Poetry competition CLOSED 4th July 2013 5:40pm
WINNER
becsta (Bec)
becsta (Bec)
Page:
The Power of Perception
Anonymous
Poetry Contest Description
Where do you draw the line between hallucination and spiritual experience?
Convince me of your perception of the difference between a hallucination and a spiritual experience.
One entry per poet. May be new or old. No collaborations. No ekphrastic pieces (no picture poems).
One entry per poet. May be new or old. No collaborations. No ekphrastic pieces (no picture poems).
Poem Killer
I fell and laughed this morning
Cut my knee and the blood started coming
It stung a bit and I seemed to like it
Licked it dry as my inner poet saw fit
Tasted the bitter sweet flavor;
Resembled a rarity I needed to savor
Beautiful obscurity does well to linger
In spinal cathedrals and outstretched fingers
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder;
Who's to decide if heaven or hell is colder?
The difference between hallucinations and visions;
Or, inferiority in our individual variations?
I fell and laughed this morning
Cut my knee and the blood started coming
It stung a bit and I seemed to like it
Licked it dry as my inner poet saw fit
Tasted the bitter sweet flavor;
Resembled a rarity I needed to savor
Beautiful obscurity does well to linger
In spinal cathedrals and outstretched fingers
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder;
Who's to decide if heaven or hell is colder?
The difference between hallucinations and visions;
Or, inferiority in our individual variations?
Only Fear is Fear Itself
"The only fear is fear itself."
That's what everyone has told me.
And I like to joke about a lot of my fears.
Clowns, spiders and lawn knomes don't really scare me.
But the dark.
The dark scares me.
Because when I am in the dark.
I feel the cold tendrils of fear close around my heart.
I feel the claws of the beast that hides under my bed.
I smell the blood oozing out of the walls.
Hear my heart pounding in my chest.
Tears slid down my cheeks.
As I watch Him, The Shadow.
He has followed me for months now.
Like most ghosts.
But it makes me wonder about this one.
He seems to have followed me my entire life.
Whisperiing to me in the shadows.
Tempting me to come to him.
Following me outside.
Not allowing people to hear me scream.
Closing in on me.
Hands shaking.
Eyes watering.
Heart racing.
"Don't hurt me."
My voice is a mere whisper.
Barely audible to even myself.
Let alone the monster standing in front of me.
He holds out his hand.
And grabs onto my heart.
A pain twists inside my chest.
He could rip it out with just one final pull.
He's going to kill me.
Kill me right here, right now.
And no one will know why.
Maybe they should have listened to me.
When I spoke of this being.
The darkness.
The monsters.
My paranoia.
I am not insane.
Okay, maybe I am but this things that stands in front of me...
He is real.
The door opens at that moment.
And light filters inside.
The Shadow disappears.
And I am left unharmed.
With the feel of his fingertips still grazing my heart.
I am shaking.
I am crying.
They say it was nightmare.
I was only dreaming.
No one believes me.
My pain.
My fear.
It's all my imagination.
Because they may leave the light on now.
But they will leave me in the dark soon.
I can feel it.
No one understands.
No one else sees it.
Hears it.
Feels it.
Only me.
So here I am, alone.
Alone with my fear.
Alone rocking in the corner of the room.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear. . .
"The only fear is fear itself."
That's what everyone has told me.
And I like to joke about a lot of my fears.
Clowns, spiders and lawn knomes don't really scare me.
But the dark.
The dark scares me.
Because when I am in the dark.
I feel the cold tendrils of fear close around my heart.
I feel the claws of the beast that hides under my bed.
I smell the blood oozing out of the walls.
Hear my heart pounding in my chest.
Tears slid down my cheeks.
As I watch Him, The Shadow.
He has followed me for months now.
Like most ghosts.
But it makes me wonder about this one.
He seems to have followed me my entire life.
Whisperiing to me in the shadows.
Tempting me to come to him.
Following me outside.
Not allowing people to hear me scream.
Closing in on me.
Hands shaking.
Eyes watering.
Heart racing.
"Don't hurt me."
My voice is a mere whisper.
Barely audible to even myself.
Let alone the monster standing in front of me.
He holds out his hand.
And grabs onto my heart.
A pain twists inside my chest.
He could rip it out with just one final pull.
He's going to kill me.
Kill me right here, right now.
And no one will know why.
Maybe they should have listened to me.
When I spoke of this being.
The darkness.
The monsters.
My paranoia.
I am not insane.
Okay, maybe I am but this things that stands in front of me...
He is real.
The door opens at that moment.
And light filters inside.
The Shadow disappears.
And I am left unharmed.
With the feel of his fingertips still grazing my heart.
I am shaking.
I am crying.
They say it was nightmare.
I was only dreaming.
No one believes me.
My pain.
My fear.
It's all my imagination.
Because they may leave the light on now.
But they will leave me in the dark soon.
I can feel it.
No one understands.
No one else sees it.
Hears it.
Feels it.
Only me.
So here I am, alone.
Alone with my fear.
Alone rocking in the corner of the room.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear is fear itself.
The only fear. . .
I can still hear the screaming telling me to stop i can still hear the faint whisper make that b#### drop
Now im standing at the edge of this cliff
now im falling i had to go i heard my grandmother callingcallincallin
My blood covered hands reach and grab the air in fear as i start to remember my realitys
I sweat as because lifes but a wrist i bled the pain away because he insiststs but im not sure if deaths near until
satin whispers loudly you're finally here
Now im standing at the edge of this cliff
now im falling i had to go i heard my grandmother callingcallincallin
My blood covered hands reach and grab the air in fear as i start to remember my realitys
I sweat as because lifes but a wrist i bled the pain away because he insiststs but im not sure if deaths near until
satin whispers loudly you're finally here
The Power of Perception over Perceived Power
We’re used to being soldiers.. Now our shoulders are
More chipped than chiseled, and our heart needs a refill
The war split from civil as I start to bleed free will..
Sift through these arteries, a part of me dreams still
Hard to speak, our disease is bargaining cheap thrills
You can capture pictures.. I captivate imagination
You just practice scripture while the passive traits attack a nation
Get them acclimated.. That’s a lame exaggeration
Facts aren’t as fascinating as the latest adaptation
Truth is, there is none.. Certain of uncertainty
Encircling the church.. Shoe fits, their wisdom..?
Is surfacing as perjury in service to the Earth..
Furthering the serpentine, merciless and worsening
With urgency to work.. First to see the influence
Misuse, and the damage done.. Ripped through
To give you living proof of the planet, judged..
Knowing is contradictory to faith, so we don’t know anything
In the emptiness of space.. Perspective is everything
In the destiny we face, but our legacy is so menacing
We’ve never reached its place.. Perception.. Is reality
Unless it’s out of callousness, the best depicts a fallacy
Deception is a talent if it’s ending in fatality
“Objection”; “I’ll allow it”.. The rest of it’s invalid.. See?
We make our beliefs the truth..
But we couldn't find it in church; they're too primitive and dangerous
The truth was in the art, the most descriptive of its languages
In it, we'll find the answers.. Hidden in the anguish it languished in
Limited.. Complacent.. Fitted with the chains we encased it in
Faceless, indiscriminate.. Witnesses take it to the grave with 'em
Or it's weaponized.. Live with, or let die
Our desensitized eyes have visions of red skies
But a gentrified society's given a Best Buy, so we'll let it slide..
Definitive end-times for the modern-day citizen
Living the west lie on the back of eastern resources..
Detour through the back streets as fascists speak of recourse
Pacifists keeping score, and these activists need to lead more, this..
City's ridiculous.. Witty and meticulous; gritty, or inconspicuous
A puppet CAN be president if he's.. Pretty articulate..
That's relevant.. The felon's attempt at villainy
But I could never pander to your delicate sensibilities
To Hell with it.. It's killing me; the malevolence.. And the filigree
The truth is they're useless, lacking intelligence.. And ability..
He's bleeding for the cause and in return, we planned our exodus..
'Cause we can believe in God, just not the person standing next to us..
Copyright © 2013 Travis J Gibbs, The Ant1-Her0 Project
We’re used to being soldiers.. Now our shoulders are
More chipped than chiseled, and our heart needs a refill
The war split from civil as I start to bleed free will..
Sift through these arteries, a part of me dreams still
Hard to speak, our disease is bargaining cheap thrills
You can capture pictures.. I captivate imagination
You just practice scripture while the passive traits attack a nation
Get them acclimated.. That’s a lame exaggeration
Facts aren’t as fascinating as the latest adaptation
Truth is, there is none.. Certain of uncertainty
Encircling the church.. Shoe fits, their wisdom..?
Is surfacing as perjury in service to the Earth..
Furthering the serpentine, merciless and worsening
With urgency to work.. First to see the influence
Misuse, and the damage done.. Ripped through
To give you living proof of the planet, judged..
Knowing is contradictory to faith, so we don’t know anything
In the emptiness of space.. Perspective is everything
In the destiny we face, but our legacy is so menacing
We’ve never reached its place.. Perception.. Is reality
Unless it’s out of callousness, the best depicts a fallacy
Deception is a talent if it’s ending in fatality
“Objection”; “I’ll allow it”.. The rest of it’s invalid.. See?
We make our beliefs the truth..
But we couldn't find it in church; they're too primitive and dangerous
The truth was in the art, the most descriptive of its languages
In it, we'll find the answers.. Hidden in the anguish it languished in
Limited.. Complacent.. Fitted with the chains we encased it in
Faceless, indiscriminate.. Witnesses take it to the grave with 'em
Or it's weaponized.. Live with, or let die
Our desensitized eyes have visions of red skies
But a gentrified society's given a Best Buy, so we'll let it slide..
Definitive end-times for the modern-day citizen
Living the west lie on the back of eastern resources..
Detour through the back streets as fascists speak of recourse
Pacifists keeping score, and these activists need to lead more, this..
City's ridiculous.. Witty and meticulous; gritty, or inconspicuous
A puppet CAN be president if he's.. Pretty articulate..
That's relevant.. The felon's attempt at villainy
But I could never pander to your delicate sensibilities
To Hell with it.. It's killing me; the malevolence.. And the filigree
The truth is they're useless, lacking intelligence.. And ability..
He's bleeding for the cause and in return, we planned our exodus..
'Cause we can believe in God, just not the person standing next to us..
Copyright © 2013 Travis J Gibbs, The Ant1-Her0 Project
Trips n visions
His face had aged a thousand years
since we'd seen him last
and he'd only gone upstairs to get his jacket
"I've had a vision" he declared
then the air above his head brightened
and flashed with polka dot pastels
that sank down and clung to his body
then pulsed electric blue, before fading into nothingness
"I was weightless
and I saw the heart and soul of the universe
looked like two huge swirling galaxies
that danced with each other
in tangos, merengues and cha-cha-cha
and I felt their voice, it was beautiful
like a mother would speak to her child
and they showed me a million skies
with all their other children
that lived under them"
it was getting hard to concentrate
because of the five cherubs
that had taken to chasing each other around his feet
..cherubs or imps
His face had aged a thousand years
since we'd seen him last
and he'd only gone upstairs to get his jacket
"I've had a vision" he declared
then the air above his head brightened
and flashed with polka dot pastels
that sank down and clung to his body
then pulsed electric blue, before fading into nothingness
"I was weightless
and I saw the heart and soul of the universe
looked like two huge swirling galaxies
that danced with each other
in tangos, merengues and cha-cha-cha
and I felt their voice, it was beautiful
like a mother would speak to her child
and they showed me a million skies
with all their other children
that lived under them"
it was getting hard to concentrate
because of the five cherubs
that had taken to chasing each other around his feet
..cherubs or imps
"It drew itself into Reality....before it could go."
This book within a plastic bag.
I had sealed up long ago.
The story of my Grandmas Church.
I stored it in the crawlspace so far below.
Than one day I had this dream.
Of the dancing translucent angelic beams.
They formed the face of the Lord.
Just like my own personal Shroud of Torin.
Dancing in the darkness of my waking illusions.
Than etching upon the air as my waking would begin.
My eyes were wide open and still I would see this
transparent like orb of many lines. Float down from the ceiling then walk with the precision of a spider!
Before it vanished and would be forgotten in time.
So I quickly sketched it in my notebook.
And kept it for some odd reason.
Then the day came to unpack the boxes in the crawl space. And what did I find?? Was above and beyond all
and explainable conclusion's and comprehension's!!
Somehow the ink of the front of the book printed in purple had etched itself on the outside of the plastic bag. Making the same symbol that I had seen floating in air!! I took the plastic bag off the book!!
Which I shouldn't of done. To see how it matched up with the other sketch in my note book of the dream that I had seen elsewhere. I showed my Grandma and placed it upon her cedar chest and ran to tell the neighbors of this tale. But when I got back home to take the plastic back up to show them it also vanished and now was no longer there!
This book within a plastic bag.
I had sealed up long ago.
The story of my Grandmas Church.
I stored it in the crawlspace so far below.
Than one day I had this dream.
Of the dancing translucent angelic beams.
They formed the face of the Lord.
Just like my own personal Shroud of Torin.
Dancing in the darkness of my waking illusions.
Than etching upon the air as my waking would begin.
My eyes were wide open and still I would see this
transparent like orb of many lines. Float down from the ceiling then walk with the precision of a spider!
Before it vanished and would be forgotten in time.
So I quickly sketched it in my notebook.
And kept it for some odd reason.
Then the day came to unpack the boxes in the crawl space. And what did I find?? Was above and beyond all
and explainable conclusion's and comprehension's!!
Somehow the ink of the front of the book printed in purple had etched itself on the outside of the plastic bag. Making the same symbol that I had seen floating in air!! I took the plastic bag off the book!!
Which I shouldn't of done. To see how it matched up with the other sketch in my note book of the dream that I had seen elsewhere. I showed my Grandma and placed it upon her cedar chest and ran to tell the neighbors of this tale. But when I got back home to take the plastic back up to show them it also vanished and now was no longer there!
Know Me
When I was seven years old I thought I could fly
I leaped off my bed trying to reach the sky
My sister picked me up and wiped my tears away
Suddenly I could clearly see her dying day
Something happens when I touch another's skin
The ending is shown to me from within
I can see their fate, the details of their death
The end of their existence, the very last breath
I came close to love once, close enough to steal a kiss
As her lips touched mine I felt sadness not bliss
How could I ever make a lady my wife?
Every time we made love I'd see the end of her life
This is no gift it's the curse of the lonely
All I will ever want is for someone to know me
Anonymous
Compared
I've seen dinosaurs outside in the tree
heard the television answer me
been so tired from time on the pier
I saw the water turn to sand
thought I could jump down onto land
only to be assured of the 20 ft tide
Had fevers that tried to convince me
drugs and drinks that made attempts too
insomnia that led to paranoia
but after the trip, I always knew
but, I've sailed the multiverse
through wormholes in time
stood between here and the other side
as flashes and waves flew past
I've met creation, seen my previous lives
I wish sometimes
I didn't know better
life would be easier
and death would scare me
I've seen dinosaurs outside in the tree
heard the television answer me
been so tired from time on the pier
I saw the water turn to sand
thought I could jump down onto land
only to be assured of the 20 ft tide
Had fevers that tried to convince me
drugs and drinks that made attempts too
insomnia that led to paranoia
but after the trip, I always knew
but, I've sailed the multiverse
through wormholes in time
stood between here and the other side
as flashes and waves flew past
I've met creation, seen my previous lives
I wish sometimes
I didn't know better
life would be easier
and death would scare me
paracetamol
she'd had a fight with her boyfriend
the psychiatrist was standing over her when she woke and heard this.
she was crying
i don't want to die she sobbed
i've made a terrible mistake she said
i want to live she said i want to start living without him
the psychiatrist told her
there were support services there for her
the toxicology report came back.
perhaps she never considered something with a boots logo on it could really
really kill you
00:54
liver failure.
the organs shut down one after another
like the closing of a bank vault
first the inner doors and then the outer ones turned by hand
and finally the perimeter alarms are set
and the lights go out.
the heart is one of the last
they say hearing is the last of all
she'd had a fight with her boyfriend
the psychiatrist was standing over her when she woke and heard this.
she was crying
i don't want to die she sobbed
i've made a terrible mistake she said
i want to live she said i want to start living without him
the psychiatrist told her
there were support services there for her
the toxicology report came back.
perhaps she never considered something with a boots logo on it could really
really kill you
00:54
liver failure.
the organs shut down one after another
like the closing of a bank vault
first the inner doors and then the outer ones turned by hand
and finally the perimeter alarms are set
and the lights go out.
the heart is one of the last
they say hearing is the last of all
The Deception of Perception
Perception is an amazing thing
It can make you cry or it can make you sing
Sometimes it can be your friend
Sometimes it will convince you it is the end
Perception is only good
When things are viewed as they should
The heart is deceitful wicked and vain
To wholly believe in it can cause you great pain
To make the best choices and stay in the light
By Gods Word we must decide what is right
We must not live on just how we do feel
Though our pain and suffering is very real
We must look past the heartache and doubt
We must base on decisions on what is best and figure it out
Sometimes we have problems and are ready to pull the trigger
But we should stop and consider if the problem will only get bigger
We should do our best to make our decisions based on the facts
Though it is hard to, we must set our feelings aside and not react
Things are not always as they seem
Sometimes a nightmare and sometimes a sweet dream
If we are not careful while we carry life’s load
The deception of perception can lead us down the wrong road.
Sad but true, it is how people feel that becomes real
Most don’t recover and their joy and life it does steal.
So as you traveling down life’s changing road
How much extra weight have you added to your load?
So stop and consider your life and why and what you believe
Make sure you do not pass up blessings you were meant to receive
Make your perception based on what is truly fact
Then in your life true joy, peace, and love you never will lack.
Perception is an amazing thing
It can make you cry or it can make you sing
Sometimes it can be your friend
Sometimes it will convince you it is the end
Perception is only good
When things are viewed as they should
The heart is deceitful wicked and vain
To wholly believe in it can cause you great pain
To make the best choices and stay in the light
By Gods Word we must decide what is right
We must not live on just how we do feel
Though our pain and suffering is very real
We must look past the heartache and doubt
We must base on decisions on what is best and figure it out
Sometimes we have problems and are ready to pull the trigger
But we should stop and consider if the problem will only get bigger
We should do our best to make our decisions based on the facts
Though it is hard to, we must set our feelings aside and not react
Things are not always as they seem
Sometimes a nightmare and sometimes a sweet dream
If we are not careful while we carry life’s load
The deception of perception can lead us down the wrong road.
Sad but true, it is how people feel that becomes real
Most don’t recover and their joy and life it does steal.
So as you traveling down life’s changing road
How much extra weight have you added to your load?
So stop and consider your life and why and what you believe
Make sure you do not pass up blessings you were meant to receive
Make your perception based on what is truly fact
Then in your life true joy, peace, and love you never will lack.
Another Moonlit Journey
The unknown swallows us whole
Dark is the face of the deep
The moonlight lays the weary soul
To slumber and to sleep
And in that sleep awake
To a kalidescope of dreams
Thoughts ripple upon a lake
Of quivering moon beams
Another moonlit journey
Across the universe
The infant planets forming
All ready for rebirth
We cross the bridge of stars
And look down at the earth
We cease from wandering who we are
Or caring what its worth
The things we leave behind
Dont matter anymore
We slip away into our minds
To find out whats in store
Our precious time we take
To find out what it means
For nothings real and nothings fake
And nothings as it seems
The unknown swallows us whole
Dark is the face of the deep
The moonlight lays the weary soul
To slumber and to sleep
And in that sleep awake
To a kalidescope of dreams
Thoughts ripple upon a lake
Of quivering moon beams
Another moonlit journey
Across the universe
The infant planets forming
All ready for rebirth
We cross the bridge of stars
And look down at the earth
We cease from wandering who we are
Or caring what its worth
The things we leave behind
Dont matter anymore
We slip away into our minds
To find out whats in store
Our precious time we take
To find out what it means
For nothings real and nothings fake
And nothings as it seems
THAT NIGHT
I hallucinate about one day
escaping the ghetto, or is that
hope reincarnated from a lost
spiritual experience that
haunts the block on a daily basis?
Like the day I was shot just standing
there looking like I was looking for
trouble as I looked up at my friend
and saw God extending his brown hand
"Everything will be fine" said this voice
Confidently he sounded that night,
the weird thing about all of this was
that my friend was out of town that day
so who was it that stood by me then?
Whoever it was saw me at my
weakest point and lifted my mental
state like if I was possessed that night.
I started to draw the line in chalk,
my spiritual hallucination.
I hallucinate about one day
escaping the ghetto, or is that
hope reincarnated from a lost
spiritual experience that
haunts the block on a daily basis?
Like the day I was shot just standing
there looking like I was looking for
trouble as I looked up at my friend
and saw God extending his brown hand
"Everything will be fine" said this voice
Confidently he sounded that night,
the weird thing about all of this was
that my friend was out of town that day
so who was it that stood by me then?
Whoever it was saw me at my
weakest point and lifted my mental
state like if I was possessed that night.
I started to draw the line in chalk,
my spiritual hallucination.
When the Old Hag Rides
Thrice in twelve measures
succubus has defiled and mortified me
Perched on my ebony planks
I sit beside her this dawn as a gargoyle surveying that which is me
I try to look up but cannot see the demon and myself nestled on my shoulder
Only hear what is to become of my discarded marrow for the carrion feeders
A pact is made
Muted murderous wails for the Messiah's mercy resonate within my head
But I have no voice in the matter
My heart thunders as if to sink me further into this abyss
Leaden limps are water logged with desperate sweat
Is this Jordan's crossing in the sunrise?
Arch angels don't sing to announce my coming
Just my own terror
I can smell my fear
I pass out within suffocated screams
I wake again to my grandmother's kitchen offerings
Warm buttery Grits
Fat succulent Bacon
Strong Black Coffee
Cornbread
The sheets now soaked and stained as I rise
I greet her as I was taught
And tell her
"The old hag rode me and this time I thought ..."
She places her pecan brown gnarled fingers over my lips and reads from her book,
In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. Genesis 26:31
I bathe then eat, and
As I change the linen, I know the she demon will come again in this life
And the price I will pay for my sins will tip the scales of my
Sanity
Humanity
And dignity
As it did with my Father
Thrice in twelve measures
succubus has defiled and mortified me
Perched on my ebony planks
I sit beside her this dawn as a gargoyle surveying that which is me
I try to look up but cannot see the demon and myself nestled on my shoulder
Only hear what is to become of my discarded marrow for the carrion feeders
A pact is made
Muted murderous wails for the Messiah's mercy resonate within my head
But I have no voice in the matter
My heart thunders as if to sink me further into this abyss
Leaden limps are water logged with desperate sweat
Is this Jordan's crossing in the sunrise?
Arch angels don't sing to announce my coming
Just my own terror
I can smell my fear
I pass out within suffocated screams
I wake again to my grandmother's kitchen offerings
Warm buttery Grits
Fat succulent Bacon
Strong Black Coffee
Cornbread
The sheets now soaked and stained as I rise
I greet her as I was taught
And tell her
"The old hag rode me and this time I thought ..."
She places her pecan brown gnarled fingers over my lips and reads from her book,
In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. Genesis 26:31
I bathe then eat, and
As I change the linen, I know the she demon will come again in this life
And the price I will pay for my sins will tip the scales of my
Sanity
Humanity
And dignity
As it did with my Father
