Um, this is going to be sorta long… There were 9 whole entries this time! I'm impressed and super grateful for all of your participation, but it is really difficult to judge with all this. Perhaps I should've chosen a more transparent theme, 'cause y'all know I love some good dark and stunning poetry, and the theme 'reflection' apparently just invites that kind of stuff. :P

Okay, enough talk, let's get to the actual judging now.

Honourable mentions: Azalea, dreamiing, Luminescence, Luna-Starr, Nightfall

Luna-Starr: As always, you implement such a casual yet mature, emotion-laden style to spin a truly fascinating tale. The stunning imagery of a 'glossy sea,' 'whisperin moon' and 'specks of light shatter' all piece together such a charming scene; all the while maintaining a story thread and folk-talesy tone really serve to enhance the poem. It honestly sort of sounds/feels like the lyrics of a song. It's gorgeous~ 

dreamiing: Your rendering of the original myth of Narcissus seems to hold such longing, despair and ultimately a sort of bittersweet hope, that's it's hard not to relate, and the repeated questioning of a loved one's judgement, paired with the repetition of the "...but / im / not / you" really hammers home the overall misery before ending on a lighter note. I like the twist of considering another vantage point of a well-known story, and personally always appreciate a good perspective-shift. Well done!

Nightfall: Mmm, another darker one! The vicious metaphor for the monsters that one can become through words is fabulous, and the regret shines through in a sort of anagnorisis-tic moment. It's very easy to completely understand that kind of pain... Chilling, and oh, so beautiful!

Luminescence: The rhythm and repetition really sticks with me, and the softer interpretation of the theme is interesting in its own way. The idea of completion through a mirror image is an easy-to-grasp yet, in my opinion, rather unfortunately unexplored detail, that you ended up touching on; cool, isn't it? I also really like the bit at the end, 'I wonder / am I your mirror image too?" It's fantastic! I love when tough questions like these pop up, and really prompt the reader to think, plus in this case it adds to the serene curiosity and familiarity with the reflection. Not bad at all!

Azalea: First of all, nice job with the rhyming! I know that that's pretty difficult to achieve well, but you really pulled it off! Also, the shift between speakers feels rather enchanting, mystical; mesmerising, if you will~ The odd, almost-repetition of the last stanza, which parallels the first in a tense yet simultaneously simple, relaxed way also figuratively 'mirrors' the stilted rhythms that don't always match each other. Brilliant, if I do say so myself!

3rd Bakerloo: Ooh, I love the tormented feeling of guilt that is a heavy focus throughout, and the dark, desperate metaphors really just blaze heavy, too. I'm intrigued how after running, running, then hiding, staying huddled in a ball which serve as the climax to the mini-story you're telling, suddenly everything is different-- peaceful. The shift is so glaringly different, pulling the audience into a sense of security, before gently easing into a darker tone again with the "but you never felt the pain / did you.", punctuated by that haunting, "dont you want to share the guilt?" Gives me chills, and for some really draws me in. This also feels very personal and intimate, and I have to really admire it.

2nd*, Wreeboo: I love the imagery and bold descriptive word-choice; it really amplified the bleak, yet magical mood, where everything's set up to be a tranquil night, along with the bright, 'fat moon' (I don't think I've ever connected those words before, but I love it) and watery stars-- but then breaking the beauty, casting the 'reflections' down and instead honing in on how cruel it is that they're deemed unnecessary, despite all the unfulfilled hopes and desires they carry, and leaving the reader to mull over the question of whether the world collapse. Why would the world collapse? What if it really does, regardless of the reason? That mysterious air about it really solidifies this one as an intriguing experience in my mind. It's an absolute gem! 

2nd*, Kitten: How creative~ It's already unique since most poems aren't in such a prose-like format, and tend to lean towards a more free-style stanza; Not only that, but using a completely different interpretation on the theme of 'reflection,' not in the sense of a mirror, but rather looking back, too? I love it. (I was honestly hoping to see if anyone would take this kind of less literal view on the word!) I also find this way of dealing with deep themes through poetry, and bringing such topics to others' attention awesome; and the incredibly bare, raw, and truthfully guilty side of being fortunate enough to not experience all of it offers a very real look into a lot of unaffected people, which holds a heavy weight. That's quite a lot to tackle-- accomplish, all in one relatively short poem. You have my sincere admiration.

1st, Snazzycakes: Oh-la-la; just thoroughly haunting~ I love the juxtapositioning of it all, along with the subtle story and characterisation that manifests itself within the inner working of the poem! Especially the 'but our eyes, / oh, / our eyes' followed by 'when I cry, / you smile, / when I scream, / you laugh'. It really highlights the perceived cruelty of this double, and then that ingenious line of the '[you're] so close to nothing / just a sliver, / just a shard, but that's all it takes / to kill.' Ahh, so poignant, I love it! The fact that this dark reflection is in control, the 'puppeteer' so to speak, even as both move in symphony with each other as the tension grows, peaking there, it spectacular; just to reveal that the speaker is losing, one sliver at a time 'until there's nothing left / but you.' Tell me that doesn't give you goosebumps! Additionally, having your identity stolen by a mirror copy of you, one who's consumed you, is just such a creepy thought. And I love it, of course!

Even

On the coldest

Of days,

You can hear

Them trilling.

Even

In the darkest

Of nights,

You can hear

Them singing.

When snowflakes

Are falling,

You can still hear

Them calling

Out to the sun,

And the moon,

And the stars,

With birdsong. 

The music

Is ringing

Through 

The white snowfall

And people ignore it,

Take it for granted.

Birdsong is such

An old kind

Of music

That no one

Seems to notice

When it changes.

Would they notice

If it died

And was lost? 

i have no idea where this came from. i guess i just really like writing love poems with a twist lol

untitled~

the last time i heard this song we were young

maybe eleven or twelve

dancing in the field with the doves and the roses

i thought paradise was something natural

but then you left and proved me wrong

so i buried the radio next to your grave
and i swore never to listen to music again

i swore
but i never was very good at keeping promises
except if it was with you
so a year ago i turned on the radio
but i avoided that song like the plague

because my heart ached
every time i heard your name

maybe i'm just not good at keeping promises
because here i am with that song playing
and when i finally stop crying and
open my mouth to sing along
maybe i’ll feel like your singing with me
because now i realize why you liked music so much
it gave you purpose
and it
gives 

me 

joy 

now whenever i hear that song i sing along because
you always told me to listen with my heart

so now my heart is full of music
and the cracks are sealed
with song 

Hi, I know I just submitted this like 16 minutes ago, and it hasn't even shown up yet, but can you take down the poem? I reread it and decided I need to edit it before submitting. Thanks! (If you need me to wait until it actually shows up then I'll post a reply to the poem and then resubmit it again later)

OK, I just deleted it. I hope I deleted the one you intended and that you kept a copy, because my comment is . . . WOW! Very powerful poetry.

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