Cast your vote (Everyone!)- SbS Round 1

Alright everyone, round one is complete. All prompts and titles have been chosen.

Heres how voting is going to work for ROUND 1:
Since this is a story telling contest, you all are authors. Everyone buys books and reads them not just the authors. With that being said ANYONE ON THIS SITE CAN READ THESE POEMS AND VOTE!
So club members, encourage your club, even if they didn't participate, their vote matters!!

I'm not able to vote since I'm hosting this, buttttttttttttttt....if I could vote I tell ya, I'd vote on creativity. This was a tough challenge to pick a prompt and create a mini story and telling it in a poetic way...So think before youre quick to vote on these poems. Don't think "Oh thats good"..Read deep into these poems, feel what the author was trying to get you to feel and understand.

Since there are so many poems, and its round one, which is going to be tough to pick your favorite one out of all of these, THIS ROUND ONLY, you can vote for your TOP TWO FAVORITE POEMS.

If you only want to vote for one thats your call, but just know for this round you are able to vote for two.

Also, remember no one is getting eliminated. This contests winners are chosen by highest number of votes.

Guys, these poems are awesome! So please take your time, a few days, to read through all of these and PM ME your vote. Do not vote here!!

You have until Sunday at Midnight then the voting will be closed.

#1 Dream Weaver
Prompt: Finding your soul mate

I etched my hopes into your
skin

enchanted by a whirlwind
I faltered

trembling for the hand
not yet masked with
hope

I reach once more

for you have always been my
dream weaver

the breath on my lips
pulsating with
anticipation

gone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#2 Alive and Kicking
Prompt: Being 14 yrs old and pregnant
Alive and Kicking

One night of breath taking passion
With my first, real, true love...
Will forever remain bitter sweet memories
Etched within the remains of a shattered heart

"Heart rate is strong and steady
Babies beat is 150 per minute
All looks great, young lady
Pretty soon you should start feeling movement"

Tears overtake any composure
Wishing your daddy was here
He should have heard your heartbeat
I should not have to do this alone

He promised to stand beside me
To be a part of our life
And never disappoint either of us
Yet in the blink of an eye; he was gunned down

Left to bare our child alone
At the tender age of fourteen
Many have already counted us out
Yet; we are still alive and kicking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~~~
#3 Practical Magic
Prompt: A preachers secret struggle
Practical Magic

He used to be adept in
practical magic,
Summoning the elements to
his aid,

He used to be known for
spell work like no other,
Weaving the fabrics of
time and space,

None now could have guessed,
This man of God,
Was once a witch with whom
the Faerie did dance,

He once raised the spirits
'most every night,
Now the spirit of the Lord
raises him,

God, oh God,
His dreams are too tempting,
The Fires and the Winds
call to him,

Back from the gates of heaven
and book of truth,
Has he denies the moans
of the Earth and Sea,

He struggles now
to preach the word,
When he is the one that
needs Gods aid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#4 Despicable me
Prompt: An obesity Struggle

Once more I have buried myself in oil,
you cannot see the despicable me.
Soon my body will rest in the soil.
I pray silenttly my soul will be free.

Not that long ago I looked deep within
when my heart, soul, and mind were almost one.
Gluttony or sloth was not my worst sin
and I did not feel like I weighed a ton.

Everyone loves me while I am this fat,
that is all but the despicable me,
but it seems I somehow overcame that
satisfied with much less than I can be.

My anger surrendered, my pride was hurt,
it will take some time for the scars to heal.
I am prescribed pills to make me inert.
My still soul seems like steel too hard to feel.

Not asking for pity, or even love,
just for the will power to rise above.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#5 Beneath these Broken Wings
Prompt: A divorce man/woman finding new love

Between sun and moon
we parted
a day ... a week
a month ... a year

Once again August approached
and the pale remembrance
lay upon my finger like
unspoken words lost somewhere
between the stars or perhaps
hanging from the moon

and as midnight tears tangled
within my thoughts
and your pillow arched closer
to the hollow of my ache
I breathed in the silence-
of solitude

and it was only in the silence
did I hear the beat-
of my own heart
and beneath these broken
wings lay the strength
to fly again

for I had found
the one I must love first
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#6 History Repeats
Prompt: Finding a message in a bottle

A piece
from the sky
fell into
the embracement
of the oceanic waves
from there was moved,
to the nearest shore
to be find by the one
capable of understanding
the embottle message lying
deep within the fallen piece.

Until history repeats
the message will remain
unknown to the rest
of the unfamiliar world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#7 Forever and a Day
Prompt: The Birth of your first child
Forever and a Day

Love introduced itself in my 24th year,
on the fourth day of the very first month,
during the coldest time of the season.

It didn't come strolling in smiling,
wearing a three piece suit
with blonde hair, blue eyes
carrying purple roses either...

(that kind always went away!)

Instead,
It arrived toothless,
naked, screaming, and helpless-
weighing in at 7 pounds 13 ounces
at 1:09 in the afternoon.

The moment I gave her life,
I felt it was her that had given life back to me.
I knew those same tiny hands I held that first day,
would be the same ones to hold mine,
when my time on earth was almost through.

Yes,
Love defined itself that January morning,
with no words spoken.
I knew exactly what love forever and a day meant,
I recognized it the very first time

I looked into my daughters eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#8 Buried Alive
Prompt: Living with an abusive, cheating husband

The minute I heard my first love story
I started looking for you, not knowing
How blind I was

Lovers don't meet somewhere.
They're in each other all along.

-Rumi-

In the beginning he was in her
and she reflected an ever expanding light,
face to face with love.
He made her see the flash of her own beauty,
removing what she couldn't.
She felt whole and embraced
by an all-encompassing sky.

One night,
he arrived late and the sky fractured,
spitting dead stars, killing the clouds
and the red moon as he squeezed
her wrist, freezing respect in Pluto,
drowning her in Neptune,
sending life to an unknown universe
close to hell.

Hail, Holy Queen,
Mother of Mercy, she prayed
every night when he didn't come
home.
Little by little she forgot the five
Glorious Mysteries. Numb she was.
Sedated she was.

He pruned her like a skillful gardener.
She could have been a cypress
growing along the southern coastline,
resisting time and weather or
maybe a cedar in a shadowy valley.
But little by little her soul eroded.

Hail, Holy Queen,
Mother of Mercy she prays mechanically
before she lies down in her coffin
by his side every single day, withering
as her roots decay and the fiery sky loses
more one star.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#9 In a Land Far Away
Prompt: Creating your own country

In a land faraway.

Right there, at the top of a moon
miniatured lightly in pink
and orange.
Quested in warm rain-
rain leaning over the shoulders
of fate-
fate like a molten tattoo upon
a morning hip.

I'd build my kingdom.
No, not with the eagerness of a
concrete block, or with
tough marble backing me. Nor even
with gold, parading in
my bathroom.

I'd borrow the peerless color
of a sky; tortured and labored by
Winter; and pour it onto
my throne. Adorn the palisades
with larvas learning how
to weave a wreath upon a Lotus.
With worms wobbling along
a widowed wold.

My kingdom would be found
right there, at the top of a moon
cuddling sparrows in its plume.

Cuddling sparrows.
Never sprawled away,
never warmed enough to soar
outside its skin.

I'd loan my arrogance to the
space. I 'd loan
my frozen homeland to a century
coming from destiny, not time.
I'd loan my froth and silver to
another hoopoe of words and
sip worn-out wine
at night.

My kingdom would be fairytaled
like no sultanate, although
nobody would repeat like a
parrot

'Long live the Queen'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#10 Borderline
Prompt: Going through your Grandmothers attic

I don't know
if it was the feeling
of a nostalgic moment
that burned my throat
and welled eyes with tears,
or the overwhelming smell
of moth balls and dust covered
trinkets that lined each box.
The rummaging of the contents
of her attics had been assigned,
and it was daunting
to say the least.

That is until
my eyes fell upon
a handmade quilt.
With its unveiling
discovering each little
Holly Hobbie shaped cut out
was from favored dresses
of my youth.

Thumbing
each hand sewn bonnet,
feeling the rise
and swell of vintage threads,
Borderline amazement
at all the
oddly colored fabric displayed.
Memories sewn
together from scraps
and pieces of play clothes
creating a beautiful
kaleidoscope of warmth.

Pangs of grief
settled heavily
in my chest,
recalling, Granny's
arthritic hands
knotted in pain
and a soul
as anguished
at an incomplete task.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#11 Beyond the Rainbow, Fergus Part 1
Prompt: Two babies being switched at birth

To Cornac's sidhe ancient takers brought me
and in my stead left one of their own.
Surely, you would think, no good
would come of this abduction -
human infant assuming cuckoo's station.

Carried beyond the rainbow:
no pot of gold, just weary old folk
whose time in the sun had expired
long before my grandparents' kin
came to ancient shore they called Fal.

Reared there in cradle of another Fergus,
he who walked in my sun, while
they fostered me as son of the hidden king.
Uncle Blaine taught me to run the marsh,
to drink mead from Cornac's cups.

He revealed roaring stone gone quiet
on the mound of abandoned Tara;
we drank Dagda's measure full,
learned to respect Lugh's spear and
warned me not to draw the shining sword.

Yet during it all I wandered through
darkened memories of a mother:
her bedside crib and cooing songs
that lulled me to dreamless sleep
questioning: is all this real or that?

Fey needs exceed those of humans
longer lives absorb greater energy
yet less food and drink consumed,
just a dash through sunlit groves
then hearty mead and roast bullock.

At the tender age of thirteen cycles
Uncle Blaine betook us a journey
on which he showed me human folk
where an old and sickly sallow crone
sat by a hearth with a white-haired man.

"Its your ma, in mortal terms,
and your twin of separate birth."
This wizened codger, my age?
This ancient hag suckled me?
"We age different," said Blaine.

I stared at her, she looked past me,
for we carry not a worldly form.
I remembered again her sweet songs,
mourned the years lost hearing them
then turned to her adopted son.

Great tenderness had he for her -
it was evident as he was man;
then I understood the trip to this plane:
it was her time to go; my only meeting
would be to see her to off to the next.

We stayed through to the end,
'til the changeling Fergus gently
closed the lady's vacant eyes and
placed a gold coin in her right hand;
glad I was he'd been her strong lad.

Unseen, Blaine combed elvish man's hair
from crown to nape three times around;
when done, he straightened up and turned,
then beckoned to me; 'twas time to leave
his nephew to the life as had become his own.

Haunted by questions I held my peace
when to Cornac's sidhe we returned.
Why had I been granted a fairy life
while Fergus-Fey made to endure
such human torment as age and ailment?

Resolved I am to learn the truth even
if unmade in the bargain, for what was gained
did not equal the unsung love long missed
in leaving maternal devotion to a shade.
I did not even know my mother's name.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#12 False Identity
Prompt: A Muslims life after 9/11

Look at your fingers,
are they the same?
Are we the same?

Though we're humans
we vary a lot
You may look up the world,
and find the tall,
short, the fat, the thin
the black, the white
good and bad

It all started in that day,
when some people
started looking at us Muslims,
in a different way

The 9/11 tragedy,
was just because couple of men
That made some generalize,
that us Muslims are terrorists
I want to say we are humans,
so we vary too

A life of an innocent Muslim
had never changed,

The 9/11 tragedy
just taught us a lesson,
that life is not a joking place
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#13 For Your Eyes Only
Prompt: A mothers experience raising a down syndrome baby
The day you were born,
is marked on my heart
like a childhood scar,
reminding me how
badly it hurt, but how
quickly I healed.

all the nightmares I have
ever feared, came true-
but, within you,
I found trails of a
fighter, who fought
with the courage of
two hundred soldiers.

My child,
a part of me would
give it all for normality,
except that, normality
would've never made
me this human.

I'm blessed with you,
regardless of what
they may say, regardless
of what they may think

you stand for,
all the crimes
I'll never be strong enough
to commit,

for your eyes only
speak of an endless
innocence, and
a tenderness so soothing
it reminds me that I must
forgive nature

because,
although she's unfair-
just like me,
she's a mother
too..

Dearest,
if anyone should ever ask you
who you are tell them;

"I am loved"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#14 Sleeping with the Enemy
Prompt: A soldiers experience after returning home
There's a canary on the sill.
A coal-miner's yellow warning light
sings mournfully its own murder, so
my fingers clench and
for a moment I look for bodies around me.
Arms broken, necks broken,
hearts...

Death follows yellow songs,
poisons and flares,
burns and bombs and the corners of eyes,

and here I've forgotten again
that while I'm dead
tired from another restless night of
sleeping with the enemy -
another silent wake with the quiet
murderer in my own heart,

I'm frozen in
a suburb of Chicago,
stirring cream into my coffee
and choking with guilt for
a bird on my window.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#15 Invisible Touch
Prompt: Living in a haunted house

Antique dwelling, house of old
Eerie secrets, stories untold.

Living In silence, upon a mist
Horrific tale, with a tragic twist.

Alone In darkness, thunder screams
Falling asleep, devoured in dreams.

Frozen hands with an invisible touch
Clinking, clanking, sounds of a crutch

Feeble man, dressed In black and grey
Walks with a limp, coming my way

Rustic chains, choking my throat
Smells of moth balls upon his coat

Scurry and scatter do I to the stairs
Breaking windows, falling into chairs

Moaning whispers behind my back
Demonic spirits, begin to attack

Ghostly fangs lunge at my face
Suddenly it's silent, alone In my place

Drenched In sweat, my gown Is soaked
Stumbling to the floor, I begin to choke

I hear a whisper, directly behind me
Shocked In horror at what I see

Nobodies there, but on the floor
A picture that I have seen before

Blood stained clothes, shots to the head
Both lay lifeless, pale, and dead

Man and woman side by side
Reality setting In, I am the murdered bride

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#16 Brilliant Disguise
Prompt: Faking your own death

I sit upon this grief ridden pew
hidden behind a veil of torment
Watching all these people
who've drifted in and out of my life
Weeping....laughing....
So many emotions

But I can't help but wonder,
hidden beneath my brilliant disguise,
where were they in my darkest hours?

Why did it take faking my death
to see how they really felt about me?

All this love and sadness
is lost upon me
as I look at my draped casket
in wonder

What was I thinking.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# 17 Title: After the Sunset
Prompt: Titanic survivor

When the sienna sun
bids its love to the quarter moon,
I'll be awakening
in that subtle distance.
I am certain the angels
don't think I'm very far away,
for my own one has wings
never failing to guard me
from fears here and beyond.

April drives silently by
with twisted umbrellas
and oversized tears....
I try to hold on,
for it's all I can do now.
My breaths become strained
whereas my heart further
ties itself to your memory.

New blushes open up
before creation
and still, I do not forget-
time will never change
how we lived.

Your warm russet eyes
surrounded by the passion
of your red tangles-
they keep me from stumbling back
and forcing myself to drown,
after you.

It feels like only yesterday
since water as abundant
as the sky, froze our words,
our fingers the only
attachment, the only sense
of touch we had.

And it still feels like we are
perched on the rail of that ship,
watching stars settle
and midnight wink-
though it's been a hundred years.

Only fifteen
yet we thought we had won the world,
hearts up on mountains- cheering
that we'd live longer than gold.

As if nothing could make us fall
through horizons,
I gave all of who I knew to be
for you.

It seems God promised
our sailing would be safe
in the hand of His ocean-
unsinkable, yet always
vulnerable in the deepest
sapphire.

Those depths are near me,
I've aged through them....
maybe they hold the mystery
of who I've become?

But just as I remember
you dropping from my frigid arms,
your last breath fading like smoke,
I remember your birth-
how I followed you, running
into the vast blue ocean
that would become your home.

I will die by this ocean,
a survivor of our love
and of tragedy's place for me.
I will not jump
without you, my love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#18 Poisoned Youth
Prompt: An alcoholic in Rehab

Through the open doors she walked...
steadily creeping forward with fear,
but with a relinquished hope
that a poisoned youth would be
cast into the shadows on the exit
from her room...

The bottles were filled with medication
to cure many a soul,
yet it was the ruined vodka she still craved,
playing those helpless mind games
in the hours before dawn or the
minutes before dusk...

She'd wander corridors amidst the likeness
of herself...
forming bonds with young ones lost
over time,
sheltering her breasts from the touch
of unburdened warmth...

her heart
was heavy yet dusted,
distant and free...
for
maybe
just maybe,

It wouldn't feel this bad tomorrow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~~~~~~~
#19 Who will you run to?
Prompt: A rape victim escaping her rapist

The river is my blanket,
warm and torpid.

I'll bank it with bodiless shrubs,
barbed and blackened, for my
bed will never be warm
again.

And I'll breathe
beneath its waters' frosty skin.
Icy, is my skin.
The river will kill its numbness
and swallow the sins.

And my eyes, they'll grow wider
against the waters' canvas,
wider and whiter
than they'd ever been.

I heard the river calling
from a distance, while ebony
shadows were chasing me.

And I was running...
I was tripping, tiptoeing
and slipping among naked woods
as blood was seeping, dripping
and mushing against
my sultry hips.

Who will you run to?

I will run to you, river.

You're the only who'd lull me
to sleep. And I swear, I will
dream, river.

I will reverie
beneath your starry waters
as daybreak pulls me
away...

I'll run with you, river.

Beautiful.. :)

I skimmed through all of them, and (8 - 9 - 13 - 14 - 15) caught my attention.

I'll read them again tomorrow, maybe I could add some to my list, or remove some!

There is a big competition, I see!

This is tough to vote. I'm glad we have until sunday to cast our votes.

Lol Take your time guys, its hard trust me as I was receiving them I was like OMG how in the world would I be able to vote? oh thats right, i dont have to! lol

To clarify: we PM our two (2) votes to you & do not vote for our own. Correct?

I'll go over them in the morning...so many good ones to choose from

I had a quick skim over these, I've liked a couple so far! Great job all. I'll PM you when I get more time.

That's correct Larry.

Take your time guys that's why I gave you til Sunday night. I just reread all of them and again, im not voting, but in my mind I was trying to narrow it down to which two I'd even pick. These are just great

What... Those are brilliant!

2 full days left!! Only 5 people voted so far :)

I'll be waiting for the results:)
C'mon ppl VOTE

These poems are so awesome...... what a wonderful display of creativity!!!!

7 more hrs! Thanks to those who cast their votes so far!

3 more hrs :)

I take it that voting is closed or did you extend it?

Yup, voting ended last night at midnight. Stay tuned tonight for round 2

Waiting :)