(Results)Poetry Contest - Reminsce of the Days of Old

Contest and this thread will be closed to any new replies tomorrow Sunday 11pm eastern. Member voting will be open till 1 hour prior to announcement which be sometime on Wednesday, so don't forget to star your favorites...

Keep those wonderful entries coming

The smell of salt cod drying on their racks
The gulls in a frenzy awaiting their snacks
Skippers unloading their daily catch
For the mighty trawlers, the Grand Banks were no match

Generations upon generations had lived that way
Hardened old skippers making an honest living
Until, one day, the cod went away

The sons rented U-Hails and fled for the mainland
Their fathers stayed behind and wept for Newfoundland
They hoped that some day the cod would come back

A rugged island, beautiful and deadly
Newfoundlanders would have it no other way
Even without the bounty of the sea
There's no other place many would rather be

Few of those sons ever plan to return
The Island has nothing to offer as far as they're concerned

Past Lives

I struggle to grasp the first images of my life, this one

In a crib I play, but the brightly colored balls bore me
As now do the thoughts of my infancy

I was here before, of that I know
My mind is old, wise

My history...an ancient parchment with text I cannot decipher
I hold a candle up to it
But it only throws shadowy glimpses of my past
winks of yesterday, teasing me

Elaborate ball gowns, a manicured lawn
laughter and mirth, my lover at my side

I stroll through the gardens of a king

Minstrels serenade me

It is a bright, sunny afternoon

Tables dressed with decorated cakes lay before me
waiting for me to take my pick
I pop a sweet, iced one in my mouth
It's filled with fresh berries and custard

My lover whispers sweet nothings in my ear
and we laze through the day

The party ebbs and flows around us
a great tide of bejeweled people

We sip our champagne
effervescent bubbles of clues
escape my glass

I stare into it's depths, and try to recall
but my thoughts float up to mingle with the atmosphere

My glass empty, my head giddy
My heart in love

Suddenly, the knowledge of yesterdays past
throws a shiver up my spine
I know not why

The leaves of my party
turn the colors of autumn
to be blown away by a brisk, cold wind

My heart sinks
My breath escapes in short, cold bursts
A foot steps over my grave

Was my lover not my husband?
Was my husband the king?
Questions wither, smolder and die
escape like trailing smoke
leaving only a perfumed scent in the air

I hug my lover tight, here and now
happy to know that we are together
in this life, in this time, again
as we once were... in a place long ago


Praxilla
03/07/09

Sorry Life Trouble
Games whisper from our past
Predicting our future

Star Wars, Burger Chef, Kings Island
Steelers, Blizzard of '78
Kotter, Sleestacks, Jarts

ABC, CBS, NBC
only ones to choose
for Saturday morning cartoons

Rush, Steely Dan, AC/DC, April Wine
Almighty Floyd, Zeppelin
Sounds of transition time

[edit on 3/7/2009 by Whisper67]

Popped 3 balloons at the county fair
Cotton candy stuck in my hair
Won a huge pink and white teddy bear

Bruises on elbows scapes and scabs on knees
Pinched my nostrils when I sneezed
Your mother wears combat boots who stoled my skate keys?

Bobo the gorilla at Woodlawn Park zoo
Looks bored and sooooo subdue
Would have busted the glass if I only knew Kung fu

What ever happened to my baby Jenny?
Body of rubber hard head and teeth
She was almost bigger than me

Step on a crack break your mother's back
Jumping rope to Lizzy Bordens 40 whacks
Found several prizes in my Cracker Jacks!

Twirled all at once 10 hula hoops
Duncan yo-yo walk the dog and trick loops
Watching mild-mannered Clark Kent get the scoops

If there was only a glitch in time
And I was back in my prime......
Don't want to go over so I'll finish my rhyme

should have put it down before, this is not an entry. Sorry.

as children we play
as adults we live to die
no regrets death comes


[edit on 8-3-2009 by M157yD4wn]

2nd post
From: `De Echo van mijn Ego` 1979


`My Memory`

The morning breaks thru my window
Light in a million colours mosaic

I hear the silent street breathe
Breathe, just breathe
A beat, so neat, so sweet

The beat of my arteries
The pounding of my heart
My lungs filled with fresh air
Ready for a new day start

I see eyes that beg
And I see eyes that laugh
Children, they play
They breathe, just breathe
They play footy in the street

In THAT street
Just a simple street
Where I was born so long ago
I breathe, just breathe

The morning glow is as wine
Like a deep Rosé so fine
The memory lasts, it’s mine
Such a sweet slumber


Rewritten for ATS 03-08-2009 original: CV/EvME-04/1979

Gathering round the oak tree
swinging sticks as swords
in the summer sun, truly free

trash lids shielding blows
as blows rain down upon me
grass crisp beneath my barefoot toes

i give chase to the dark knight
to find the damsel in distress
through the woods, flickers of sunlight

beyond the trees i hear her shout
i spur on my steed towards her voice
refreshingly there was a breeze out

one more final square off
sticks and lids in hand
all was silent, suddenly a cough

we turned to see the maiden running away
no longer knights we gave chase, to the swimming hole
knights she no longer wanted to play

Good luck everyone..they are all great.

Somewhere in the beginning
or was it the end

Down the rabbit hole we fell
or was it up we rose

Into a land of make believe fairy tales
or is this reality

Through the looking glass we saw ourself
or were we the reflection

Time passed by running quickly
or did we pass time crawling

Reminiscing about events gone by
or were we memories being reminisced

Constantly moving from one place to another
or were we just standing still

Then we found out the truth
or did we always know the lie

Finally we breathed our last
or were we taking our first

The World Today

Their minds are stultified,
Their brains have long been dormant,
To think for themselves,
Is considered a torment.

They consume day by day,
Have become a new race,
Coz humiliation and exploitation,
Doesn't leave any trace.

Accepting a state of misery in life,
Have given up on their goals,
As a spirit to thrive.

They don't voice opinions,
As they are scared of the few.
Their voices have been gagged,
From saying what's true.

Silent they have become,
But viciously they stare,
For deep in their souls,
They still do much care.

But this happens only,
In a moment of light,
For their souls are condemned,
To live in the night.

Sometimes they wake up,
But a brief time it is,
Then fall back into oblivion,
Because ignorance is bliss.

The time has come,
Wake up and see,
Oppression is an illusion,
And you are all free.

But it takes many more,
To topple the few,
Wake up and join us,
Make the possible true.

by TheWriter

[edit on 8-3-2009 by TheWriter]

Roads down a stormy mountain

These days of today the sun light bleeds into minds view
as between perceptions of the real, and the minds chosen
..feeling?

And while reeling inside myself
over love lost and politcs of modern age
which makes me think of yesterday.

To forget these stupid modern things
as though a machine is influencing time.
I remember mountains. And better times.
though it too was all just lies.

Now i only have a body getting slower with time
and a mind which deserves neither to suffer or die
same with anything else that exists. But time is this way
so i continue to reflect

The storm it moved over one day
while falling controlled from heights untold
the lightning strikes, thunder..cold
run , man run now please ..run faster down

switchback, lightning now
striking disaster
tree falling crackle..crackled..now thunder
run faster and faster now faster..disaster.
but eerily there was no disaster
we all ran faster and faster

To safety in the valley plush with green grasses
owned by some people riding foreign horses
but i ignore the reality and absorb all the beauty
of nature, not just being.

The world is looking. And some do deny it
but the world will find it hiding inside them
waiting to be found like an old shoe
on the road no cares but lonely you

lonely is ok, remember the days now
go back again and again when the old shoe was new.

“Everything will be alright”

It seems as though a dark cloud has been blown right before us

Although we remain happy to just sit nice and tight

The people all cry…..

“Everything will be alright”

“Everything will remain just fine”

Times are getting harder

Finances are down Spirits no longer high

What we are yet to realize is that when the rich will wage war it’s the poor who will die

Lots of things left to explain

Although it seems as though we may not have to wait

2012 rolling around the corner

But we’re not scared

Even though some think it’s the end of the world

We’re still not scared!!

“Everything will be alright”

“Everything will remain just fine”

2nd Entry :

"FORCED"

RUNNING THROUGH THE FIELDS
SMELLING THE SWEET FRAGRANCE OF FLOWERS
AND BATHING IN THE CLEANSING
RAYS EXPELLING FROM THE SUN
SHE REMEMBERS HOW HAPPY SHE WAS
NO WORRIES, FEARS, OR SADNESS
SHE WAS SO CLEAN, SO INNOCENT
A VIRGIN TO THE WORLD
BUT THEN REALITY STRUCK
THOSE FIELDS TURNED FROM SOFT GRASS
INTO HOT BURNING COALS
THE FLOWERS NO LONGER HAD A SWEET SCENT
THE RAYS FROM THE SUN NOW BURNED THE SKIN
NO LONGER WAS SHE CLEAN
SHE WAS WOKEN FROM HER DREAM
AND HER SOUL WAS BRUTALLY RAPED
HER BODY BEATEN AND SCRAPED
SHE STUMBLED ONTO THE CONCRETE
UP TO THE BARS THAT WERE SUSPENDED
OVER THE WATER SO FAR BELOW
HER EYES BLED SO MANY TEARS
THAT STUNG HER OPEN WOUNDS
BUT SOMEHOW SHE MANAGED
TO GRAB ONTO THOSE BARS
HER ARMS JETTED OUT WILDLY
SHE PICTURED THE FIELDS OF FLOWERS
SHE SAW THE SUN AND SMILED
SHE WAVED HER ARMS UP AND DOWN
LAUGHING OUT OF CONTROL
HER INNER SOUL SCREAMED FOR HELP
HER BRAIN IMPLODED THEN SHE STOPPED
SHE REMEMBERED WHAT HAD HAPPENED
HOW THE INNOCENCE WAS LOST
HER VIRGINITY TO LIFE STOLEN
A RISING GODDESS SHE TURNED
THEN SHE LEANED BACK AND LET GO
NO CRY WAS HEARD, NO SOUND WAS MADE
NO BODY RECOVERED FROM THE RAPIDS
SHE NEVER MADE IT ALL THE WAY DOWN
SHE DISAPPEARED, INTO THE THICK AIR
THE DEVIL GRINNED, HE HAD GOTTEN
WHAT HE HAD WISHED FOR
IT WAS NOW SOMEBODY ELSE'S TURN.

Thanks for the opportunity..

[edit on 3/8/2009 by TheWeepingWillow]

Note: posting in ALL CAPS will not give a poem an edge over one that is NOT done in ALL CAPS.



please read The Use of ALL CAPs

reply to post by worldwatcher

In the past in fields of gold,
we walked with hands to hold.

We think to warmer days,
clearer skies and lesser haze.

We remember our yesterdays,
and we long for those ways.

Kinder people and simpler ways,
smaller troubles, no rat maze.

I see my country raped and dying,
to the woods I go, silent running.

Thank You all so very much for your participation. This thread is now closed to new entries, however voting will be allowed till Wednesday, so please continue to star your favorite entries.

Thread will reopen on Wednesday with the announcement of our two winners.
Good luck to all and thank you again for sharing your talent.

Hello to all our Writers!!

Please bare with me regarding the winner's announcement, I will not be able to make that announcement until later tonight between 10 and 11pm still waiting for a judge and (I totally forgot today is a Hindu holiday (Holi or Phagwah) and I won't have time to be back online till then. Please continue voting for your favorite poems by starring them, I will use the 10pm mark as a cut off for the star voting.

until then, I thank you all for your patience and wish every good luck
and Happy Phagwah too

Once again, Change of plan....

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who participated in this contest and made it such a success. This was a very difficult contest to judge due to large number of outstanding entries. Never underestimate your talents and never give up writing. Words can convey emotions and so much more and you all paint beautifully . I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every entry and had many favorites. However we are supposed to have two winners, so without further delay......

Tied: Greenize for Up in the Morning
and: CA_Orot for Mommy Carry Me

Congratulations to our winners, each will receive 5000 ATS points

Now on to our Member voted Winner who will also receive 5000 ATS points:

Congratulations to Antar with 14 stars as of 6:30pm for her entry
Walking along the lazy afternoon shoreline

And Just Because I can

1500 ATS Point to following honorable mentions in no particular order...

LeelaSavage
s3dreamlnd93
Siege
Whaa
Solarskye
Seagrass
blupblup
Blogstalker
Travelerinthedark
djquinn
LiquidCrystalz
The Weeping Willow
Deltaalphanovember
Whatukno
ProgramOrganic

Congratulations to our Winners and honorable mentions. See you in the next contest

[edit on 3-11-2009 by worldwatcher]

Congratulations everyone!

I hope to see everyone participate again, for the next competition.

Thank you WW for starting the poetry contest and giving us a chance to express ourselves.