V-DAY CONTEST POEMS!!

Hi, everyone! Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Thank you for being so patient. So many awesome entries and I am amazed at how many poems I received. Would love it if you could read and vote.

Please send me in a pm the poem # and what place.

1st place - Poem #
2nd place - Poem #
3rd place - Poem #

Thanks so much! I know it will be hard to choose ;)

_______________________________________

POEM #1

Prompt #21: The ghost of a love named Jeromy.

She was never one to cry publicly,
but during the eulogy
I wanted nothing more than to comfort her
the way I should have when I had the chance.

She doesn't know that I watch her
from a distance.
She doesn't see me the way I
see her.

Four years have passed and
I can still see the cracks in her heart
right through her smile.

Through the years,
I have become her shadow-
unable to move on
because she hasn't.

And like every night
I watch her cry in her sleep.
struggling through nightmares
caused by the ghost she still loves.

My attempts of wiping away her tears
are met with the cold reality-
she'll never know that I was here.

But tonight
as I turned away from her,
I heard a whisper that sent a
jolt through my empty veins.

A name she hasn't uttered in
four years...

"...Jeromy".

____________________________________

POEM #2

Prompt #11: Let me care for you, mother.

Author's note: This story is based on true recent events:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/taiwan-earthquake-woman-alive-1.3438102

Chinese New Year - The last Red Envelope... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_envelope)

A loud roar
vibrated through
the air...
Poor Yuan screamed & pushed down hard
with her heels on the polished floor,
propelling her body back, away from the awful sight
there on the 'Yin Ping...' (Television screen)
:
Yuan had been watching
A cartoon about Nian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4WYqzmP03U
:
Her dad, Qiang calls out
from the kitchen:
'You, okay Yuan?'
'I'm scared' she cries...
:
Qiang was preparing a Chinese New Year eve feast:
'Ten perfections' (Ten everyday foods stir-fried together)
In a flash, he'd wiped his hands & was with Yuan;
She raised her arms -
Well, his heart could do none other than obliged.
He kissed the fear that spilt over
cherubic cheeks...
:
'Daddy, who is Nian?'
She sniffed...
:
'Nian, is a just an
Old, old, monster story
made up, saved up
To scare people'
he soothed...
:
Qiang gazed for a moment
out of the 17 floor 'gongyulou' (apartment)
:
The views over Tainan were breath-taking:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Tainan
:
Windows scattered like sequins
on a skin of pak choi;
each one a diverse pixel,
shimmering its essence within
an energy charged city scape...
:
He shook the wonderment away
& continued...
:
'He's a monster named, 'Year';
each New Year he'd strike fear into people...
Until an old man, long ago discovered
the monster's weakness:
:
Yuan listened intently,
her large dark eyes.
Glistening, like
midnight pools.
She nodded as if to say, continue...
:
Qiang smiled & said,
'the colour red & loud, loud sounds...
Since that day, anyone who receives a Red Envelope,
will be 'kangtai' (protected) from his wicked claws.'
Qiang clawed the air theatrically & bared his teeth.
:
Yuan squealed...
:
The front door opened & in walked Wei-Ling.
:
Yuan became a slippery string of noodles & wriggled out of her father's arms;
She cried out, 'mama...
Where have you been?
Will you protect me?
:
Wei-ling looked over at paused 'duan pian' (video image)
There was an image of Nian;
a ferocious single horned lion,
frozen in mid terrifying roar.
:
'Shhh, my baby, don't worry about him,
I have something just for you'
Yuan's mommy cooed.
She tapped her handbag
& said with a wink,
'I bought you the very last envelope...'
:
Yuan's faced beamed with relief,
but then a shadow crossed it...
'What about you mommy,
Who will save you..?'
:
'Daddy will save me -
If not, you will, won't you my angel?'
Wei-Ling teased, causing them all to laugh...
*A sunbeam illuminated the family 'huamian' (tableau)*
:
Later that night...
:
Bang, Bang, pop,
BANG!!!
Yuan awoke with a start & screamed out...
She was frightened & hugged
her pillow tightly to her chest;
:
& there it was...

A 'lishi' (Red Envelope)
on her bed sheet,
she picked it up;
it was small, shiny
& it glowed like fire,
flashing the reflected fireworks
from outside...
:
Her father's words
echoed in her head:
'Anyone who receives a Red Envelope,
will be protected from his wicked claws.'
:
Wei-Ling entered, wearing Qiang's
dressing gown, she pulled a tissue from its pocket,
wiped Yuan's eyes & gathered her up...
:
Yuan snuggled into the gown's soft, warm aroma...
A family fragrance she loved:
It was at this time that Yuan released her grip on
the Red Envelope...
:
Wei-Ling pointed at their bright Xing (Star) in the sky;
Without a cue, they sang their song:
:
'Whenever lights grow dark,
Remember I'm not far;
my echo's in your heart,
I'm yours...
that shining star'
:
a short while afterwards...
:
The Tsao family are:
safe and sound.
:
A few beats of a moth's wing later...
:
A guttural rumble begins;
the 'renjian', (Earth)
the 'mantian...' (Sky)
Tainan City shakes furiously;
:
Concrete flats sway like a Jenga tower;
Its core stability ruptured,
Splintered, compromised
to the point of collapse...
:
A thousand screams fuse with
deafening tonnes of destruction,
Cascading down in plumes
of choking, throat filling dust...
:
Bodies weightlessly tumble
through the air, until...
SMASH!!!
Bones crack & shatter like glass...
:
THUD. THUD. THUD - it's raining blood sacks;
life colliding with:
walls, concrete, ceilings, floors;
bodies being squashed like bugs beneath boots.
Life colliding with life, creating: Brutal death...
:
Lights flicker & spark;
Cords whip around like headless serpents.
:
The titanic wall of sound & images take an age to fade;
receding like a tide of tar,
out
of this
new
found
Hell...
:
:
A slow, strained blink,
:
blink...
:
*Wei-Ling tries to fight the sleep, the awful nightmare in her foggy mind*
:
She open her eyes,
No light...
Nothing, only
Darkness everywhere...
:
Where am I?
What has happened?
She tries to think,
:
then...
:
A cold realisation,
That was no nightmare,
This is real!!!
:
Her fear hammers within...
:
She cannot move,
her head is wedged,
Crooked to one side...
:
Her arms have no feeling;
her legs & chest are
stuck,
being
crushed;
she is
Trapped!
She panics...
She is,
Trapped,
She tries to scream:
her throat paralyses:
Silence...
She is,
Trapped, Surrounded, Confined, ENTOMBED!!!
A cold electrical fear shoots through her,
releasing an almighty,
primeval,
'CANJIAO' (Scream)
:
Her head becomes dizzy,
half a breath,
she coughs,
She splutters,
She wretches,
Convulses;
her eyes are streaming,
she begins to wail
then releases a high pitched cry
like an injured animal;
scared and alone.
:
Time passes...
:
Wei-Ling cries over and over until nothing is left.
She listens...
not a sound;
It's too dark.
She is stuck,
&
helpless...
:
There is a something though, a smell..?
A familiar musky smell:
I know that scent,
It is so close...
Yes, Yes, it's, Qiang, my husband.
A flash of comfort
she calls to him...
Qiang!
No response, again...
QIANG!!
Half sobbing, half screaming, she tries once more...
Q..I..A...N....G!!!
Nothing, only more silence, merged, smudged with his...
scent.
:
Qiang is lying face down, his head by her neck, she can feel his beard, his warmth, but...
he's not breathing,
Is he?
She listens, her neurons crackling with hypersensitivity...
:
No breaths, but there is life, she senses it...
:
*A 'zhizhu' (spider) leg tentatively rests upon her sallow face, then sensing life, skittishly turns & runs through her hair & away*
:
She melts beneath her cold sweat;
white panic lacerates & releases an,
unearthly cry of terror...
:
Wei-Ling's breathing becomes erratic,
the more she struggles,
the more she panics,
the less she moves,
the less she can...
:
The effort is too much, the air is too thin;
her lungs struggle, struggle, stru...
:
:
Consciousness creeps back...
carrying an image of a face on a rippled pond; it is the face of:
Yuan!
:
Like a million shards of glass spearing her heart she shudders, realising...
Where's my daughter - my God, where is she?
She cries...
:
She takes a few shallow breaths;
more than she can spare,
She screams repeatedly:
'YUAN, YUAN, YUAN...'
:
Until she has no more,
her voice is going nowhere;
muffled in this makeshift tomb;
Worthless words inside a coffin.
:
She is buried alive;
alone with her darkest fears;
only able to speak to the Dead...
:
Wei-Ling coughs,
Wretches...
Salty tears trail into
an arid mouth.
:
Exhausted;
too tired to swallow; to do anything,
anymore...
She has lost her Husband, fears her daughter too;
Now, Wei-Ling again releases her tenuous grip on,
consciousness & with it hope...
:
A comatose night of unspeakable frights passes...
:
Knock,
Knocking,
Tap
Tapping,
Faint, distant noises...
:
Wei-Ling is lured back into reality.
A reflex movement is abruptly halted;
Like a vice, she realises,
No, remembers that she is imprisoned
in a web of woven chains:
Trapped!!!
Panicking once more,
She screams,
She cries out...
:
Qiang is with her,
though now he is cold:
Dead cold...
:
She cries out again,
& again
& again, in hopeless desperation...
:
Amidst anxiety she sees something,
Star-light?
A dull light, yes...
Voices too, getting louder
Wei-Ling's pulse increases,
She cries out,
'Help'

'Help'

Help me please...'
:
'Here I am'
:
Dimness becomes a bright orb,
an all-consuming, sharp intensity...
She winces & shuts out the pain.
Fresh air wafts slowly around her face like a cooling spring.
She breathes it in, bit by tiny bit...
:
Fresh tears flow,
She continues crying out,
(Weakly)
'Here I am'
She hears voices...
:
Men working frantically, moving chunks of
Concrete, plaster, furniture, wood
&
lifeless bodies.
:
After an eternity,
Qiang, her protective shield is eased, lifted off her;
Instantly, Wei-Ling greedily gulps in replenishing breaths
Only to expel them with:
Unrelenting grief.
:
:
:
Like a hazy dream:
She remembered voices, being manhandled onto a stretcher, then over a war zone & into the lifesaving ambulance...
Driven at speed;
Sirens blared as the tyres spun through tight congested streets
Body jolting left then right;
more bruises (who cares)
Lights,
Voices...
:
She drifts in and out
of a smog like state.
:
Some days later on an intensive care bed
Wei-ling wakes. Her first words:
:
'Where's my daughter,
Where's my Yuan?'
She pleads with the nurse next to her bed,
to the doctor reading her charts,
to anyone, anyone...
They all turned & shook their heads.
:
The next day...
:
The local Fire Chief called by.
His brown eyes said it all...
:
Like a bombshell within:
her agony ricochet cruelly;
She vomited, rejecting the facts,
not wanting it to be true...
That her family were,
Dead...
:
Wei-Ling wailed uncontrollably,
her grief soaked into the very fabric of the hospital...
:
She could not comprehend why her life has been spared.
Why her husband & daughter had been taken away, leaving her
alone.
Why not me,
Why
WHY???
:
:
A month on...
:
Wei-Ling is released onto
a rehabilitation wing.
:
Sitting in an armchair,
holding a cup of cold herbal tea she looks out onto a:
Tranquil, thought provoking garden,
though now it's dark & she feels absolutely -
nothing...
:
A nurse enters & waits patiently by her side.
Wei-Ling looks up...
The kindly nurse passes her a brown paper parcel.
:
Wei-Ling's mind is filled with static...
Unable to comprehend a reason;
Why, why, why..?
:
Absentmindedly she unties the bag and pulls out,
a dressing gown...
:
Qiang's dressing gown. She pulls it close
Inhaling his familiar scent, her eyes swim with tidal tears,
returning the pain,
again...
:
Wait...
another smell;
familiar too...
Yuan?
Was it Yuan?
Yes, the unmistakable, fragrance of...
her daughter.
:
Tears rolled endlessly, silently,
d
o
w
n
:
Wei-Ling was wearing this the last time she cuddled her.
She remembered her weight in her arms, how scared Yuan was with the firecrackers & thoughts of...
Nian!
:
More tears; bitter ones...
Why did Yung die,
Why am I still here -
Why?
:
Her eyes and nose streamed;
she needed a tissue;
felt in the gown pocket...
:
What was that inside?
Tissues yes, but something else;
Something she had forgotten...
:
Wei-Ling pulled it free & revealed a...
Red envelope!
She was puzzled, thinking, this was Yuan's envelope,
meant for her,
meant to keep her safe,
meant for Yuan, NOT FOR ME!!!!!
Wei-Ling wailed for her loss & for the injustice of it all...
:
The room had grown dark as the vivid night sky.
Stars twinkled on a backdrop of black baize...
:
A star caught her eye & triggered a sweet memory:
:
Wei-Ling pointed at their bright Xing (Star) in the sky;
Without a cue, she sang their song, this time with a broken heart & voice:
:
'Whenever lights grow dark,
Remember I'm not far;
my echo's in your heart,
I'm yours...
that shining star'
:
In the darkness Wei-Ling's face reflected the sheen of pain that she would wear for the rest of her life.
It made agonising sense, sweet Yuan had given up her Red Envelope for her...
A display of unconditional love, the way only a child can, an ultimate sacrifice:
Placing her mother's life above her own...

________________________________

POEM #3

Prompt #38: A wedding of light.

it was ubiquitous darkness
before you -

coffee was bitter,
words restrained,
stale,
life was stale,
stale
it was nothingness.

your every word
lit up
like fireflies on
warm August nights,
(your smile,
even brighter)
it was you
who kindled
my flame.

-------------

it was you
standing in that
room (almost lit
brighter than the
first time we met)

but it wasn't me
who you were
standing in
front of.

____________________________________

POEM #4

Prompt #25: Sitting in the good times of Spain.

Title: Fiesta de Transhumancia - Madrid

Go to the Pamplona encierro
and run ahead of the bulls
pay respects to Saint Fermin
show you don't follow the rules
of convention - that's for fools.

Then undergo a true challenge
in Madrid's October chills
try eating lunch at La Terraza
when de Transhumancia spills
thousands of sheep for thrills.

Shepherds in ancient guise
and women playing flutes
stride the age-old grazing trail
in granddad's homemade boots
while the lambs take your fruit.

No you cannot eat at the table
without attracting these guests
the locals and shepherds alike
laugh at the great tourista jest
the flock flows in mutton fest.

_______________________________________

POEM #5

Prompt #1: After what it feels like a lifetime, I found you.

When I look at pictures with an old couple captured in them,
I can't help but think of us

Me being the old lady pointing a finger at you.
Telling you, "If you just sit upon the idea that love conquers all, our relationship will never work"

And you, opening your arms to me,
preparing yourself to embrace me with a smile
and the love that only your chest knows
how to show to me, to subsequently, tell me:

"But we are still here,
our relationship has been working,
it's working"

Then hugging me so warmly
like you always do
like you always do

_____________________________________

POEM #6

Prompt #10: East never meets west.

Title: If East meets West

Back to back, separate mattresses:
we start at the ceiling, blind our eyes on skype
if only we could, if only that ship didn't steal our hope,
if only we didn't drown ourselves in non-existent kisses.

Your blanket is the closest to your heart, not me
and every night it's not me who keeps you warm.
Our love was no civil war, but everyone held the trigger.
If we hugged, we'd simply be an easier target.

And so we run, our backs separating from each other
like propaganda posters from an abandoned wall.
Our love was not illegal, yet we were wanted,
hunted down by the hands of faith.

So everyone pulled the trigger, the night we kissed.
Everyone peeled our fingers from each other's grasp.

The ship didn't sink, but our hearts did.
Back to back, separate coffins.

______________________________________

POEM #7

Prompt #3: Let me purr on you.

Title: Household Killer

You have tamed this small beast
who came to us bedraggled
straight from her mother's belly
in the dark corner of our garage.

No hint of the future fierce feline
tumbling with siblings, sleeping
while the others continued to cavort;
she was the most docile - reserved.

First to go, a present to his sister
from our daughter's fiancee,
her fate sacrificed to bind
the families like a dowery.

Returned - on pretense of a visit
the careless owner dumped her:
a wild animal, teased, roughhoused
into a ball of angry claws and fangs.

Your heart broke as with her spirit
both broken into pieces,
cruelty of people made real;
anyone else would put her down.

No touching her, lightning bites
claws leave ragged slashes,
opened gashes near veins,
due to foolish hand near her face.

You gave her space and sweet talk
showed the wolves were gone.
gained her trust by sharing our bed
despite my panthered nightmares.

One day it dawned - no more attacks
just appreciative purrs, feminine mews,
her head raised for butting foreheads
her cat smiles half-hidden by covers.

Proof came with a snarl and bite
hand seized - but let go quickly
without even breaking the skin,
head laid down in deep remorse.

Watching you both sleeping
your arm as her pillow,
purring in her sleep,
your lioness sweetly cuddled.

Yes, you have tamed
this man-eater
just as you have tamed
each and all of us.

_________________________________

POEM #8

Prompt #1: After what feels like a lifetime, I found you.

Title: Found

All my life,
a small fragment of myself
has strayed into a storage room
where it's too dark to see,
even with blazing torch headlights.

I became trapped inside a vicious cycle
where everything was blurry and grey.
I began to lose hope that this straying fragment
of me would never be found.

But suddenly, I saw the light!

I didn't want to hurt any more,
riddles with guilt and shame
for things that were beyond my control -
things that I let steal my soul.

Catching a glimpse of who I used to be,
I saw a pocket full of dreams left behind,
and beat by beat, desire entered my heart again.

I never thought I could be this strong -
strong enough to find myself again
and raise my soul from the ashes...

It took a long dark road to get here,
but finally I found you,
I found who I am , and who I am going to be!

______________________________________

POEM #9

Prompt #24: Sunflowers, signs of our love, set aflame

Title: Set Aflame

It has never been the same since you left.
The fields in my heart can no longer keep
the sunflowers of our love alive,
I feel them burning up in flames.

Our love was more than just a lie -
it was the deepest tragedy.

You burned every petal to the ground
with each promise you made,
but failed to keep.

I dig up the soil to bury those promises,
pretending our love is still as strong
as the sunflowers we once grew upon.

But without your love,
I am running out of excuses to defend
why you are always out of sight.

So here I am,
in the burning fields of my heart,
watching our sunflower love set aflame -
waiting for the blast of eternal pain.

_____________________________________

POEM #10

Prompt #19: So she dances away (unrequited proposal)

Title: Tickets Sold Out

And I will never forget the morning we sat in the coffee shop
with the rain slipping down the window panes beside us
paying the ticket taker all our extra cash for front row seats
to the Dance of Life that was our breakfast laid out on the table

steaming.

I can still smell the perfect Kenya beans with the smoke
waltzing away effortlessly. The slight pirouette of crumbs
skipping down my collar into my lap with the slightest brush.
I remember your tea doing the tango with sugar and cream
as you delicately stirred your concoction. You the scientist and I

the poetess.

I will never forget that Sunday morning down the street
waiting patiently for the grey skies to drift away (secretly hoping
that they'd forget how to run). That was the first time
you showed me off to the world with kisses on the nose
and whispered words tickling the sides of my face -
it was the morning I realized that we were not falling.

It was love.

_____________________________________

POEM #11

Prompt #24: Sunflowers, signs of our love, set aflame.

Cobalt Flames:

"Baby, it's just shedding skin," he said.

You're the reason I only ever draw
~sunflowers~
when I'm sad, heartbroken -
too far East of melancholy.

Maybe we would have been
better friends than lovers,
but how were we
supposed to know so
~soon?~

"It's just shedding skin" I lie.

'Cause now I'm left with
~sunflowers~
and a struck match
watching ash fall.

Is this how it felt for you
when you walked away
from all of our prepackaged
~potential?~

_____________________________________

POEM #12

Prompt #10: East never meets West

"They say" destiny is written in the stars,
Perhaps, it's among tea grounds,
swirling amidst coffee mugs,
that some snobby barista
with a strong Jersey accent didn't pour.

Is it fate, that East never meets West,
That sunrise never meets sunset,
but that both are contained
by boundaries of their identies
no more obvious than neon marquees
on Sunset strip any given Saturday.

Is Love forgone?
Was it chance, circumstance or boundaries?
You can't see the forest because of the trees,
so you slink back down in your couch
clutching the coffee mug
(the one emblazoned with the truck stop eatery)
sipping hot tea, eating Chinese takeout,
feeding the cats tiny bits of beef,
awaiting a destiny or fate in tea grounds
that you cannot read.

______________________________________

POEM #13

Prompt #29: Funeral for a fallen soldier

Title: Leap Year Valentine

Five dozen roses
colored like the wine
dried out as raisins
wilting on the vine.
Moistened by God tears
they may come to life
in future leap years
extra day of strife.
Out just like a lamb
who might remember
well, just who I am.
March to December
those June weddings ring
bells of Gethsemane
death where is thy sting
knows a bride to be

____________________________________

POEM #14

Prompt #17. A hug for the homeless.

Title: Six Foot Seven

I never realized how cold I had become.

For years, walking paths of compassion
generated a comfort zone,
taking for granted the safety net I had built-

until you hugged me.

You stood six foot seven ~

I couldn't see your eyes from all
the facial hair you hid from within,
I barely could see your smile,

but it was there the day I walked
you through our doors.

You were sick of the voices,
streets of John had worn
holes within your heart,
abandonment has been
your meal for as long
as you can remember.

I hugged you-

The only aroma my nose
came in contact with was hunger-

Hunger for love, to be accepted
as a human being,
I loved you at that very moment.

What you didn't realize Mister,
It was you who made me come alive
making me see the only filth upon
the streets is those who ignored
the true beauty of you.

__________________________________

POEM #15

Prompt #1 After what feels like a lifetime, I found you.

Title: What took you so Long

My coffee cup withholds
tears of years, moistened
memories,
dreams of a soul-

I tasted your memory
often and I never knew
you existed,
but I knew you would come
for me, with open arms....

I scolded you for taking so long.

It's taken me nearly an hour reading and rereading these to get a vote in, amazing pieces you guys!

Hard choices indeed!

Appreciate all who vote. Still need a lot more, only 3 people have voted so far.

Wonderful pieces and a very hard decision to draw a top three.

Well done.

Oh man, Let Me Purr On You had me balling like a baby.

^ I know!

Please keep voting, really need to break the tie!

When do you need votes by? I'll read through all of the poems tomorrow and get mine in if it's not too late.

^ Hi! ASAP, will probably close this in a few days. Thanks.

RESULTS ARE HERE!

Thanks so much to everyone for the awesome participation! Loved reading and please feel free to post your poems to your account now.

So we had one clear winner, but 2nd and 3rd place could not be determined because too many poems got the same amount of votes!

Poem #3: "A Wedding of light" by Senyru, received the most votes.

Congrats, Mark!!

Then tying for 2nd and 3rd were...

Poem #2: "Let me care for you mother" by: Mr. Darcy
Poem #7: "Household Killer" by: Larry
Poem #14: "Six Foot Seven" by: Maple Tree
Poem #15: "What took you so long" also by Maple Tree!

Congrats to all :) I'll read/rate/comment on three poems by Mark, and one by each of the other winners listed above.

We also have three comments from a judge about why they picked what they did... awesome surprise:

________________________________________
__________________________

POEM #15

"What took you so Long"

My coffee cup withholds
tears of years, moistened
memories,
dreams of a soul-

I tasted your memory
often and I never knew
you existed,
but I knew you would come
for me, with open arms....

I scolded you for taking so long.

^
The simile of a coffee cup - a concentrated vessel 'withholding' a lifetime of hopes and dreams - I like the phrasing, like the cup is locking it away, all the pent up intensity. The rhyme of 'tears and years' leading poetically into alliterated 'moistened memories' and an unfinished 'soul -'mate really stamps the image of loneliness and longing for love, friendship and kinship. Excellent.

The memories 'tasted' - I take this as 'near misses', flavours of love; the feeling, a tease, but not quite right, to the point of losing faith - almost...
Then fate takes a turn, a buried belief, an unspoken dream of true love happens in the metaphor of 'open arms'. I like the trailing off, allowing the reader to fill in the gap of their own knowledge/ hopes of true love, finding a 'soulmate'

The last line is fantastically sweet. Like scolding a child for absentmindedly walking into a dangerous situation, only to pulled back harshly by a parent (I imagine a mother) and told off, more for relief than anything else. I and many others can relate to this feeling - a sense of overwhelming relief and happiness.

An excellent poem, well-structured and written; one that starts the reader off with a melancholy image and then leaves them feeling satisfied with a happy, humorous ending.

_____________________________________________________________________

POEM #5:

Prompt #1: After what it feels like a lifetime, I found you.

When I look at pictures with an old couple captured in them,
I can't help but think of us

Me being the old lady pointing a finger at you.
Telling you, "If you just sit upon the idea that love conquers all, our relationship will never work"

^
The image create here of the picture for the prompt is efficient. An old lady pointing - id does however, make me wonder whether she is pointing at an old man; I guess it matters not...
The imagined dialogue though is captivating: the concept that love is all that is needed. This lady scoffing at the notion, believing, wanting there to be more...

And you, opening your arms to me,
preparing yourself to embrace me with a smile
and the love that only your chest knows
how to show to me, to subsequently, tell me:
^
So, here is the man, his boundless love shown in open arms and a smile. 'love only his chest knows' I like this phrasing, his heart beating love within his chest.

"But we are still here,
our relationship has been working,
it's working"
^
His dialogue, his reassurance that it is all okay - see we are together, we are working! Lovely, succinct, to the point, very male! Lol

Then hugging me so warmly
like you always do
like you always do
^
I like this too - a hug, but more than this. I sense the woman's earlier fears, criticisms melting away with his faith in their love. The repeated last lines, is a good way of showing why the relationship is still working. His love soothes her fears and she loves him for it. Excellent!

______________________________________________________________________

POEM #1:

She was never one to cry publicly,
but during the eulogy
I wanted nothing more than to comfort her
the way I should have when I had the chance.
^
The title helped me to understand the context of this statement. The knowledge of her behaviours (unusual show of emotion) a sign of intimacy as the wanting to offer comfort to her distress. The regret in the last line says so much, regretting not being more when he had the chance. A great first stanza.

She doesn't know that I watch her
from a distance.
She doesn't see me the way I
see her.
^
Knowing Jeromy is a ghost helps the imagery. He keeps watch over her, she no longer can see him though. This is a sad, but true statement. It speaks to me a longing to do so, but without the ability...

Four years have passed and
I can still see the cracks in her heart
right through her smile.
^
Lovely - in a compact way - the watching has moved on 4 years, but the emotional bonds have not. This shows/ tells me of the strength of the love to endure over the years despite the lack of physical presence. Her pain masked on a daily basis by her masked smile. I can relate to this as I am sure many can.

Through the years,
I have become her shadow-
unable to move on
because she hasn't.
^
This stanza is almost unnecessary, but it does serve to clarify the situation. He cannot move on until she manages to do so.

And like every night
I watch her cry in her sleep.
struggling through nightmares
caused by the ghost she still loves.
^
Like the previous stanza this states the same message, but in a more powerful way. Thinking as I write, the two stanza's do complement one another - much like this couple in life and after...

My attempts of wiping away her tears
are met with the cold reality-
she'll never know that I was here.
^
I read this and it felt like a sharp slap on the face. His love, enduring and as strong as forever is not reciprocated - a sad realisation.
But tonight
as I turned away from her,
I heard a whisper that sent a
jolt through my empty veins.
^
A turning point in the story - an awakening perhaps? The empty veins is a good description, reminding the reader of his lack of corporeal presence.

A name she hasn't uttered in
four years...
^
The gap, gives the necessary pause to the narrative...

"...Jeromy".
^
A bell rang in my head despite seeing the writing on the wall. It was a lovely revelation in one way that she had become aware of his presence. Their love had managed to cross the spirit world. In another way, it is sad as she cannot move on now, in fact she has stepped one step back on her road to recovery. I can see a sequel to this poem. A poem where she develops regular narrative with Jeromy. They then together move one, he to his heaven once she has found love again with a man who deserves her love. Just a thought.

Congrats, everyone! This was tough, there were some awesome poems.

Thank you for the comment on mine :)

Congratulations to Mark, Micheal and Larry!!! And to everyone.... Beautiful poems for this challenge.... Thank you for the lovely comment!

Congrats Mark!

And thank you for the comment on my poem <3

Congrats Mark & to Michael & Maple (3M)!
Great contest MA!

Great pieces everyone! Congrats you guys!

Really wasn't expecting a win, thank you!

And congrats to micheal, larry, and andrea!

Congratulations to Mark, Micheal and Larry!!!

...and Mr Darcy too lol

.....seriously the best poems won

Thank you to POTP, lots of entries, which goes to show we all like a good contest.

Congratulations Mark on your win. Also, Andrea on both of yours, and Larry too. I thought my poem would surely be viewed as too long - so really unexpected. Thanks for reading and voting.

Well done Mark and to the runners up. These were all wonderful.

All the best,
Ben

I think the winner should host the next contest/challenge............

^I agree.

Mr Darcy, your writing is hypnotizing. I was completely sucked into your story. Absorbed. You are talented. I'm sure I'll get some flack for this, but I don't really consider what you wrote to be a poem. Poetry is subjective. In my own subjective opinion, I find what you wrote to be exquisite script/screenwriting or storytelling. Whatever it is, it's wonderful.

Thank you for your feedback sandwich.

^Now there's a nickname begging for explanation.

Guess I'm hosting a contest. Yay for being voluntold. :p

I thought he was calling me sandwich too and I laughed out loud.
I think he meant because of my post; it's flattery, "unflattery," then flattery again. A feedback sandwich.
However, if you were calling me sandwich, Mr Darcy, I wholeheartedly approve.

Unflattery is not a word? Hmmph.