English Poetry Contest - February

child of the other side · Geplaatst: Za Feb 02, 2008 11:05

Hello everybody and welcome to a new English Poetry Contest!
This challenge will be organized every month, by Marlie (Child of the other side) and Charlotte (Sweet Hermione).

The idea is very simple. We decide the subject, you write the poem. (And of course, we’ll try to make an entry as well.) This can be anything that’s inspiring; another poem, a lyric, a title, a picture, a word, etc. We’ll try to vary the subject as much as possible.

Every participant has to maintain the following rules:

About the voting:

Well, those were the rules and now the most important part; PRIZES!

1st place - 40 sickles
2nd place - 30 sickles
3rd place - 20 sickles

No one can win the first price more than 3 times in a row. If so, SH / Cotos will decide what to do. I hope you all understand why we do this.

The subject of this month is a picture. CLICK (this picture is made by h9351 - DeviantArt. Please don't steal or reproduce.)

Well, let this picture inspire you in any possible way. And if you don't want to write about the whole picture but just the bubble, background or the child; feel free to do so but please explain. (:

Please send your poem between the 2th and the 24th of February.
And you can vote between the 24th and 29th (24.00) of February.

We wish everybody good luck and lots of fun. If you have any suggestions, tips, notes or ideas; feel free to use the lovely pb-button, it’s begging to be pushed.

Charlotte (Sweet Hermione) and Marlie (Cotos).

child of the other side · Geplaatst: Za Feb 02, 2008 19:19

1st Poem

The picture made me think of a book I recently read: 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. It's a about a handsome young man who would do anything to keep his youth and not grow old. The bubble in the picture symbolizes youth and the child, Dorian Gray, is trying to hold on to it.

***

Dorian Gray

his fair face
beautiful blue eyes
at one time captured by in strokes of paint
by the painter's hands
wishing he could stay
this way
stop the changes, stop the ages

the light of a fading summer's day
- scent of blossoming flower -
a golden light.
capture the moment

keeping that moment
a locked chamber with a dark door
a dark room
access denied
his secret lingered there
age did not alter his face
but the face on the painting
was fading away

everything he'd ever done
the painted face was showing him
a mouth of bitterness
no more golden light
streaks of grey
parchment skin
but the mirror
showed a different thing

a final act of despair
flung at an innocent throat
a murderer he was
no.
a murderer he had become.

maddening painting
paranoia
no hope, no soul left
grabbing the knife stained
by the blood of his friend. a painter
the painter

the painting had to die
like it's painter
like the painted
his heart penetrated
romantic flow of red
wine of life
an altered man
he was no
more.

child of the other side · Geplaatst: Zo Feb 03, 2008 20:48

2nd Poem

The picture inspired me almost immediately. The first stanza of the poem is about the soap bubble looking down (literally) on the people on earth, wanting, trying to fit in. The second is about the child - or any person, it doesn't matter, really - and his/her "experiences" with life. The last sentence is directed to both the soap bubble and the person.
(The things I didn't explain are open for interpretation xD.)

***

Every detail soft as snow
With all and every gift aglow
And never minds the bad or kind
earthborn, mortals
stuck below.

Here the people you have met
And all the choices you regret
Your roaming of this earthly dome
slowly, softly
don't forget.

These feet will always
lead you home.

child of the other side · Geplaatst: Do Feb 21, 2008 19:36

3rd Poem

The picture gives me a treacherous feeling. The child tries to capture something it can’t hold, but does want to hold.
That’s what my poem’s about. Fake feelings, fake people and fake worlds, all captured in a shell that gives it a serene look.

***

Philosophy of bells

Do you feel alone in here?
The jet-black night screens fill
A room with crammed-up fake
It’s a pain too much to take
But exactly what you want to hear

Do you know these broken dreams?
A fictional shade into the deep wind
That crawls across Persian walls
Financially it’s the clock that falls
And not the man it redeems

Do you get the story told?
The loss that has so many faces
Cries, for it’s a scrubby fawn
That feeds it off the dawn
And restrains a tranquillest hold

child of the other side · Geplaatst: Ma Feb 25, 2008 10:45

4th Poem

I have to admit that it took me a long time to get some inspiration. I was trying but didn't get any result, until this day. It just came to me all of the sudden, as so often happens with inspiration. The child trying to catch that soap bell made me think of children and their dreams. We all dreamt and always believed our dreams would come true. When we grow older, some of us give up and most of us don't try to chase their dreams because they think it isn't possible anyway and get over it. They go and live in the real world, where there's no room for fantasy and faith. I think it's a pity, so I wrote a poem about it.

***

A child’s dream floating in the air
Aren’t we all trying to chase it?
When we were still a child
we never gave up
But later on some of us
have the feeling
they lost the fight

We were wandering through our fantasies
when our hearts were young
As we grow older
it are the memories that take over
No one of us will ever forget
those childhood days
When we were trying to catch our dreams
Floating in the air as a wishful star

child of the other side · Geplaatst: Di Feb 26, 2008 19:54

Wow, time goes fast! Sorry folks but I was on holiday and SH had a very busy weekend. Anyway, it's time to VOTE. (:

About the voting

How to vote:
My first/second/third vote goes to poem number:
Because:

You can vote till the 29th (24.00 o'clock.) Good luck. ^^

Pottergirl · Geplaatst: Wo Feb 27, 2008 12:33

Come on people, there's some pretty poems out there!

First vote: 3rd Poem
Because: I really like the way the picture is interpreted and I'm also impressed by the vocabulary. I don't understand the whole poem, but it represents the feelings of the picture very well.

Second vote: 2nd Poem
Because: It's not exceptionally long but I like it. Especially the last stanza really says it all. Great job.

Third vote: 4th Poem
Because: I like how this poem refers to your own childhood ('When we were still a child'), this creates a feeling that you have something to do with the picture, makes it personal. Also, the last sentence is really great.

Sweet Hermione

Well then, I'll vote!
Nice poems, but complicated. I like how you all made something completely different.

First one: 1st poem
I adore this one. It's more like a story (it's book, so yeah that sounds natural xD) than a poem and most of the time, I think that's really really annoying but now I really like it. It's an interesting subject you describe here. I like the whole poem. The last stanza's, you begin about a painter which is not completely clear to me, but in the last stanza, you make it all up to me. xD I don't know, but it really... did something to me.

Second one: 3rd poem
I had to chose between the second and third, but I finally chose this one.
That's mainly because of the line: It’s a pain too much to take
But exactly what you want to hear . I love the contradiction in this and though I don't know what you mean, I adore it. It makes me think of the love-hate and pain-bless in life. The title ''Philosophy of bells'' also sounds very nice. But I have a little personal downside to this poem: the vocabulary is so well but I don't understand a lot of words.

Third one: 2nd poem
I love the rhyme, how it sounds simple but I think it isn't simple at all.
The last two lines are really, really brilliant and a true oneliner (like - for my diary / schooldiary or something) and it seems to give hope.
I like the idea of the outside and inside of the Earth. Well done.

child of the other side

PG and SH; thanks for voting! This time SH's vote will count because she doesn't know which poem belongs to who, she's just as unknowing as any of you. And since no one else has voted, I believe 2 pairs of voters is enough to decide who wins.

1st place; child of the other side - 40 sickles
2nd place; Pottergirl and FelixdeFeniks - 25 sickles

Congratiulations everyone and we both hope you will join next time as well. ^^

1st poem; Pottergirl - 3 votes
2nd poem; FelixdeFeniks - 3 votes
3rd poem; child of the others side - 5 votes
4th poem; Genner - 1 vote