Poetry competition CLOSED 13th March 2013 6:24am
WINNER
MadameLavender
MadameLavender
Break Through It All
Poetry Contest Description
Perseverance
Write about your greatest acheivement, describe the hardship you had to endure. Describe any moments of self doubt and moments of self motivation, finding that part of yourself and overcoming any negativity. And best of all, describe what you gained from the experience.
2 weeks
As many words you need.
Grammar and punctuation.
You may collaborate if you wish.
That's it, give it your best.
2 weeks
As many words you need.
Grammar and punctuation.
You may collaborate if you wish.
That's it, give it your best.
Anonymous
One Day i Climbed A Mountain
-----\
some Leopard, us up there
growling out its cave
i was hungry, see, and wanted to eat
it's pulp.
of a sudden a rock tumbled
off the higher most ledge
cracking the head of this leopard i
was astounded, of course.
what a meal.
but i came back down, yes, me
of the unbroken slumbers in trees,
no sleeping-bags warm enough.
i came down and walked around, quietly
of course(who wants demons to roar?),
the road out is
-----\
some Leopard, us up there
growling out its cave
i was hungry, see, and wanted to eat
it's pulp.
of a sudden a rock tumbled
off the higher most ledge
cracking the head of this leopard i
was astounded, of course.
what a meal.
but i came back down, yes, me
of the unbroken slumbers in trees,
no sleeping-bags warm enough.
i came down and walked around, quietly
of course(who wants demons to roar?),
the road out is
Anonymous
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Cabot_trail_2009k.JPG/640px-Cabot_trail_2009k.JPG
EXPLANATION: This is a true story. I am a chicken where it comes to driving. However, I did half the driving of the Cabot trail with a boyfriend. The relationship did not last. But I pride myself in driving one of the most precipitous roads in Canada.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabot_Trail
THE CABOT TRAIL
My lover and I drove the CABOT TRAIL
A little piece of heaven on earth
A magnificent loop drive with spectacular scenery
Not for the faint of heart...the road can change precipitously
One wrong move can land you in the sea
A photographer's paradise, many places to stop and click
To recover from an S curve and change driving partners
The sheer height had us reeling as we looked down to the Atlantic
When we looked up - the blue sky never ended
We drove it in one day - but we were young and hardy
Every time we took a curve, our lives flashed fast
I have never had a similar high that would last and last and last
The winding roads, the fishing towns, the rocky cliffs, the rolling hills - all had sounds
A moose, a bird, motorcycles ahead, waves lapping against the rock -made us notice the scents
The clean clean air - hurt to breath it, piney and windy, sea air at its best
The best eight hours of my life...finished with the KELTIC LODGE surrounded by many flowers
I hoped to see Puffins...but they were nowhere to be found
I hope my lover would say he LOVED me...but he said no such thing
As we made love..... the winds shouted wildly
He does not love you, the wind cried....how did the wind know before I
I had gone so close to the edge, I almost fell, as I lost my balance
It was not on the Cabot Trail - it was my infatuation with this man
I lost my heart on the Cabot Trail...vowed never to lose it again
Burning the Midnight Oil
(Photo credit: eyefetch.com)
'Twas during the early dawn of my teen-age years
on a small but lovely island paradise of mine
where I first saw the light of day;
that I'm going to take you on a journey
down on a rugged trail of memories
under sisyphusian conditions.
There I was studying late at night on a make-shift table
with only self-made gas lamps as my source of light.
I crafted them from empty coffee jars and the like
with mostly kerosene and sometimes oil as fuel,
and old cotton-shirts twisted to length serving as wick.
Imagine what you would look like after
you have been exposed to soot for hours...
Your nostrils would be black as coals
and you'll be nauseated due to kerosene smell;
sometimes my eyebrows would burn
just like the moths attracted to the flame.
Do you think it gets any better?
Nauseating feeling filled my sleepy head
for four years until I graduated...
My sisyphean task in pursuit of knowledge
was not in vain after all, for I was
on the top of the graduating class
with a college scholarship to boot;
my hard work and perseverance finally paid off.
Although I may have finally reached my goals:
fame, fortune and accolades - I may have it all,
but it seems something is still missing.
My thirst for knowledge has never been quenched,
so I immersed myself in reading and writing poetry;
also studied solar technology and became an advocate,
for I firmly believe it's a viable source of renewable energy.
We are already in the Internet age where
social networking sites are a great place to chat,
and the marriage of electronic gadgets rivals
the rate of divorces among the older and younger couples alike;
yet my beloved island paradise is still suffering
from frequent brown-outs and occasional loss of electric power.
I am just a small town boy with big dreams
hoping to fulfill my advocacy: to replace fossil fuels
which contribute a lot to global warming -
with solar, wind and other renewable energies;
not only they are environmentally friendly,
but also reliable and economical to operate daily.
Someday I would like to see the day
that the nights would be bright as day,
and no poor souls just like me
would endure the harsh realities
of living without electricity;
this is my vision, and my way of giving back
to my beloved island paradise that cradled me,
wherein I first saw the light of day.
(Photo credit: eyefetch.com)
'Twas during the early dawn of my teen-age years
on a small but lovely island paradise of mine
where I first saw the light of day;
that I'm going to take you on a journey
down on a rugged trail of memories
under sisyphusian conditions.
There I was studying late at night on a make-shift table
with only self-made gas lamps as my source of light.
I crafted them from empty coffee jars and the like
with mostly kerosene and sometimes oil as fuel,
and old cotton-shirts twisted to length serving as wick.
Imagine what you would look like after
you have been exposed to soot for hours...
Your nostrils would be black as coals
and you'll be nauseated due to kerosene smell;
sometimes my eyebrows would burn
just like the moths attracted to the flame.
Do you think it gets any better?
Nauseating feeling filled my sleepy head
for four years until I graduated...
My sisyphean task in pursuit of knowledge
was not in vain after all, for I was
on the top of the graduating class
with a college scholarship to boot;
my hard work and perseverance finally paid off.
Although I may have finally reached my goals:
fame, fortune and accolades - I may have it all,
but it seems something is still missing.
My thirst for knowledge has never been quenched,
so I immersed myself in reading and writing poetry;
also studied solar technology and became an advocate,
for I firmly believe it's a viable source of renewable energy.
We are already in the Internet age where
social networking sites are a great place to chat,
and the marriage of electronic gadgets rivals
the rate of divorces among the older and younger couples alike;
yet my beloved island paradise is still suffering
from frequent brown-outs and occasional loss of electric power.
I am just a small town boy with big dreams
hoping to fulfill my advocacy: to replace fossil fuels
which contribute a lot to global warming -
with solar, wind and other renewable energies;
not only they are environmentally friendly,
but also reliable and economical to operate daily.
Someday I would like to see the day
that the nights would be bright as day,
and no poor souls just like me
would endure the harsh realities
of living without electricity;
this is my vision, and my way of giving back
to my beloved island paradise that cradled me,
wherein I first saw the light of day.
The Road
A looseleaf of loose ends, tethering poems
A few reasons you left together alone
And whether I've grown depends on the evidence shown
Or the reverence of better friends who'd set it in stone..
Old flames and venomous thoughts
Cold veins and treacherous loss
Envious of the emptiness, growth-pained reckoner scoffs..
No shame, no blame, so strange the texture is off..
I don't feel the same anymore..
Claim denial, threatening violence
Hollow and vile, heckling tyrant
Feign a smile for deafening silence
Followed for miles by beckoning sirens
And I don't think it's an ambulance..
Meander through the noise in my head
These answers, few, and choices have fled..
Powerless and out of control
Countless, insurmountable souls
Cowered to a mountain of tolls
And gave up on the voices ahead...
Even though it's taken it's toll, keep focused, stay on the road
Keep going, stay in control, try to keep from swerving out of it
The noises in my head are getting louder, turn it down a bit..
Screw it, turn the music up; medicate and loosen up
Meditate and use it, plus, in truth, I love the sound of it..
Veins full of venom, my injustice grew from the paper
Once what was destructive, now productive use of my anger..
Trust was corrupted, and such is proof of the danger
Once love is a substance, what comforts you is a razor..
Cut back on the poisons that keep threatening your sanity
Run ragged by choices in this menacing calamity..
Brace for the reckoning, every second is damaging
Embrace all that's vacant, that's all you take from it, vanity
Some hollow existence.. Follow the resistance
And break the chains you wallow in to swallow up the distance
Evolution of a coup.. Groups that grew apart
Proof is a best-kept illusion, revolution's in the art
And that's not a revolution, it's true.. But it's a start..
Copyright © 2012 Travis J Gibbs, The Ant1-Her0 Project
A looseleaf of loose ends, tethering poems
A few reasons you left together alone
And whether I've grown depends on the evidence shown
Or the reverence of better friends who'd set it in stone..
Old flames and venomous thoughts
Cold veins and treacherous loss
Envious of the emptiness, growth-pained reckoner scoffs..
No shame, no blame, so strange the texture is off..
I don't feel the same anymore..
Claim denial, threatening violence
Hollow and vile, heckling tyrant
Feign a smile for deafening silence
Followed for miles by beckoning sirens
And I don't think it's an ambulance..
Meander through the noise in my head
These answers, few, and choices have fled..
Powerless and out of control
Countless, insurmountable souls
Cowered to a mountain of tolls
And gave up on the voices ahead...
Even though it's taken it's toll, keep focused, stay on the road
Keep going, stay in control, try to keep from swerving out of it
The noises in my head are getting louder, turn it down a bit..
Screw it, turn the music up; medicate and loosen up
Meditate and use it, plus, in truth, I love the sound of it..
Veins full of venom, my injustice grew from the paper
Once what was destructive, now productive use of my anger..
Trust was corrupted, and such is proof of the danger
Once love is a substance, what comforts you is a razor..
Cut back on the poisons that keep threatening your sanity
Run ragged by choices in this menacing calamity..
Brace for the reckoning, every second is damaging
Embrace all that's vacant, that's all you take from it, vanity
Some hollow existence.. Follow the resistance
And break the chains you wallow in to swallow up the distance
Evolution of a coup.. Groups that grew apart
Proof is a best-kept illusion, revolution's in the art
And that's not a revolution, it's true.. But it's a start..
Copyright © 2012 Travis J Gibbs, The Ant1-Her0 Project
Anonymous
"Small Wall Moment"
http://videos.videopress.com/SearJbPj/descending-huayna_dvd.original.jpg
A few years ago
while on vacation,
down
South America way,
I placed
one foot in front of the other,
looking for my dreams.
Breathless,
exhausted, had
screaming lungs
for nine hours,
before
I faced
the glacial-wall.
One-hundred and fifty feet
of sixty-degree ice
shimmering in
the early-morning sun at
six-thousand meters plus.
Good-fucking-grief,
a guy could fall up here,
this mountain-thief
could kill me,
leave me here
all alone,
stone cold dead.
Christ Almighty,
I could have been
at Club Med, but
instead I thought
I'd turn over a new leaf,
start climbing,
what dread,
"What an idiot,"
I said.
One guy in front,
two guys behind,
this was certainly
no time to start quitting.
We picketed in and
robotic,
zig-zagged up
into the granular
icy-mist,
blowing crosswind.
Two hours later,
the ice-granite stopped,
we reached summit,
kissed the sky,
stayed three minutes
before the descent.
Twelve hours later,
I chilled in s warm bath,
we made it
heavenly.
These days,
when I think about
facing that wall, a
small moment
in a long day
full of them,
I'd do it again,
not pout.
http://videos.videopress.com/SearJbPj/descending-huayna_dvd.original.jpg
A few years ago
while on vacation,
down
South America way,
I placed
one foot in front of the other,
looking for my dreams.
Breathless,
exhausted, had
screaming lungs
for nine hours,
before
I faced
the glacial-wall.
One-hundred and fifty feet
of sixty-degree ice
shimmering in
the early-morning sun at
six-thousand meters plus.
Good-fucking-grief,
a guy could fall up here,
this mountain-thief
could kill me,
leave me here
all alone,
stone cold dead.
Christ Almighty,
I could have been
at Club Med, but
instead I thought
I'd turn over a new leaf,
start climbing,
what dread,
"What an idiot,"
I said.
One guy in front,
two guys behind,
this was certainly
no time to start quitting.
We picketed in and
robotic,
zig-zagged up
into the granular
icy-mist,
blowing crosswind.
Two hours later,
the ice-granite stopped,
we reached summit,
kissed the sky,
stayed three minutes
before the descent.
Twelve hours later,
I chilled in s warm bath,
we made it
heavenly.
These days,
when I think about
facing that wall, a
small moment
in a long day
full of them,
I'd do it again,
not pout.
Life
I'm reading all of these stories about road trips
And mountain climbing
And great achievements
And my greatest achievement at the moment
Is breathing
And moving
And eating
And drinking
And living when I've lost my cause
To live.
I'm reading all of these stories about road trips
And mountain climbing
And great achievements
And my greatest achievement at the moment
Is breathing
And moving
And eating
And drinking
And living when I've lost my cause
To live.
Anonymous
Anthem Girl
She rises in the morning
like nothings been broken
Rises to the challenge
like a new day is open
walks in the sunshine
dances with the moon
sings like heaven called her
never stays in gloom
dances on the sidewalk
splashes in the rain
don't know if shes happy
or finally gone insane!
But sing a song for girls like her-
The ones who just keep on-
Sing along for girls like her-
You know they're almost gone.
She breezes along
with a song in heart-
flowers in her hair
promoting the Art.
speaking of laughter-
of a much bigger plan
Putting out energy-
Ignoring "the man".
But sing a song for girls like her-
The ones who just keep on-
Sing along for girls like her-
You know they're almost gone.
She's tired in the evening
nothing left to spare-
says she's giving up but
we know she wont dare-
She goes to bed wondering
if shes really just a fool
loses touch, loses grip..
then finds that inner cool.
But sing a song for girls like her-
The ones who just keep on-
Sing along for girls like her-
You know they're almost gone.
written by Mikimoondancer 2012
She rises in the morning
like nothings been broken
Rises to the challenge
like a new day is open
walks in the sunshine
dances with the moon
sings like heaven called her
never stays in gloom
dances on the sidewalk
splashes in the rain
don't know if shes happy
or finally gone insane!
But sing a song for girls like her-
The ones who just keep on-
Sing along for girls like her-
You know they're almost gone.
She breezes along
with a song in heart-
flowers in her hair
promoting the Art.
speaking of laughter-
of a much bigger plan
Putting out energy-
Ignoring "the man".
But sing a song for girls like her-
The ones who just keep on-
Sing along for girls like her-
You know they're almost gone.
She's tired in the evening
nothing left to spare-
says she's giving up but
we know she wont dare-
She goes to bed wondering
if shes really just a fool
loses touch, loses grip..
then finds that inner cool.
But sing a song for girls like her-
The ones who just keep on-
Sing along for girls like her-
You know they're almost gone.
written by Mikimoondancer 2012
Anonymous
A Life In Words..a Bit Of My Story
I never knew my father
was told he was an ass
Until I was eleven
thought another was my dad
The day I learned the truth
I was shaken to the core
he was temporary-
I never saw him anymore
I moved far away
left all I knew and loved
A new dad and country
Never told-just shoved
I stopped running track
as I had no inhaler
I tried to explain it
but they called me a faker
Classes made my head hurt
Doc said It was my vision
They said I conned the test
That pretense was my mission
That place was hell on earth
Til at last I made a friend
Came home from school one day
and it was time to move again
Once again we landed
another school, another place
Life at home unbearable
I became a runaway
No-one ever asked me
why the streets-
so cold and dark
kept me hanging on-
and sleeping in the park
Everyone who listened
to the ones who blamed just me-
said I needed beaten
A rotten child indeed
Again the cops returned me
My windows were nailed shut
Although I was a virgin
they said I was a slut
My friends could see the problem
but had nothing they could give
I started believing that
I wasn't meant to live
Being who I am
I found another way
At age fourteen, I married
just to get away
By fifteen I was pregnant
My husband took up drugs
Preferring to hang out
with criminals and thugs
At sixteen, had my baby
and moved to Birmingham
Thought I found support
but it was another scam
Was kidnapped by their cult
thought I'd never get away
They stole my time and freedom
had me working for no pay
An angel disguised as a woman
saw me crying in a hall
Grabbed my little baby
and said, let's run-
come on...
I took a train back to that prison
I had nowhere else to go
Forget yourself-I thought
This baby needs a home
This time it was worse
and I had to leave again
Moved one thousand miles
and got help from a friend
That too soon feel apart
once she found a man
Having me around
was no longer a good plan
By then, I had a car
a job, was seventeen
I packed and drove away
just my boy and me
I headed for the Smokies
left the Rockies far behind
Got to Tennessee-
found a job and home this time
Working hard, yet starving
Owed more than I made
Couldn't even eat right
on the days when I got paid
Babies are expensive
but I gave him all I had
No-one on my side
and still no help from dad
I then moved to Carolina
this time with a plan
Lived in a homeless shelter
found a home for us at last
I could not pay a sitter
so I took up child care
At least I was at home
My baby had me there
The day he started school
I cried all day and night
But this was opportunity
to make it all alright
Those five years before
I had always loved to read
I studied all I could
Because the library was free
I applied to university
was accepted right away
Life was always hard
but I knew all that would change
Years came and went
There were times I thought I'd die
But looking at that little boy
kept my hope and dream alive
I studied hard and worked
yet still was first a mother
We sang and danced at night
At least we had each other
On the day I graduated
as I walked for my degree
My son's shining pride
was all that I could see
I never knew my father
was told he was an ass
Until I was eleven
thought another was my dad
The day I learned the truth
I was shaken to the core
he was temporary-
I never saw him anymore
I moved far away
left all I knew and loved
A new dad and country
Never told-just shoved
I stopped running track
as I had no inhaler
I tried to explain it
but they called me a faker
Classes made my head hurt
Doc said It was my vision
They said I conned the test
That pretense was my mission
That place was hell on earth
Til at last I made a friend
Came home from school one day
and it was time to move again
Once again we landed
another school, another place
Life at home unbearable
I became a runaway
No-one ever asked me
why the streets-
so cold and dark
kept me hanging on-
and sleeping in the park
Everyone who listened
to the ones who blamed just me-
said I needed beaten
A rotten child indeed
Again the cops returned me
My windows were nailed shut
Although I was a virgin
they said I was a slut
My friends could see the problem
but had nothing they could give
I started believing that
I wasn't meant to live
Being who I am
I found another way
At age fourteen, I married
just to get away
By fifteen I was pregnant
My husband took up drugs
Preferring to hang out
with criminals and thugs
At sixteen, had my baby
and moved to Birmingham
Thought I found support
but it was another scam
Was kidnapped by their cult
thought I'd never get away
They stole my time and freedom
had me working for no pay
An angel disguised as a woman
saw me crying in a hall
Grabbed my little baby
and said, let's run-
come on...
I took a train back to that prison
I had nowhere else to go
Forget yourself-I thought
This baby needs a home
This time it was worse
and I had to leave again
Moved one thousand miles
and got help from a friend
That too soon feel apart
once she found a man
Having me around
was no longer a good plan
By then, I had a car
a job, was seventeen
I packed and drove away
just my boy and me
I headed for the Smokies
left the Rockies far behind
Got to Tennessee-
found a job and home this time
Working hard, yet starving
Owed more than I made
Couldn't even eat right
on the days when I got paid
Babies are expensive
but I gave him all I had
No-one on my side
and still no help from dad
I then moved to Carolina
this time with a plan
Lived in a homeless shelter
found a home for us at last
I could not pay a sitter
so I took up child care
At least I was at home
My baby had me there
The day he started school
I cried all day and night
But this was opportunity
to make it all alright
Those five years before
I had always loved to read
I studied all I could
Because the library was free
I applied to university
was accepted right away
Life was always hard
but I knew all that would change
Years came and went
There were times I thought I'd die
But looking at that little boy
kept my hope and dream alive
I studied hard and worked
yet still was first a mother
We sang and danced at night
At least we had each other
On the day I graduated
as I walked for my degree
My son's shining pride
was all that I could see
