Poetry competition CLOSED 22nd October 2023 3:42pm
WINNER
Cipher_O (WarlordoftheWrittenWord)
Cipher_O (WarlordoftheWrittenWord)
Page:
Poem of the Month - October 2023
Poetry Contest Description
Three weeks to nominate your favorite poems!
You have THREE weeks to nominate no more than THREE of your favorite poems from another DUP poet!
Please note the following guidelines when making nominations:
The voting for this competition is anonymous; therefore,spoken word nominations will be disqualified. You may nominate Spoken Word pieces in the competition below.
Spoken Word of the Month Comp (every other month) is here:
(Link coming soon!)
New Member ( six ( 6 ) months or less ) of the Month comp is here:
(Link coming soon!)
1. Self nominations are not accepted. The great majority of the competitions here are about spotlighting one's own work on a particular topic or theme. This is a chance to nominate that poem that you wish you had written but some other great talent here beat you to it.
2. You may nominate only THREE poems from THREE different DU members.
3. No DUPLICATE NOMINATIONS. If you nominate a poem that has already been nominated you will be asked to replace the nomination.
4. Any genre except erotica or pornography. This is a Facebook feature and we must adhere to their guidelines.
5. Any member who is banned or disables their account PRIOR to winning will be automatically disqualified.
6. One win per member per calendar year, beginning with the month they win.
7. Please notify your nominee they have been nominated.
Nomination Duration is three weeks followed by a week of site voting!
Current Poem of the Month Hall of Famers:
2023:
January - Styxian
February - Daniel Christensen
March - Betty
April - DaisyGrace
May - Northern_Soul
June - Neves
July - Razzerleaf
August - _feral
September - Adelphina
2022:
January - Luna Greyhawk
February - AspergerPoet
March - Relic-54
April - Alan-S-Jeeves
May - _feral
June - Nevermindthegaps
July - Indie
August - inechoingsilence
September - Rianne
October - Bluevelvete
November - Honoria
December - KristinaX
2021:
January - brokentitanium (k.)
February - SatinUgal
March - X
April - RiAN
May - DaisyGrace
June - Bluevelvete
July - Jemac
August - Northern_Soul (-Missy-)
September - Joshsam
October - cold_fusion
November - Buddhakitty
December - Particles_of_HerII
2020
January- NEW BEGINNINGS
February - EDIBLE WORDS
March - MADAME LAVENDER
APRIL - MONKEYMAN
MAY - TIMAGINATION543
JUNE - LEPPEROCHAN (Craic-Dealer)
JULY - STRANGEWAYS_ROB
August - Daniel Christensen
September - Aspergerpoet
October - Lunagreyhawk
November - Kristinax
December - Ahavati
2019
January - DANIELCHRISTENSEN
February - SOPHIE_ERICSON
March - AUDIOHARLEEA
April - FROM THE ASH
May - MISS_SUB
June - NAAJIR
July - LAYLA
August, 2019 - AHAVATI
September - MISS_SUB
October - HOWLING_WHELMS
November - JOHNNY BLAZE
December - RACHEL_LAUREN
2018
January - LADY_OF_THE_QUILL
February - LEPPEROCHAN Craic in a Box
March - TINABUBUYA (Tee Mali)
April - CROWFLY
May - ATOMIKBOMB
June - MISS_SUB (Missy)
July - MEADOWSWEET
August - LAYLA
September - COLD FUSION
October - TODSKI28
November - TheMUSE22
December - BENDER
2017
January - VEE
February - CRIMSIN
March - ONEFIFTYSIX
April - DANIEL CHRISTENSEN
May - ALEXANDER CASE
June - AEMelia564
July - THE_SILLY_SIBYL (Jack Thomas Heslop)
August - QUIETUSQUILL
September - _SHADOE_
October - POETSREVENGE
November - NAAJIR
December - POETSPEAK
2016
November - JOHN FEDDELER
December - AHAVATI
Please note the following guidelines when making nominations:
The voting for this competition is anonymous; therefore,spoken word nominations will be disqualified. You may nominate Spoken Word pieces in the competition below.
Spoken Word of the Month Comp (every other month) is here:
(Link coming soon!)
New Member ( six ( 6 ) months or less ) of the Month comp is here:
(Link coming soon!)
1. Self nominations are not accepted. The great majority of the competitions here are about spotlighting one's own work on a particular topic or theme. This is a chance to nominate that poem that you wish you had written but some other great talent here beat you to it.
2. You may nominate only THREE poems from THREE different DU members.
3. No DUPLICATE NOMINATIONS. If you nominate a poem that has already been nominated you will be asked to replace the nomination.
4. Any genre except erotica or pornography. This is a Facebook feature and we must adhere to their guidelines.
5. Any member who is banned or disables their account PRIOR to winning will be automatically disqualified.
6. One win per member per calendar year, beginning with the month they win.
7. Please notify your nominee they have been nominated.
Nomination Duration is three weeks followed by a week of site voting!
Current Poem of the Month Hall of Famers:
2023:
January - Styxian
February - Daniel Christensen
March - Betty
April - DaisyGrace
May - Northern_Soul
June - Neves
July - Razzerleaf
August - _feral
September - Adelphina
2022:
January - Luna Greyhawk
February - AspergerPoet
March - Relic-54
April - Alan-S-Jeeves
May - _feral
June - Nevermindthegaps
July - Indie
August - inechoingsilence
September - Rianne
October - Bluevelvete
November - Honoria
December - KristinaX
2021:
January - brokentitanium (k.)
February - SatinUgal
March - X
April - RiAN
May - DaisyGrace
June - Bluevelvete
July - Jemac
August - Northern_Soul (-Missy-)
September - Joshsam
October - cold_fusion
November - Buddhakitty
December - Particles_of_HerII
2020
January- NEW BEGINNINGS
February - EDIBLE WORDS
March - MADAME LAVENDER
APRIL - MONKEYMAN
MAY - TIMAGINATION543
JUNE - LEPPEROCHAN (Craic-Dealer)
JULY - STRANGEWAYS_ROB
August - Daniel Christensen
September - Aspergerpoet
October - Lunagreyhawk
November - Kristinax
December - Ahavati
2019
January - DANIELCHRISTENSEN
February - SOPHIE_ERICSON
March - AUDIOHARLEEA
April - FROM THE ASH
May - MISS_SUB
June - NAAJIR
July - LAYLA
August, 2019 - AHAVATI
September - MISS_SUB
October - HOWLING_WHELMS
November - JOHNNY BLAZE
December - RACHEL_LAUREN
2018
January - LADY_OF_THE_QUILL
February - LEPPEROCHAN Craic in a Box
March - TINABUBUYA (Tee Mali)
April - CROWFLY
May - ATOMIKBOMB
June - MISS_SUB (Missy)
July - MEADOWSWEET
August - LAYLA
September - COLD FUSION
October - TODSKI28
November - TheMUSE22
December - BENDER
2017
January - VEE
February - CRIMSIN
March - ONEFIFTYSIX
April - DANIEL CHRISTENSEN
May - ALEXANDER CASE
June - AEMelia564
July - THE_SILLY_SIBYL (Jack Thomas Heslop)
August - QUIETUSQUILL
September - _SHADOE_
October - POETSREVENGE
November - NAAJIR
December - POETSPEAK
2016
November - JOHN FEDDELER
December - AHAVATI
Morning Star
I don't believe in running away
But in the crush I'm fading
*
Before nights, mists, the roiling clouds
The seas untold depth and rolling breadth
Storms unleashed, smiting, thunder and lightning
I know the rains that pelt
And lands parched 'neath searing sun
The chaos of days
Belying plans I've made
All this mine as I wander far from home
A sojourner, stranger
A pilgrim here
Self, dreams, visions I once hoped to be
A future day eluding me
Trapped in loyalty to vows foolish made
Paying recompense for cupidity
Possessed by possessions
I cannot own
Bereft of dreams by others' schemes
Darkness muffles the beating of my heart
Covers so I scarce can breathe
And yet I live
I am
I know the trenches, rutted
Conformity providing cover
From life's shot and shell
And boredom's deadly lull of same
Men not mice day by day
Forced to run the same pointless maze
For faux reward, and then run again
Conditioned, reflexive
Pavlov's dog responses
As if numbness meant no pain
And feeling nothing was somehow gain
Yet still beats
My heart of hearts
I know the flowers of my Gethsemanes
Nightshade and mandrake
And garlands of thorns
Tear laced cups that stream
Life's blows that have brought me to my knees
When black beyond darkness covers me
When I am lost, and broken seek
When all comfort seems to flee
And utterance finds no words to speak
Still my soul cries
And I reach
Sober reflection stares back at me
Who I am, what I've been
How far wanders the path
From true to self
To lies I've told
And truths I've lost
To appear as what, but what I'm not
To fit in I've worn the look whole cloth
And seeing me, I see you the same
How far we've fallen from what we've been
Yet echoes still my first love
Though far wandered
From paradise lost
Oh my soul, embrace me
If I told my days' tale
Would you love me still
Say, all is well
WithIn your open arms encircle
Say you still believe
In the broken heart of me
Staunch the heart that bleeds
And still believe in scattered dreams
Believe in me
Believe tears cleanse
And aren't in vain
Show again what true love is
*
As night faded
Darkness gave way to palest blue
With the waning of the moon
The light of the stars was lost
In the false light before the dawn
And silence
Save the bright and morning star
Which lingered proud before sunrise
And day became
Alone
Pure light against false speaks true
And I look up and hope
But in the crush I'm fading
*
Before nights, mists, the roiling clouds
The seas untold depth and rolling breadth
Storms unleashed, smiting, thunder and lightning
I know the rains that pelt
And lands parched 'neath searing sun
The chaos of days
Belying plans I've made
All this mine as I wander far from home
A sojourner, stranger
A pilgrim here
Self, dreams, visions I once hoped to be
A future day eluding me
Trapped in loyalty to vows foolish made
Paying recompense for cupidity
Possessed by possessions
I cannot own
Bereft of dreams by others' schemes
Darkness muffles the beating of my heart
Covers so I scarce can breathe
And yet I live
I am
I know the trenches, rutted
Conformity providing cover
From life's shot and shell
And boredom's deadly lull of same
Men not mice day by day
Forced to run the same pointless maze
For faux reward, and then run again
Conditioned, reflexive
Pavlov's dog responses
As if numbness meant no pain
And feeling nothing was somehow gain
Yet still beats
My heart of hearts
I know the flowers of my Gethsemanes
Nightshade and mandrake
And garlands of thorns
Tear laced cups that stream
Life's blows that have brought me to my knees
When black beyond darkness covers me
When I am lost, and broken seek
When all comfort seems to flee
And utterance finds no words to speak
Still my soul cries
And I reach
Sober reflection stares back at me
Who I am, what I've been
How far wanders the path
From true to self
To lies I've told
And truths I've lost
To appear as what, but what I'm not
To fit in I've worn the look whole cloth
And seeing me, I see you the same
How far we've fallen from what we've been
Yet echoes still my first love
Though far wandered
From paradise lost
Oh my soul, embrace me
If I told my days' tale
Would you love me still
Say, all is well
WithIn your open arms encircle
Say you still believe
In the broken heart of me
Staunch the heart that bleeds
And still believe in scattered dreams
Believe in me
Believe tears cleanse
And aren't in vain
Show again what true love is
*
As night faded
Darkness gave way to palest blue
With the waning of the moon
The light of the stars was lost
In the false light before the dawn
And silence
Save the bright and morning star
Which lingered proud before sunrise
And day became
Alone
Pure light against false speaks true
And I look up and hope
Written by AverageJoe
(Average Joe. AJ. Joe)
Go To Page
Same Story...Ad Nauseam
Love never promised any guarantees
Yet we consistently sign that contract don't we?
Hoping..praying for a different outcome
Something not like before
Something real
Tangible...long lasting
And here we are
Always finding ourselves fasting
Not by choice..but by default
Taking unwanted love breaks
Trying to shake the blues
And the feeling of being used
Excusing our own faults
Blind to our own hand
In the making of our self imposed
Purgatory
Because we loved so hard, right?
Forever scarred
Lugging around our emotional damage
In packed suitcases as
Cognitive dissonance takes root
And we're encouraged to
Speak our truth
Which is nothing more than
How we felt about the outcome
When we look back and think about it
If ever
So we move forward
Constantly looking in the rear-view mirror
As a guide for future endeavors
Of love...sometimes
Confusing it with obsession
While never reconciling
How lust may have played its part
Thus the heart suffers
From the abscess of rotted blind spots
And the blame game
Becomes more sophisticated
Nuanced in self righteousness
Screaming out loud 'the world owes us'
Trying to project this view
Into all our interactions
Never relating
Just reliving the pain
Over and over
Through the blurred vision
Of a tainted window
Written by 3rdEYErising
Go To Page
Related submission no longer exists.
Crucifix & Candlelight
In the necropolis
there is no life after sundown
Branches weigh heavy
with its slumber
Here at the ofrenda
we wait for the heart of it
amid sugar skulls
and old photographs
Course salt laid out as a cross
to purify and cleanse
providing courage to remain
and alter a memory
This is the part where we tread
gently, knowing the past is present
camouflaged in the thick space
of enveloping incense
wafting specters, shape shifting
within the lobes of our lungs
Some cannot imagine what we do
To them, it’s a horror movie
set in the cemetery at night
relying on a false sense of safety
by crucifix and candlelight
tamales and Corona with lime
But memories are altered that way
not by vigilance at a grave
No, altering memory is not a game
nor a returning spirit, screaming
the history of our mistakes
It's a homecoming rending the veil
and we're waiting for the meat of it:
A return to peace through presence
as though we never lost it
It's making amends with Death
the dark Archangel of mystery
presenting a bowl of cherries
Their boney pits wielding power
to poison us
The wise chew slowly, savoring
Azrael's offering, swallowing
the flesh, commending the bones
back unto the Earth
How else can we learn
that something so sweet
at heart is a bitterly tart truth
resembling a blood offering
pooling between our lips
And we give thanks
there is no life after sundown
Branches weigh heavy
with its slumber
Here at the ofrenda
we wait for the heart of it
amid sugar skulls
and old photographs
Course salt laid out as a cross
to purify and cleanse
providing courage to remain
and alter a memory
This is the part where we tread
gently, knowing the past is present
camouflaged in the thick space
of enveloping incense
wafting specters, shape shifting
within the lobes of our lungs
Some cannot imagine what we do
To them, it’s a horror movie
set in the cemetery at night
relying on a false sense of safety
by crucifix and candlelight
tamales and Corona with lime
But memories are altered that way
not by vigilance at a grave
No, altering memory is not a game
nor a returning spirit, screaming
the history of our mistakes
It's a homecoming rending the veil
and we're waiting for the meat of it:
A return to peace through presence
as though we never lost it
It's making amends with Death
the dark Archangel of mystery
presenting a bowl of cherries
Their boney pits wielding power
to poison us
The wise chew slowly, savoring
Azrael's offering, swallowing
the flesh, commending the bones
back unto the Earth
How else can we learn
that something so sweet
at heart is a bitterly tart truth
resembling a blood offering
pooling between our lips
And we give thanks
Written by Ahavati
(Tams)
Go To Page
Ambrosia of Synaesthesia
Take my hand
Into the moon light
Where I will
Hold you
Just right
Whisper the
blues
in
azure
Caressing the skies of your eyes
To open into stars
For me trace
Like the contours of your face
Such a sight
Having
A
Taste
An ambrosia
Of
Synaesthesia
Into the moon light
Where I will
Hold you
Just right
Whisper the
blues
in
azure
Caressing the skies of your eyes
To open into stars
For me trace
Like the contours of your face
Such a sight
Having
A
Taste
An ambrosia
Of
Synaesthesia
Written by Cipher_O
(WarlordoftheWrittenWord)
Go To Page
(I don't know how to format this correctly using my tablet. But this write deserves recognition and recommendation for POM)
Walk
You paint on the leaves,
out upon a peak on Brentor,
water caught your sleeve,
paints the linen light blue
and I sit while you relieve
whatever tension built there from a
heady, humdrum week
as if we're all in circles -
feeling nothing like we used to,
when we all met in Soho
and you turned to brush my cheek
thought it was a moment but
before I went to speak
you were back to painting -
It's a connection that we're craving,
to someone who's worth saving.
I thought I might walk back down,
just before the Sun makes
her final feral sound,
we fall into the nightfall but it
wouldn't be the same if you
didn't pack that tin case
and come home.
I know how it feels
to need to drift outside yourself,
life v. old ideals
not being what we thought we would when
we were young and idle,
when I heard Billy Idol sing
something dark and light,
the caress when opposites meet,
the sweet way they tend to feel
when they are brash and bright and new
and I don't move to tell you
but as I lift you're already ready,
good to go.
We walk laced by green,
grass and every hedgerow
is bright, thick and clean,
dulling in the duskness and I
know you'll pyre the kindling,
know you'll light the fire,
I know your rest bootless
in the safety of the place we call home.
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poems-by/ImperfectedStone/
Walk
You paint on the leaves,
out upon a peak on Brentor,
water caught your sleeve,
paints the linen light blue
and I sit while you relieve
whatever tension built there from a
heady, humdrum week
as if we're all in circles -
feeling nothing like we used to,
when we all met in Soho
and you turned to brush my cheek
thought it was a moment but
before I went to speak
you were back to painting -
It's a connection that we're craving,
to someone who's worth saving.
I thought I might walk back down,
just before the Sun makes
her final feral sound,
we fall into the nightfall but it
wouldn't be the same if you
didn't pack that tin case
and come home.
I know how it feels
to need to drift outside yourself,
life v. old ideals
not being what we thought we would when
we were young and idle,
when I heard Billy Idol sing
something dark and light,
the caress when opposites meet,
the sweet way they tend to feel
when they are brash and bright and new
and I don't move to tell you
but as I lift you're already ready,
good to go.
We walk laced by green,
grass and every hedgerow
is bright, thick and clean,
dulling in the duskness and I
know you'll pyre the kindling,
know you'll light the fire,
I know your rest bootless
in the safety of the place we call home.
https://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poems-by/ImperfectedStone/
Walking in Essex on a Saturday Night
Old men crouch and beg.
A murder of lads
stripping branches from trees by the bridge,
bewailing the night, and making you
uneasy as you move between
the Nando’s and the off-licence,
to whither you walk to waste
your money on junk food.
And twice you pass the patron saint
of stab victims, the spotlit Knife Angel,
a sculpture built of blades outside
the Mercury theatre, the old Greek boy aloft
with winged helmet and serpentine sceptre,
now painted white with guano like
a ship’s mermaid. You pass a Roman wall
as drinkers amble by on heels and phones.
A murder of lads
stripping branches from trees by the bridge,
bewailing the night, and making you
uneasy as you move between
the Nando’s and the off-licence,
to whither you walk to waste
your money on junk food.
And twice you pass the patron saint
of stab victims, the spotlit Knife Angel,
a sculpture built of blades outside
the Mercury theatre, the old Greek boy aloft
with winged helmet and serpentine sceptre,
now painted white with guano like
a ship’s mermaid. You pass a Roman wall
as drinkers amble by on heels and phones.
Written by Casted_Runes
(Mr Karswell)
Go To Page
The winner of this competition and any runners up were decided by public vote.
Thank you to the following members for voting:
nutbuster, jmcchesnie, Billy_Snagg, LunaGreyhawk, Phantom2426, AspergerPoet56, Honoria, dimpy, MidnightSonneteer, PAR, monovox128, Liziantus-Marantus, Tallen, lepperochan, Rew, Her, Razzerleaf, Kinkpoet, ajay
Thank you to the following members for voting:
nutbuster, jmcchesnie, Billy_Snagg, LunaGreyhawk, Phantom2426, AspergerPoet56, Honoria, dimpy, MidnightSonneteer, PAR, monovox128, Liziantus-Marantus, Tallen, lepperochan, Rew, Her, Razzerleaf, Kinkpoet, ajay
