though I don't have very much to go off of. I love this poem, you did a wonderful job!

Here's my poem about friendship! It's about those friendships you have with people you only sorta know, at a pool or playground or restaurant or something, and you play together for a while, but then you kinda forget all about them, so your friendship just fades away.

~~~

Hello there.

Hello there,

girl from the pool.

you gave me advice,

and I followed

without hesitation.

you told me the truth

about the future I wanted,

I didn’t quite believe you,

but you were right.

your name is forgotten,

your face is blurred,

but your dark hair

dancing eyes

quick laugh

are bright in my mind.

Do you remember me?

I remember you.

Hello there,

blond girl with a shy smile.

we raced together,

back and forth,

win and lose,

here and there.

we were alike,

friendship waiting to happen

from the moment we learned

the other’s name.

I was older,

a bit less reckless,

taming your joy

when it stretched too far.

you were younger,

a bit more playful,

making me laugh

when I wouldn’t have smiled.

Do you remember me?

I remember you.

Hello there,

girl who loves to draw.

I know your name,

I know your face

but our friendship is lost to time.

there was no fight,

no split or rift,

just a gentle fade to nothing.

I saw you once, 

hardly recognized you.

I don’t think

we know each other anymore,

I don’t think

we ever will.

Do you remember me?

I remember you.

Hello there,

girl from the park.

barefoot, 

hair loose,

sliding and climbing.

quiet, but kind,

friendly, but shy.

we reached out

and clasped hands.

our friendship could have lasted,

when we both came back

the next day.

but I was busy,

so you left me behind,

and I haven’t seen you since.

Do you remember me?

I remember you.

Friendship for an hour,

a day,

a month,

built on laughter,

but laughter alone.

I still don’t know

what’s your favorite season,

if you have a sister,

or how you like your school.

I hardly knew you,

yet your face will not fade,

and somehow I know

who you are.

Do you remember me?

I remember you.

~~~

Roxy Foxy said akbfn. I think she means "Ok, bfn!" which would be fabulous because she said something reeeeally close to a word! *does a little happy dance*

I wrote this for NaPoWriMo many months ago, but I think it fits the prompt!

Not Sorry

I’m not sorry for the time I stole,

for the hours spent talking on FaceTime-and-phone-calls-and-walks,

for the endless conversations spiraling in loops like the best-told jokes,

for the laughter and sparks of connection, even -- especially -- 

when we should have been doing something else.

I’m not sorry for the jokes we told,

for the laughter and head-shaking that no one would understand,

for the acknowledgement of other people’s funny habits,

for the hilarity of weird quirky jokes, even -- especially --

the ones best suited to fourth graders.

I’m not sorry for the writing we shared,

for the close collaboration that sparked new ideas,

for the reading of personal stories,

for the off-topic discussions in chat bars, even -- especially --

when they kept us from working.

I’m not sorry for spending time with you,

for being your friend,

for finding joy in these times of sorrow.

I’m not sorry for being happy.

Broken 

“Hi.

How are you?”

“I’m fine. How’re you?”

“Cool, I’m good too.”

“K, see ya!”

It breaks my heart every time.

Another crack in the perfect spiderweb dividing my heart.

Sometimes, I worry my heart will fall apart, 

all over your feet.

But don’t worry.

I’ll pick the pieces up again,

and arrange them in my chest.

Because you can’t see how broken I am,

broken so much that saying 

“I’m fine,”

-a blatant lie-

hurts me more than anything.

But you don’t ask,

don’t question my fine-ness,

you just say,

“Cool,”

and go on with your day.

I wish you would question that.

I wish you would say,

“No, you’re not fine.”

I wish you would see through me, like a real friend.

But you don’t, so I just go on hurting.

“Hi.

How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Cool, I’m good too.”

“K, see ya!”

It feels like you’re pulling away.

Every time you say,

“I’m fine,”

an invisible tear slips down your cheek.

I catch it, and cradle it.

“Cool, I’m good too,”

I say.

I don’t want to pry.

But you never talk.

I want to ask you,

“What’s wrong?”

but would you just say,

“Nothing,”

or would you actually answer?

A cruel part of me dreads your answer. 

I want to keep our friendship as it is.

Breezy.

Light.

Fun.

I don’t want another broken human to deal with.

Is that mean of me?

I don’t know.

I just know, if you doesn’t admit you’re not fine,

I won’t ever have the courage to ask you.