Super Awesome Amazing Poetry Contest

Hello?

(Echo.... Echo ......... Echo............)

Echoing echoes too

Think she has forgotten us.. omg so sad :-(

I did forget, then I remembered and I was too tired, and I forgot again... alas, I remembered once more and results are coming shortly!

This is why I should never host contests :)

(1)
Burn After Reading
by Abby

One day this will go so I speak for it now.

If extracted from a shipwreck or
imprinted beneath Vesuvian ash,
if found still and cold upon the morning,
let it be known:

This loved to dance. You knew that.
This had seven stitches and no broken bones.
Indulged and comfortable, this was
usually used to lie in bed or sit down,
reading and dreaming. The big, bony feet
strode deliberately with arms swinging low.
These hips never found jeans that fit. This
had a single white hair that stuck straight
out of the dark tangle on its head.
You found it first. The red birthmark
wanted to be kissed all the time.
This grew tall, too tall. Its flesh was
clutched in hungry handfuls by its lovers.
Those odd-shaped ears listened for
the sound of your guitar when
coming home. The long artist fingers
weren't good at anything except
touching everything. The nails
were always filled with dirt. This
never learnt to ski or surf, but it saw
the earth's towering mountains,
the filthiest slums, a cell splitting
under a microscope and all the
the bursting chaos of heaven
with bright black eyes. You could see
its heart beat through the ribs after
making love. The circumference of
these ankles was the exact length
between your middle finger and thumb.
This found sleep curved around you
each night with its squishy nose
pressed flat against your skin.

These were the only things I truly knew.
This contained an entire universe
that disappeared like a snowflake
falling on water, only to be born again.

Comment: I fell in love with you with every line. Really, you took my breath away. Thanks for putting so much heart into this challenge. Title is perfect, introduction is attention-grabbing, each detail throughout feels deeply personal and tangible. "This loved to dance." You danced your way through the poem and took your reader by the hand to lead them.

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(2)

Poem by Hannah Lizette

My spine twitches like a
nervous eye as I observe
the reflection of a
cursive body that holds
unpoetic warfare
within the creases
of my flesh.

My nose crinkles as
I turn left to right,
front to behind,
head swiveling
to catch a glimpse
of knotted hair
and a reserved spot
for ink that'll
never dry.

Your hands rest atop
my shoulders and slowly
slide down the length
of my rawboned arms,
eventually crossing
against my navel
before I can object -

our gaze unites
within a mirror
(that exposes too
much of me and
too little of you)
and you simply
sigh,

"One day,
the beauty I
see every single
day will unveil
itself to you."

Comment: Ah, this gave me tingles - I love how "your hand" does not belong to someone else, but to your reflection... truly adore your approach to this challenge and would not change a thing. The small stanzas are also pleasing to the eye ;)

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(3)
Reclaiming My Reflection
by Baby Rainbow

Terrified to trace my fingers
along the outline of my rigid body,
I force my trembling hands
to rest upon my thighs, as I
kneel naked before this mirror.

Blinking away tears of disgust,
shame escapes from my eyes
as I stare at the reflection of a stranger
who is trapped inside this damaged shell.

My fingers begin to trace
my delicate skin, as I force myself
to be brave enough to claim back
every inch of my body that I once
thought would always belong to him.

Touching my body for the very first time,
I caress every scar that shows
the battles I have fought,
and all the tormented nights that
I spent being tortured in his chambers.

But although I may be wounded,
I can proudly say I won.
Because inside my heart of courage,
I know what must be done;
I must reclaim my body,
my mind,
my heart,
my soul.

For this body is my home,
and I will learn to love it all
as something only I
shall ever own!

Comment: Painful and powerful. Until the end, my heart was breaking with you, but the determined, optimistic finish lifted my spirits greatly. I sincerely hope this challenge helped you to begin reclaiming your body!

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(4)
It's all about ME.
by Nicko

What is me
Arteries and veins, blood and glob
A complicated mishmash of muscle, bone and skin
Hair and armpits, fingers and nose
Put together in a most unique way that is me
Only me, nobody else but me
Everyday I look at me
Everyday of my life
Everyday it is different
A pimple here
A bruise there, that I know not how ?
A cut or coldsore, cracked lip, peeling skin
Feck a grey hair
Nose hair, ear hair
My six packs gone, washed off in the shower
Replaced with a tyre

Still inside seems mostly the same
I burp and fart
But ohhhh wait my aching back
Got to get down on all fours to pick up my cruds
Or I'm no use to man nor beast for a week or two
Then there's scars
Like a cat of nine tails
My hands seem to get in the way of everything sharp
Should wear my glasses more
If I knew where they were

So this is the new me
I'm a new me everyday
I'm mostly ok with that
Yet I'm told getting old can be graceful
Bugger me it's not graceful
It's bloody brutal
So that's it from me

Comment: I would expect nothing less perspicacious from you! Great multidimensional treatment of time and how your body has morphed over the years, as well as small changes only you probably notice from day to day. I think you have aged more gracefully than you know :)

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(5)
Poem by Colm

A draft from somewhere tickled
my cheeks, my toes took a minute
to climatise to the cold tile floor.
It wasn't long
before I started to see the things I missed
in the post-shower layer of steam that usually
coated the mirror - A freckle resting
on my collar bone, an intensification
of combover-style forearm hairs. I spotted
where last weeks Dominos pizza had hibernated
in the den of my waist.

A faint pink, penny size piece
of skin coating my knee reminded me
of the fall I had at Murphy's, how I cried
my 10year old eyes saw the blood. And
the patch of off-brown under my armpit
reminded me of the birthday I can't remember.

My fingers are stubby. My nose sticks out
like a crook and my hair is a Savannah-like mess.
I hope that I can see these signatures years
from now and smile like the man in the mirror
is doing, gimpishly, now.

Comment: Love how you noticed all the little features that seem to get lost in quick mirror checks and moments of nakedness. I have plenty of little freckles on my arms and shoulders that don't seem to get love. Recently my boyfriend told me he adores "that cute little freckle behind [my] right ear," and I would have never known I had it otherwise. Anyway, that's what your poem reminded me of, and it brought a smile to my face.

Thank you for your comment. :)

When will we know who is eliminated and what the next round will be?

Though I thoroughly enjoyed "It's all about ME" (found myself grinning by the end), that's the poem I've chosen to eliminate. Another tough call.
Sorry, Nicko! Thanks for participating, buddy.

Next round posted soon.

ROUND THREE:

Ask someone -- preferably in person, but it can be online -- to explain what falling in love feels like. Extract ONE sentence from their response and shape a poem around it, embedding part or all of the sentence. Please attach the sentence beneath the poem so I can reflect on how you incorporated it once I'm done reading.

Due midnight, August 24th [PnQ time].

Great prompt. Will be working on this.

OMG really I'm out ...... !!! Haha no probs Jane it was pretty bloody crappy, I was going to edit it a few times but never got round to it....

Good luck to the rest of you..

Wow, what a great prompt. I will have to decide who I am going to ask!

Falling In Love

Our eyes first met
across a peaceful landscape
of golden sand and whispering waves,
instantly sending flutters
through my mesmerised heart.

Seasons danced in the evening air
of soul-mate echoes, and past lovers
began to fade into the mountains;
I knew you would be my healer.

Your arms became my blanket
of hope when you reached out and
drew me inside your warm embrace.

The sun said goodbye to the moon
as the magical sound of our first kiss
awoke the sleeping city.

Falling in love deeper than
the ocean around us,
my mind and my heart
finally synced together-
they both knew
you were going to be
the one.

Saffie
23

23/8/14

"It is the most amazing feeling in the world, your heart flutters,
you want to spend every moment with that person, it's when your heart and your mind both know, its bliss, its magic!"

Time Capsule

Frustration was his comb
as he smoothed his hair
back with calloused fingers;
he perched on the edge of
the bed, harvesting
emotions one by one.

All that he envisioned
was a burgundy mane
splayed across his chest,
tangled silhouettes and
the craving for more
time as it continued
to expire.

At that moment, he knew
that he was held hostage
deep within the walls of
a time capsule labeled love.

"All that you crave is their time."

WHAT!!!! WHY HAVEN'T I SEEN THIS UNTIL NOW!?

Deadline extended for Colm & Abby. I'm a sucky host, so I can't really hold you guys accountable for being late ;)

Someone drag Colm & Abby back here!

It's almost been 3 weeks, I don't think they are going to participate, lol. Shall we move forward, maybe declare a winner between me and Saffie or a tie?

Aw hell, you're probably right. With much ado, I declare Hannah Lizzette our winner! Congratulations, you churned out some beautiful poems. I appreciate all those who participated, especially the ones who pulled through until the end (you know who you are *ahem* Hannah and Baby Rainbow).
Sorry for being a sucky host, but I hope you guys got something out of this mess. Ha.

Hannah, your reward will be gifted soon!

Aw, thank you! I had a great time writing, you gave us some wonderful prompts that I enjoyed. :)

Well done Hannah! xxxx

I did actually enjoy this, the prompts were really inspiring, unique and fun.

Well done for all the poems out of this challenge, they were great!

Thanks for hosting this :) x

Thanks, guys! You're great.

Hannah, I promise you'll still get the 10 comments :) Just moved into a new place and we haven't set up internet yet. Soon!

Sorry guys for completely forgetting about this and holding things up :( Thanks Jane for hosting and well done Hannah :)

No worries, Jane. I completely understand that life is busy. :)

If any of you haven't posted poems from this contest/thread to your account, I encourage you to do so!

Alright, finally getting to this: -1st place will receive 10 R/R/C from me.

Yep, my three entries are posted. Titles are:

Twilight
Raw
Time Capsule