Poetry competition CLOSED 30th April 2024 5:12pm
A public vote has been requested
2024 Official DUP NaPoWriMo Challenge
21/30
Mass Approbation
“Look ma no hands,”
Is taken to extremes.
It's evolved into,
“Look world, nothing's
private,” it seems.
A constant hunger for flattery
to charge our self-esteem battery.
The value of Accomplishments,
opinions, art, even
that we exist is measured
in quantities of thumb's up,
likes, followers, and friends.
What's more disconcerting,
is asking the entire
cyber-race to rate one's appearance,
am I beautiful, desireable, run of the mill, or repugnant.
Laying bare ones ego
to lascivious flirting
and malicious bullying.
How can we teach
children to genuinely
love and respect themselves,
if they show no resistance
to screen name cloaked
messengers bent
on defining our place
In societies strata
or the worthiness
of our very existence.
Unique word count: 96
Mass Approbation
“Look ma no hands,”
Is taken to extremes.
It's evolved into,
“Look world, nothing's
private,” it seems.
A constant hunger for flattery
to charge our self-esteem battery.
The value of Accomplishments,
opinions, art, even
that we exist is measured
in quantities of thumb's up,
likes, followers, and friends.
What's more disconcerting,
is asking the entire
cyber-race to rate one's appearance,
am I beautiful, desireable, run of the mill, or repugnant.
Laying bare ones ego
to lascivious flirting
and malicious bullying.
How can we teach
children to genuinely
love and respect themselves,
if they show no resistance
to screen name cloaked
messengers bent
on defining our place
In societies strata
or the worthiness
of our very existence.
Unique word count: 96
21/30
Brain Zap
In and out, moods stay cycling
up and down, and in between
overlapping at every raw edge,
tendrils of madness weaving
Itself into the fabric of my mind;
I am just a giant Venn diagram of
self, diagnoses, and hormonal imbalance
will I ever know where bipolar begins
and ADHD ends; where an
estrogen scarcity creates anxiety,
and why my brain is fogged out
on perfectly sunny days?
will I ever be myself again?
Brain Zap
In and out, moods stay cycling
up and down, and in between
overlapping at every raw edge,
tendrils of madness weaving
Itself into the fabric of my mind;
I am just a giant Venn diagram of
self, diagnoses, and hormonal imbalance
will I ever know where bipolar begins
and ADHD ends; where an
estrogen scarcity creates anxiety,
and why my brain is fogged out
on perfectly sunny days?
will I ever be myself again?
21/30
Persistence
Show up everyday
Both in body and in mind
With dedication and attention to detail
Is sure to give you intrinsic rewards of a different kind
Be present in the moment
Take part and contribute to the world
Even small routines are steps toward a dream
Applying the experiences and knowledge you have learned
Try to not get too distracted
Time flies by fast as does motivation
But being determined with the everyday task at hand
With a well thought out plan you’ll never lose your aspirations
Stay fruitful and productive
Because not every can be the same
Practice mindfulness then you’ll avoid idleness
Showing up everyday and being persistent will level up your game
87 Unique
115 Total
Persistence
Show up everyday
Both in body and in mind
With dedication and attention to detail
Is sure to give you intrinsic rewards of a different kind
Be present in the moment
Take part and contribute to the world
Even small routines are steps toward a dream
Applying the experiences and knowledge you have learned
Try to not get too distracted
Time flies by fast as does motivation
But being determined with the everyday task at hand
With a well thought out plan you’ll never lose your aspirations
Stay fruitful and productive
Because not every can be the same
Practice mindfulness then you’ll avoid idleness
Showing up everyday and being persistent will level up your game
87 Unique
115 Total
21/30
Existential
I used to spend my days
Outside of my self
But the world was just as
Disingenuous
And when there is no safety
Inside or out
When trust is absent from
The internal or external
Aspects of existence
I wanted to combust
But instead I shrunk
& disregarded bits and pieces
Of who I was
And what the world had taught me
But abandonment
Felt lonelier than
Treacherousness
It was only when I experienced
All encompassing love
I found my way back
That’s when I learned
That I always knew truth
It was just misinterpreted
Twisted unrecognizably
Fragmented existence
Wicked’s going to come
And
It’s all going to be okay
{75 unique words}
Existential
I used to spend my days
Outside of my self
But the world was just as
Disingenuous
And when there is no safety
Inside or out
When trust is absent from
The internal or external
Aspects of existence
I wanted to combust
But instead I shrunk
& disregarded bits and pieces
Of who I was
And what the world had taught me
But abandonment
Felt lonelier than
Treacherousness
It was only when I experienced
All encompassing love
I found my way back
That’s when I learned
That I always knew truth
It was just misinterpreted
Twisted unrecognizably
Fragmented existence
Wicked’s going to come
And
It’s all going to be okay
{75 unique words}
21/30
SUPPRESSION
The cat nips me again
And I chase him
With the spray bottle
“NO BITING!”
I stare at the ceiling
Feeling closed
When I want to feel open
I am clothed
Though I desire
To be naked
Senses dulled
Despite my yearning
To be more alert
I take cold showers
So I can feel
More alive
I dispense teaspoons
Of precious water
To tiny potted plants
I think I know things
But I have no ability
To translate my cat
“BUT I LOVE YOU!”
He tells me with his teeth
And my instincts
They tell me to suppress
(70 uw)
SUPPRESSION
The cat nips me again
And I chase him
With the spray bottle
“NO BITING!”
I stare at the ceiling
Feeling closed
When I want to feel open
I am clothed
Though I desire
To be naked
Senses dulled
Despite my yearning
To be more alert
I take cold showers
So I can feel
More alive
I dispense teaspoons
Of precious water
To tiny potted plants
I think I know things
But I have no ability
To translate my cat
“BUT I LOVE YOU!”
He tells me with his teeth
And my instincts
They tell me to suppress
(70 uw)
21/30
Art/&/Soul
Finding pathways of: The way
Each day having a say in ears which hear
A sight in eyes which see
A light – In minds being the-being of: To be
Where my heart becomes a meeting place of soul/&/ art
Art
&
Soul: Seeing
&
Being
Information into formation/slash: Fruition
Fruition-sent/to flames of fire
Matrix of strange exchanges/exchanges-of: Strange
Fantastical magical perceptual paradise of marvels upon which to marvel
Times sands – Structured in shimmer
Grooves
of
Movement
Everything moves: Everything grooves
Finding-pathways/of: The/Way
Moving within the-grooves/grooving-within/the moves
Declarations
inside
of
Presentations
Tiered-tears
&
Lamentations
Art/&/Soul
Finding pathways of: The way
Each day having a say in ears which hear
A sight in eyes which see
A light – In minds being the-being of: To be
Where my heart becomes a meeting place of soul/&/ art
Art
&
Soul: Seeing
&
Being
Information into formation/slash: Fruition
Fruition-sent/to flames of fire
Matrix of strange exchanges/exchanges-of: Strange
Fantastical magical perceptual paradise of marvels upon which to marvel
Times sands – Structured in shimmer
Grooves
of
Movement
Everything moves: Everything grooves
Finding-pathways/of: The/Way
Moving within the-grooves/grooving-within/the moves
Declarations
inside
of
Presentations
Tiered-tears
&
Lamentations
21 of 30
Theme 3: Attitudes of Life
april song 21—all my fears
some days i hide behind my pillow, scared
of phantoms that have mocked my life and jeered.
i tremble when cold night begins to creep
into the quiet recess of my sleep.
for shapes and sounds are not what they appear:
their minion songs and dances are severe.
but bogey man shall die a sudden death,
for i shall strangulate his parting breath.
my father says his substance is surreal:
gross emptiness is easy to repeal.
tonight, i shall be waiting in my bed
to show him who’s alive and who is dead.
© cab♫
UWC 73
21/30
Adjusting
Calibrating my equilibrium
because lately, I have been off balance.
Looking for something to make me numb.
Childhood trauma and hurt ever since.
Walking heavy through these halls
fractured, leaving pieces of me behind.
Leaning up against the wall
for support, I can never seem to find.
Trying to reposition my feet
Before I start spiraling out of orbit.
How many times do I have to repeat?
I am exhausted, but I cannot quit.
[Unique Words 61]
Adjusting
Calibrating my equilibrium
because lately, I have been off balance.
Looking for something to make me numb.
Childhood trauma and hurt ever since.
Walking heavy through these halls
fractured, leaving pieces of me behind.
Leaning up against the wall
for support, I can never seem to find.
Trying to reposition my feet
Before I start spiraling out of orbit.
How many times do I have to repeat?
I am exhausted, but I cannot quit.
[Unique Words 61]
21/30
Who Took my Book and Smashed it?
Who took my book and smashed it?
Tore each page one by one
Chapters of love, anguish, sadness, grief
Bold capitalization and italics printed delicately
Illegible to naked eyes, I know that
Nobody reads my meaningless words
That hold each pound of my weight hardback
Someone stole my prized possession
I don’t have much, no.. but writing gives my sacred soul a microphone
It screams, I hear it miles away
The shredding of past memories
Dreams once had, or to be
They’re charred in a fireplace, or tossed into the streets
I feel the bloody ink run down my spine
It’s cold and thick
Who actually cares? It makes me sick
Sometimes I wonder who owns the mess
My own problems transcended a bookshelf
Into the wrong hands
I overshare, secrets leak
That novel was my only source of comfort
In a world of illiteracy
Now, someone stole my book and taped it together
I am nameless and altered, at the expense of a thief’s hand.
Who Took my Book and Smashed it?
Who took my book and smashed it?
Tore each page one by one
Chapters of love, anguish, sadness, grief
Bold capitalization and italics printed delicately
Illegible to naked eyes, I know that
Nobody reads my meaningless words
That hold each pound of my weight hardback
Someone stole my prized possession
I don’t have much, no.. but writing gives my sacred soul a microphone
It screams, I hear it miles away
The shredding of past memories
Dreams once had, or to be
They’re charred in a fireplace, or tossed into the streets
I feel the bloody ink run down my spine
It’s cold and thick
Who actually cares? It makes me sick
Sometimes I wonder who owns the mess
My own problems transcended a bookshelf
Into the wrong hands
I overshare, secrets leak
That novel was my only source of comfort
In a world of illiteracy
Now, someone stole my book and taped it together
I am nameless and altered, at the expense of a thief’s hand.
21/30
Abyss
Digging in the depths to find a clue
Something to anchor onto
Drifting with the wind yet again
Driven into the rocks
Splintered and withered
Rusted and deteriorated
Broken and soaked
Frozen and cold
Lifeline stranded
In need of attention
Seared and branded
Boiling unmentioned
Drowned out
Sunken bottom
Weighed down
Forgotten
Skull
Bones
Shattered
Ship
Hull
Battered
Abyss
Digging in the depths to find a clue
Something to anchor onto
Drifting with the wind yet again
Driven into the rocks
Splintered and withered
Rusted and deteriorated
Broken and soaked
Frozen and cold
Lifeline stranded
In need of attention
Seared and branded
Boiling unmentioned
Drowned out
Sunken bottom
Weighed down
Forgotten
Skull
Bones
Shattered
Ship
Hull
Battered
22/30
Do you think that’s air you’re breathing?
Convenience craves control
We are cogs in the mechanics enslaved
Blueprints for consciousness in the drafts of experimental AI
Past the point we can be saved
We are mastered by computers in the name of technological advance
Following algorithms to patterns after the network of digital romance
Minds undone as we plug in
Reworking perspectives of the news that’s sold
What do we believe in
Indoctrinated by the narrative of everything we’re told
What is the source behind it all
The collective coding, the programming of another’s ideal
Lucid fantasies on the screen
The mind incapable of distinguishing the false from something real
Networks of our social illusion
Pretending like we know ourselves as we sell our lives
Caught in the web of the evolution
Linked in as if our lungs are made of hard drives…
Do you think that’s air you’re breathing?
Convenience craves control
We are cogs in the mechanics enslaved
Blueprints for consciousness in the drafts of experimental AI
Past the point we can be saved
We are mastered by computers in the name of technological advance
Following algorithms to patterns after the network of digital romance
Minds undone as we plug in
Reworking perspectives of the news that’s sold
What do we believe in
Indoctrinated by the narrative of everything we’re told
What is the source behind it all
The collective coding, the programming of another’s ideal
Lucid fantasies on the screen
The mind incapable of distinguishing the false from something real
Networks of our social illusion
Pretending like we know ourselves as we sell our lives
Caught in the web of the evolution
Linked in as if our lungs are made of hard drives…
22/30
A Fool?
still
no guarantees
when hearts fall
love's a
cruel mistress
sometimes
photagraphic
memory
keeps repeating
framed through
rose tinted
lenses
romantic notions
wrapped in
chocolate
melts under
fierce
rejection
unrequitted
heartc.ache
stabs deeper
at wounds
already
hidden there
whiskey
never drowns
these sorrows
rubber ball heart
bounces on
regardless
waiting for
attitude
changing
is like an
ice age thaw
damn slow
Unique Words 61
A Fool?
still
no guarantees
when hearts fall
love's a
cruel mistress
sometimes
photagraphic
memory
keeps repeating
framed through
rose tinted
lenses
romantic notions
wrapped in
chocolate
melts under
fierce
rejection
unrequitted
heartc.ache
stabs deeper
at wounds
already
hidden there
whiskey
never drowns
these sorrows
rubber ball heart
bounces on
regardless
waiting for
attitude
changing
is like an
ice age thaw
damn slow
Unique Words 61
22/30
TIME PASSAGES
Time passes by like pictures in a dream
searching for a stillness in my heart
expanding present moments in the scene
Behind it all I wonder what it means …
it cannot be that life is ripped apart
with time adjudging pictures in a dream
And influential people gun the theme
that robot humans need AI to start
expanding present moments for each scene!
Divine connection flow has always been
our birthright freedom, living as an art
though time flit by like pictures in a dream
As sovereign rulers, be we king or queen
time’s our servant, tested counterpart
contracting present moments in the scene
Our living acts are polished to a sheen
until our turn to quietly depart —
the time passed by like pictures in a dream
expansion of a moment in the scene.
TIME PASSAGES
Time passes by like pictures in a dream
searching for a stillness in my heart
expanding present moments in the scene
Behind it all I wonder what it means …
it cannot be that life is ripped apart
with time adjudging pictures in a dream
And influential people gun the theme
that robot humans need AI to start
expanding present moments for each scene!
Divine connection flow has always been
our birthright freedom, living as an art
though time flit by like pictures in a dream
As sovereign rulers, be we king or queen
time’s our servant, tested counterpart
contracting present moments in the scene
Our living acts are polished to a sheen
until our turn to quietly depart —
the time passed by like pictures in a dream
expansion of a moment in the scene.
22/30
Freedom
and now free of her cage
she flies…and falters
so much time preparing,
surrendering what she
knew for sure, for a solid
belief in in not knowing at all,
instead allowing the force of
all that is, call to her
invite her
to worship among them,
soar alongside;
no one talks about the shifts
of the wind when climbing
to new, ecstatic heights
Freedom
and now free of her cage
she flies…and falters
so much time preparing,
surrendering what she
knew for sure, for a solid
belief in in not knowing at all,
instead allowing the force of
all that is, call to her
invite her
to worship among them,
soar alongside;
no one talks about the shifts
of the wind when climbing
to new, ecstatic heights
22/30
Dissolution of Their Union
Jagged breath-
The oxygen
feels like
shards of glass
Piercing
her
lungs.
Separated-
individually seated
at long
cold tables
legal documents
spread
all over
each
surface.
Needing-
to establish
division of assets,
visitation rights,
boundaries,
before things
get under way.
What does
this mean,
she wonders?
Why-
did it come to this?
How-
did it come to this?
And,
where does she go from there?
Crying silently.
57 u/w
Dissolution of Their Union
Jagged breath-
The oxygen
feels like
shards of glass
Piercing
her
lungs.
Separated-
individually seated
at long
cold tables
legal documents
spread
all over
each
surface.
Needing-
to establish
division of assets,
visitation rights,
boundaries,
before things
get under way.
What does
this mean,
she wonders?
Why-
did it come to this?
How-
did it come to this?
And,
where does she go from there?
Crying silently.
57 u/w
