Poetry competition CLOSED 29th May 2020 5:57pm
WINNER
eswaller
eswaller
RUNNERS-UP:
slipalong
and Calamityofgin
Tortured Souls
Poetry Contest Description
Those who inspire us
Tortured Souls
They are the artist, the painters, musicians and entertainers
They are those who inspired us and brought joy to our hearts
But in the work they shared we also witnessed their anguish
The geniuses behind masterpieces and great works of art
They were ahead of their time, sometimes changing the world
But they were also tormented by demons and substance abuse
And when their suicides left us with nothing but questions
I wonder what trials they experienced when they paid their dues
Modern musicians like Jimi and Janis with great musical talents
While other were in great pain like Cobain whose tunes
Reverberate with ghostly echoes and soulful voices like Amy
So many in the twenty-seven club, all gone too soon
Or how about the classics, when they descended into madness
Beethoven, Mozart and Berlioz with fantastic symphonies
But when the mind explores vibrations never heard before
For some it explodes when they’ve having epiphanies
Their creations showed another plane of reality, beyond humanity
Like Frida and Pablo expressed depressed agonies apropos
And when they were haunted by illusions and visions
They poured out into words and paintings like Poe and Van Goh
Writers and entertainers, like Tennessee and Robin Williams
Even when loved by millions they had a secret somber path
But is there a mental illness that comes with this creativity?
Or do they just lose their way like Hemingway and Plath?
These are just some examples of the world’s greatest artists
Those whose gifts also came with a curse they couldn’t control
Each of their stories, heartbreaks, misfortunes and glories
Make us sorry for the sorrows of the beautiful yet tortured souls
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tell us about your favorite musician, artist, author, poet, or performer who inspired you but you knew they were suffering on the inside. Tell us who you admire and pay homage.
Rules:
1. Title Your Poem
2. Min. 200 words, Max 400
3. New Poems Only
4. Any style except prose
5. One Entry Per Poet
6. No Collaborations
7. Post your poem then link to this comp thread
8. Any questions PM me
May go to vote.
Good luck Poets.
They are the artist, the painters, musicians and entertainers
They are those who inspired us and brought joy to our hearts
But in the work they shared we also witnessed their anguish
The geniuses behind masterpieces and great works of art
They were ahead of their time, sometimes changing the world
But they were also tormented by demons and substance abuse
And when their suicides left us with nothing but questions
I wonder what trials they experienced when they paid their dues
Modern musicians like Jimi and Janis with great musical talents
While other were in great pain like Cobain whose tunes
Reverberate with ghostly echoes and soulful voices like Amy
So many in the twenty-seven club, all gone too soon
Or how about the classics, when they descended into madness
Beethoven, Mozart and Berlioz with fantastic symphonies
But when the mind explores vibrations never heard before
For some it explodes when they’ve having epiphanies
Their creations showed another plane of reality, beyond humanity
Like Frida and Pablo expressed depressed agonies apropos
And when they were haunted by illusions and visions
They poured out into words and paintings like Poe and Van Goh
Writers and entertainers, like Tennessee and Robin Williams
Even when loved by millions they had a secret somber path
But is there a mental illness that comes with this creativity?
Or do they just lose their way like Hemingway and Plath?
These are just some examples of the world’s greatest artists
Those whose gifts also came with a curse they couldn’t control
Each of their stories, heartbreaks, misfortunes and glories
Make us sorry for the sorrows of the beautiful yet tortured souls
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tell us about your favorite musician, artist, author, poet, or performer who inspired you but you knew they were suffering on the inside. Tell us who you admire and pay homage.
Rules:
1. Title Your Poem
2. Min. 200 words, Max 400
3. New Poems Only
4. Any style except prose
5. One Entry Per Poet
6. No Collaborations
7. Post your poem then link to this comp thread
8. Any questions PM me
May go to vote.
Good luck Poets.
Oh Chet!
Every note you laid you played from the heart
It sounded like how a wounded soul would sing
Even with a different embouchure in later days
Your performances were still so amazing
There was a certain loneliness in your voice
Even in the midst of a crowded smoky room
When all eyes were on you, you resonated
With emotional tones of both bliss and gloom
Your lyrics aspired many hopeless romantics
Even in the chaos within you were still so smooth
In the timbre of the way you played your trumpet
There was a serenity that seemed to soothe
And though you struggled for all those years
Fighting those demons made you almost blue
I was sad to hear you couldn’t kick that habit
Like your words, flirting with disaster became you
It sounded like how a wounded soul would sing
Even with a different embouchure in later days
Your performances were still so amazing
There was a certain loneliness in your voice
Even in the midst of a crowded smoky room
When all eyes were on you, you resonated
With emotional tones of both bliss and gloom
Your lyrics aspired many hopeless romantics
Even in the chaos within you were still so smooth
In the timbre of the way you played your trumpet
There was a serenity that seemed to soothe
And though you struggled for all those years
Fighting those demons made you almost blue
I was sad to hear you couldn’t kick that habit
Like your words, flirting with disaster became you
Written by wallyroo92
Go To Page
(not an entry)
All Eyez Recognized His Pain
You started having premonitions once you transitioned into fame
Frequently mentioned death's transmissions calling out your name
Never refrained from conveying how pain haunted your spirit
Palpable and relatable were the words of your lyrics
A cleric couldn't spill it any better or clever
Talented thespian with chameleon endeavors
Survivor of five shot fire from going into Quad
They tried to slaughter but just made you go more hard
Charred scars caused an ailment of paranoia
Unsure of what door had foes coming for ya
Ninety-four tore your mental before the penal
Many turned against you at the sexual assault trial
Fake smiles of faux friends came to an end
As you slid through your bid in the FED pen
Then you began your stint with Death Row
Took pent up vents and allowed them to flow
In tow was more music than one disc could handle
All Eyez On Me CD is a classic on my rap mantle
You dismantled the game frame by lyrical frame
I Ain't Mad At You depicted you as a vic being slain
It's like your brain sustained thoughts of an early demise
A tortured soul who composed a poem called In The Event Of My Demise
You recognized that blue skies just weren't going to remain
Even when Above The Rim you dimmed the lights and created Pain
Frequently mentioned death's transmissions calling out your name
Never refrained from conveying how pain haunted your spirit
Palpable and relatable were the words of your lyrics
A cleric couldn't spill it any better or clever
Talented thespian with chameleon endeavors
Survivor of five shot fire from going into Quad
They tried to slaughter but just made you go more hard
Charred scars caused an ailment of paranoia
Unsure of what door had foes coming for ya
Ninety-four tore your mental before the penal
Many turned against you at the sexual assault trial
Fake smiles of faux friends came to an end
As you slid through your bid in the FED pen
Then you began your stint with Death Row
Took pent up vents and allowed them to flow
In tow was more music than one disc could handle
All Eyez On Me CD is a classic on my rap mantle
You dismantled the game frame by lyrical frame
I Ain't Mad At You depicted you as a vic being slain
It's like your brain sustained thoughts of an early demise
A tortured soul who composed a poem called In The Event Of My Demise
You recognized that blue skies just weren't going to remain
Even when Above The Rim you dimmed the lights and created Pain
Written by da_poetic-edifier
(Damon)
Go To Page
To Demi - The Warrior Queen
Like a skyscraper that emerges from the dust
You come completely from the ground up.
The hurtful words and pain may dig into your
Skin like tattoos or scars, but never combust
Into smaller pieces, hoping you can be a cup
That is empty. Demi, you are constantly at war
With yourself in the hopes of being perfect like
Everyone else, wanting to be skinny and pretty,
But don’t you know you are perfect like a gem?
You may think you are down to your last strike
Of the game, longing for its close, but the city
Lights still shine for you. As you crave mayhem,
Alcohol and drugs in order to numb all the pain
Within your soul, I know the girl that desired to
Be loved again. You taught me to see the world
Through new eyes because through all the rain
Soaked windows there is the bright hope you
Prayed for every day and night. Your furled
Secrets and insecurities lay buried so no one
Can take them or use them against you. I see
You waiting in the shadows with smiles and
That are just a show or fake. You try to run
Away from the underlying truth. I would see
Parts of you in me. I wished to take your hand
And show you that you are only human, not
Superhuman. You tried to love yourself
And everyone else too like you have never
Been broken before, but you already forgot
You have been broken. You are compelled
To hide yourself so no one sees you as clever
Or kindhearted and no one sees your gentle
Or soft side. I see the girl with the warrior
Exterior and who holds in her tears so she is
Not seen as weak or vulnerable. Your mental
Capabilities of coping are slipping. A corridor
In your heart opens. I feel it rising and fizzing
To the surface. I feel our spirits connecting on
A level no one could pretend to comprehend.
We let all our past memories fade and be gone.
We both know that this will never be the end.
You come completely from the ground up.
The hurtful words and pain may dig into your
Skin like tattoos or scars, but never combust
Into smaller pieces, hoping you can be a cup
That is empty. Demi, you are constantly at war
With yourself in the hopes of being perfect like
Everyone else, wanting to be skinny and pretty,
But don’t you know you are perfect like a gem?
You may think you are down to your last strike
Of the game, longing for its close, but the city
Lights still shine for you. As you crave mayhem,
Alcohol and drugs in order to numb all the pain
Within your soul, I know the girl that desired to
Be loved again. You taught me to see the world
Through new eyes because through all the rain
Soaked windows there is the bright hope you
Prayed for every day and night. Your furled
Secrets and insecurities lay buried so no one
Can take them or use them against you. I see
You waiting in the shadows with smiles and
That are just a show or fake. You try to run
Away from the underlying truth. I would see
Parts of you in me. I wished to take your hand
And show you that you are only human, not
Superhuman. You tried to love yourself
And everyone else too like you have never
Been broken before, but you already forgot
You have been broken. You are compelled
To hide yourself so no one sees you as clever
Or kindhearted and no one sees your gentle
Or soft side. I see the girl with the warrior
Exterior and who holds in her tears so she is
Not seen as weak or vulnerable. Your mental
Capabilities of coping are slipping. A corridor
In your heart opens. I feel it rising and fizzing
To the surface. I feel our spirits connecting on
A level no one could pretend to comprehend.
We let all our past memories fade and be gone.
We both know that this will never be the end.
Written by eswaller
Go To Page
A broken soul
I have a broken soul, from people who has been lying to me over the years.
I'm broken, because i don't have the things that i should have or i deserve.
I feel so embarrassed hanging with people with money.
I get jealous of the attention that i am not getting.
Seems like the people WHO don't put the work in gets what they want.
I don't GET the love that i deserve from people.
I feel like if some people seen MY background and the excessive stuff that I had to endure, they will love me harder than anybody else.
Everyone mind is somewhere else, but my mind is on one person.
I wonder why i don't GET the love that i give out.
It kills me when the person that i love do not focus on me or don't do things vice versa the way i do it.
I'm broken, because i don't have the things that i should have or i deserve.
I feel so embarrassed hanging with people with money.
I get jealous of the attention that i am not getting.
Seems like the people WHO don't put the work in gets what they want.
I don't GET the love that i deserve from people.
I feel like if some people seen MY background and the excessive stuff that I had to endure, they will love me harder than anybody else.
Everyone mind is somewhere else, but my mind is on one person.
I wonder why i don't GET the love that i give out.
It kills me when the person that i love do not focus on me or don't do things vice versa the way i do it.
Written by deepthreat1490
Go To Page
Marilyn
How thin that beauties casing shell, the out of town, a country girl
from the class of 26, she turned heads, how coy her pose and the magnet of her walk, the chirping birdsong of her voice
The platinum that others saw, and the profit they could draw for her roots were they that deep? did the nut come from a whatever tree
Just window dressed for the winters sale where self doubt thrives in the wind and hail
Courted by the fickle rich, the spotlight shines with no OFF swich, painted hues that Warhol etched the tinted canvas of her moods
Just to cover all the cracks, the perfect face, the mind confused
Playwrights, politicians, was it just a boring deal, how fast the spin of that treadmill, when fames drawstring wraps you up and pulls you in, entrapped,
the wind that blows from the open vent, billows her skirt, that image, lives on yet
An Icon's flame flicker as Reg Dwight sings, the diamond's facets just fools gold, limitations bling
In the quicksand of her life, stability the foothold always near, enticed
the struggle comes at a deadful price
Norma Jean Baker cast her dreams, to a moon made of paper
tread a star spangled tightrope, became a celluloid idol
in that naked moment she felt suicidal
The foetal curl as she overdosed, that bright star; just self implodes
on silver screen to end the show, the Safety Curtain sticks; and will never close
from the class of 26, she turned heads, how coy her pose and the magnet of her walk, the chirping birdsong of her voice
The platinum that others saw, and the profit they could draw for her roots were they that deep? did the nut come from a whatever tree
Just window dressed for the winters sale where self doubt thrives in the wind and hail
Courted by the fickle rich, the spotlight shines with no OFF swich, painted hues that Warhol etched the tinted canvas of her moods
Just to cover all the cracks, the perfect face, the mind confused
Playwrights, politicians, was it just a boring deal, how fast the spin of that treadmill, when fames drawstring wraps you up and pulls you in, entrapped,
the wind that blows from the open vent, billows her skirt, that image, lives on yet
An Icon's flame flicker as Reg Dwight sings, the diamond's facets just fools gold, limitations bling
In the quicksand of her life, stability the foothold always near, enticed
the struggle comes at a deadful price
Norma Jean Baker cast her dreams, to a moon made of paper
tread a star spangled tightrope, became a celluloid idol
in that naked moment she felt suicidal
The foetal curl as she overdosed, that bright star; just self implodes
on silver screen to end the show, the Safety Curtain sticks; and will never close
Written by slipalong
Go To Page
On Madness and Creativity
Dear Mr. Williams,
I always admired your brilliance,
Your pizazz and energetic flow,
How you used to run a show with non-stop verve and drive
Accessing the deepest recesses of your mind,
How the words just seemed to pour out,
And sometimes not fast enough.
Dear Mr. Williams,
You brought so much joy and laughter to millions,
I was always amazed at your range and scope,
You were such a gifted and talented human being,
That aside at laughing at your jokes,
Your warmth seemed to give others hope.
But when I heard the news of your demise,
I wondered why or how could it be,
That such a person with great creativity,
Could keep their pain from the public eye.
Were you also a tortured soul?
Where the madness down inside could not let go?
And that despite whatever demons in your head,
You transferred them into wonderful things instead.
We didn’t see your suffering,
At first it all seemed so puzzling,
But little by little I came to understand.
I’m lucky to have lived in the same time,
To have witnessed such a genius,
And since I have not words to depart,
I’ll simply use Whitman’s expression to heart,
O Captain! My Captain!
Written by wallyroo92
Go To Page
Not an entry
All the sucker DJ's
Existing in the well-to-do street-side steam
Read 'em 'n weep on wet book cover wrap
Comprising this Florentine dream
Ensuing within her versatile bitch slap.
Befell a debutante on the low key avenue
Deep in the street flows shallow conclusions
With melodeon pimp water so blue
Gentlewoman sink into unknown delusion,
Such as the heifer consequence perceived
Rapping reservations fetch her a quarter
The woman seized but still none believed
Jigsaw mind wave spread on jive turkey order,
Motherfucker craves while sojourn to learn
Later consequently unveil and to declaim
An' watch that master lite their cauldron burn
On whereby to then woo her or fix the game.
Written by runaway-mindtrain
Go To Page
Suzanne: by Leonard Cohen
Time, too slow, night is falling.
She is coming. Her steps are
soft like rain in the springtime,
her smell is like a lily of the valley
in the morning. Her eyes, like
tranquil pools. But my eyes
see only the motion of her lips.
Her voice is like music, drawing
me in like the doomed ships of yore.
We kiss, that great dam of
emotion bursts, a tsunami of passion
floods my being and I am
swept out of reality into the moment.
But the moment is fleeting, the
passion recedes yet the music
continues, to, once again, draw
me to that shore of mystery.
Leonard went through many relationships
looking for that Suzanne. The closest he ever got
was in his songs and poetry.
Written by anvinvil
(Anvillan)
Go To Page
Everyone Loves Raymond... But Me
Ray Romano
I say to thee
Everyone loves Raymond
But me
Your laugh track fails
To do the work
Of Designing Women
Starring Delta Burke
Or the Golden Girls
Or Major Dad
Or any classic show we had
Like Alf, or Cheers,
Or Who’s The Boss
Or any episode of Different Strokes
I come across
Ray Romano, Be gone with thee
Everyone loves Raymond... but me
I say to thee
Everyone loves Raymond
But me
Your laugh track fails
To do the work
Of Designing Women
Starring Delta Burke
Or the Golden Girls
Or Major Dad
Or any classic show we had
Like Alf, or Cheers,
Or Who’s The Boss
Or any episode of Different Strokes
I come across
Ray Romano, Be gone with thee
Everyone loves Raymond... but me
Written by Jermainesplain
Go To Page
Anonymous
<< post removed >>
Demise of a realm
As the skies torn asunder
The chariots of doom descend
Sent by the abyss to plunder
Till the abominations amend
Wake up in fear all ye people
Hour of despair has embarked
None shell be left not even a sepal
Scorch in roaring fire as it sparked
No redemption hence forth
Ye have paid the price in vain
Summoned to the land of oath
Soaked ye souls in red blood rain
Ye have blackened our wisdom
With ye foolish deceits and lies
Behold the mighty kingdom
Crushes ye like insignificant flies
The chariots of doom descend
Sent by the abyss to plunder
Till the abominations amend
Wake up in fear all ye people
Hour of despair has embarked
None shell be left not even a sepal
Scorch in roaring fire as it sparked
No redemption hence forth
Ye have paid the price in vain
Summoned to the land of oath
Soaked ye souls in red blood rain
Ye have blackened our wisdom
With ye foolish deceits and lies
Behold the mighty kingdom
Crushes ye like insignificant flies
Written by UnholyCurse
(Unholy One)
Go To Page
entry in error
Infusco ad Lucem
When darkness prevails and the deafening silence shattered
He who cometh unto me, shalt suffer my wrath
Undefiled knowledge, none but the mightiest may cleave a path
To the wisdom unknown, forever lost in the depths of hell
Heed my words; ye must gaze into the abyss to save thy self
Thou art forever bound here amongst the screaming souls
When darkness prevails and the deafening silence shattered
He who cometh unto me, shalt suffer my wrath
Who am I, and what shall be the signs? Thou knowest not
I am above you and in you, now ye shall know the truth
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Infusco ad lucem
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Thy mortal soul cannot fathom the untold pain that lies here
I will plunge the heavens into chaos, I will fly into oblivion
Arise! Guardians of the black flame, thou lord is beckoning
There is no law beyond, whilst thou who shall seek my knowledge
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Infusco ad lucem
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Infusco ad lucem
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
He who cometh unto me, shalt suffer my wrath
Undefiled knowledge, none but the mightiest may cleave a path
To the wisdom unknown, forever lost in the depths of hell
Heed my words; ye must gaze into the abyss to save thy self
Thou art forever bound here amongst the screaming souls
When darkness prevails and the deafening silence shattered
He who cometh unto me, shalt suffer my wrath
Who am I, and what shall be the signs? Thou knowest not
I am above you and in you, now ye shall know the truth
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Infusco ad lucem
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Thy mortal soul cannot fathom the untold pain that lies here
I will plunge the heavens into chaos, I will fly into oblivion
Arise! Guardians of the black flame, thou lord is beckoning
There is no law beyond, whilst thou who shall seek my knowledge
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Infusco ad lucem
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Abandon hope all ye who enter here
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Infusco ad lucem
Through me you’ll find the everlasting pain
Written by UnholyCurse
(Unholy One)
Go To Page
Anonymous
van Gogh
Of the stars and nights
Circling into
Yellow and circular more
Twist roll out to blues
That twist the black hope
And steeple
Of the people
That would shudder to think
He walked among them
And would dream this
And see it into stroke
Deliver the back break
And gold fields
Of wheat
To the edging black wings
They edge the pickers
They weigh their burden
And carry into
Sudden night
To see a man
As he sees himself
And cannot hear
the left of himself
Or see the right of it
And a red haired madman
Holds our discomfort
And the utter
Beauty of it
Bristles through
With raving disclosures
Bristles splayed blue and black
Much as if the bruises to
An unowned sanity
And his fear of going unnoticed
But oh the irony
Of the insane existence
Of genius
And it’s departure
Of color
And it’s carry on
Through spirit
And inspiration
Wherever it is found
It has been proven
More formidable than death
A formidable opponent
Indeed
Circling into
Yellow and circular more
Twist roll out to blues
That twist the black hope
And steeple
Of the people
That would shudder to think
He walked among them
And would dream this
And see it into stroke
Deliver the back break
And gold fields
Of wheat
To the edging black wings
They edge the pickers
They weigh their burden
And carry into
Sudden night
To see a man
As he sees himself
And cannot hear
the left of himself
Or see the right of it
And a red haired madman
Holds our discomfort
And the utter
Beauty of it
Bristles through
With raving disclosures
Bristles splayed blue and black
Much as if the bruises to
An unowned sanity
And his fear of going unnoticed
But oh the irony
Of the insane existence
Of genius
And it’s departure
Of color
And it’s carry on
Through spirit
And inspiration
Wherever it is found
It has been proven
More formidable than death
A formidable opponent
Indeed
Written by Calamityofgin
Go To Page
