Short Poem Contest - Winners Announced on Pg 9

A haiku titled "KISS":

Gene and Paul in charge
Ace and Peter hit the road
Crowds were not as large

A rose blooms
from rain and sun
As I bloom from
your undying love

I spread my petals
for you each morn
In hopes of catching
a drop of you

King Leonidas and three hundred
traveled to Thermopylae
Last defense against the Persians
between the cliff face and the sea

Persia's arrows blotted out the sun
The Spartans felt no pain
Fought till every spear was shattered
And every Spartan slain

Five years have passed
Yet, No one is coming back
Except, in a bodybag.
The question still remains
Why?
A war on terror?
I say not.

[edit on 15-9-2007 by Figher Master FIN]

After mangling old gods in translation,
take history's stockpot. Cook something up.
Claim direction from Arcturus rising or Lyra setting.
'Osiris, Jesus, and bowling' are good for a start.

O but have I misjudged your intentions?
Then with confidence dash all lies to dust.
Therein taste of truth far deeper than a quark's flavour
and sweeter than the discovery of love.

This is my third entry.


A Grim Account.


Basra to Haditha, Anbar to Baghdad,
Gather round all, there's killing to be had.


Be you invader, insurgent or poor civillian,
You all shall perish, by the quarter of a million.


Those left behind, I shall maul and maim,
Physically or mentally, that's just my game.


My name is varied, but yet it is one,
Be it IED, Gunshot, or a suicide bomb.


Just so you know, as you take your last breath,
here's my calling card, my name....it is Death.


-Regensturm



[edit on 15-9-2007 by Regensturm]

Haikus are nice, but guys, d'ya know that the traditional form is more than just 17 syllables?

They also should have a reference to seasons, and format usually has three different lines, in a 5-7-5 sequence and with a grammatical pause, called kireji This is put after the first five or second seven syllables.


Sunlight etches moon -
Torn flag no longer waves since
Summer, sixty-nine

...(entry 2)

My third and final entry, sorry for not bolding the previous two.

a game of mirrors ive been playing in lately
does it ever wriggle
every small telemetry
cynical rubicks cube stupid

largesse catharsis
marginal malaise
a hazy days soliloquy banter
phantom mechanical abstract mathematical

Little children jumping in play
is this what you do all day

No, says one to the other
I'm much more settled when with my mother

Hugs and kisses she gives each day
I hope my life is always this way

When snuggled warmly to her breast
I know my mom is the very best

[edit on 15-9-2007 by observe50]

I sit and wait, I'm all alone
A darkened room, is this my home?
I don't recognise, all this around me
I cannot open, my eyes to see
Am I lost? Am I afraid?
Is this life? Or just the # we've made
Pure destruction, multiple hands
Stained with blood of a thousand lands.

It's said that the meek shall inherit the Earth
I remind you of this for what it is worth

All that one has is just self fulfilling
You'll pay for it all with that monthly billing

Don't fall into temptation, set yourself free
give up on some buying, be happy like me

Plant a seed then sit and watch it grow
Life is to short, this you should know

Eight thousand points what would I do
Why of course I would give them right back to you

Without a doubt I rather give then receive
I would expect that's kind of hard to believe

There is goodness and badness all over this Earth
I have a good soul from the moment of my birth

One lesson I have learned in the life that I live
is you feel better inside when you learn how to give


[edit on 15-9-2007 by observe50]

'The land of Opportunity'

They hide in your computer, your phone, your TV, the website you visit,

the things that you see, they know just where you travel, the foods that

you eat, the words you shout out, those who you meet, They decide which

business will rise, which will fall, the ones who are famous, the ones who

are small, They were told they were righteous, chosen to spy, destined for

greatness, awarded the eye, but what they never keep hidden away in

their heart, a notable slip for those who are smart: are venomous words

they so eagerly use, to belittle those judged when it’s time to abuse.

Greetings, fellow ATSers!

Well, you all have submitted some wonderful entries and I loved reading them all. It never ceases to amaze me how much creative talent can be found in this wonderful forum…

In any case, I chose limericks for my own entry, and, only after composing a dozen or so did I go back to make sure I was following all the rules and saw that we were limited to only three poems each! Oh, well – here’s three of the limericks to consider for the contest. So as not to waste the rest of them completely, I’ll toss a few more of the other better limericks in another post following this one – not to be considered for the contest, mind you; just for your enjoyment…


Here are my three entries:

3-Day Notice:

There once was a Martian from Phobos,
whose superiors were clearly quite zealous.
“Go to Earth.” they commanded,
“See that the humans are evicted;
we need to move in by next solstice!”


Lunar Lear:

John Lear is a pilot from Nevada,
and he sees things we can’t on ‘ole Luna.
“That’s ok”, he assures us,
“for there is a hidden modus;
and your souls shan’t be captured by NASA.”



The Henchmen of 9-Eleven:

On September 11 of two-thousand one,
a tragedy occurred that was second to none.
Things might now be better,
and we’d have less reason to fretter,
If we just knew the truth of the henchmen.

OK – again – this is not an entry post! Just passing on a few “extra” limericks I wrote... for your pleasure…


What Was She thinking?:

Some threads are just posted in jest,
But many surely leave us impressed.
Friends at ATS are left wondering,
Does this poster have an inkling?
Or is she just a child possessed?


Dog-gone Drones:

The drones – they appeared in a flurry,
and then simply disappeared in a hurry.
The forums became stalled,
researchers went bald!
Perhaps, they’ll return with a fury!


The Grey Man From Zeta:

There once was a grey man from Zeta,
who came to Earth with an agenda.
He zoomed down to the surface,
with a mission and a purpose,
but merely augured into Siberian tundra!



Happy Amigos:

The Amigos of ATS were saddened,
at the plethora of flaming and banning.
They’re eyes lit with glee,
And they shouted, “Yippee!”
When the quality of postings turned charming.


Vladi-Greer:

You know what Putin and Greer have in common?
Both act like some sort of shaman.
The first one spews venom,
The second his nostrum,
And both seek to brainwash the laymen.


ATS Plaudits:

Let’s meet at Above Top Secret,
to weigh the plausible value of pundits.
No topic is taboo,
And some can be cuckoo,
but no forum exists with more plaudits!

Take care, all....

My third entry:

Now you play the inquisitor, and I play the accused.
Once I was the torturer, and you the poor excuse for flesh.
So turn the wheels of time, and what was comes round again.

Old soul, how long shall we kill the innocent for the gods of war,
or is it to be expected that rivers of blood endlessly soak Babylon
till Abbadon breaks forth? Then we will walk among the stones of fire

and carry the lives we lived into inapproachable light and fall
down to the dust for dust we are, ashes smeared on God's face.

reply to post by worldwatcher


Here you shall find
All that is mine
All is yours to drown in
The closer you come
To my pandemonium

I am the eyes in which you wish to see
I wrote the book of history
I sound the horns of all the wars
I live a life full of chores

I am the one who brings day and night
I am the air that gives you flight
I am the one that has killed the most
I am every humans host.

Insurgeance on the inside, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
Living with aparteid, war is upon us, choose the right side
All war brings is many lives lost
Look around, look what is cost.

Moving Lights around me
Shapes and forms surround me
I stand alone at night
I close my eyes
It's a horrid sight
Large eyes watching
color lights are dancing
Large hands waving
cutting open skin
I wish I had a tin hat
Taken to the beast
I move to fight
metal probes surround my eyes
All my senses die
Woken up in sudden fear
I was never there
The creatures from space
it's a horrid sight
You can see it on my face