Picture Poetry Contest (...continued...) [Archive] - Page 5

Hawkman

12-08-2010, 09:16 AM

Well these are all very good poems and choosing a winner hasn’t been easy. The bird in question was mooching around within the wards of a dilapidated medieval French castle. It rained quite a lot, if I remember rightly, but it didn’t seem to dampen his pavonic enthusiasm for display.

Pen: I really liked your drawing the analogy between the ostentatious bird and a guy hanging out in a bar, and better yet, a flasher :D I do think you could tighten it a bit here and there though.

hill: Great piece, I loved the humour in your poem and it was a fun read, but the metre stumbled a bit in S4. However, I loved the way you wound it up. :D

DM: I really enjoyed your approach to the subject interweaving the theme of 5 of the deadly sins into reflections upon past conquests with the introduction to the narrator revealing his own hubris. In fact I think the flaw here is that you start in 3rd person and switch to 1st person narrative. And then you conclude back in 3rd person. But as all use I as the voice of the narrator, it’s a bit confusing.

There is some blurring of the individual subject’s possession of the particular vices, as they seem to overlap in a couple of places, but I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing for the poem. Many of the cardinal sins may be grouped together under ‘lustful appetite’. Interestingly you state in the closing stanza that the narrator envies not, so the 7th vice is included but not exercised. Nice twist. But I’m not sure whether you mean woes or woos (if woos, I think it should be wooing)

maz: Your entry started well in the first stanza with a rattling rhythm and humour which was echoed in the second although the metre stumbled a bit here, and never really recovered. It’s a good poem, but a little inconsistent.

autolycus: You wrote a nice, crisp little poem, but I felt the forced rhymes let it down a bit grammatically, but it was a good interpretation of subject matter.

b/v as always you wrote a fantastic poem but I felt you were taunting my preference for rhyme. I can see you in your ivory tower crafting this and thnking, “Hawk’s judging this; I dare him not to pick mine just because the last word isn’t splat!” :D So sadly you haven’t won, but you get a highly commended. :thumbsup:

Delta: I didn’t think your comment was really an entry, but I loved the story :D

But the winner is:

:hurray: YesNo. Your entry just made me bark with laughter out loud when I read it. It’s a nice, tight, fun package of humour. It may not be the best poem in the world but on this occasion it’s my favourite. So, congratulations to you - and commiserations to everyone else. Don’t feel hard done by – all the entries are worthy, and judgement is subjective.

Thank you all for taking part.

Live and be well – Hawk.

blank|verse

12-08-2010, 09:40 AM

Well done, YesNo.

Hawk - You can rest assured I wasn't 'taunting' you via the medium of poetry. That the rhyme scheme is somewhat haphazard has more to do with the short period of time in which the poem was written, rather than anything more sinister (although I suppose there's a compliment in there somewhere that you consider me skilled enough to be able to pull something like that off).

And as for the ivory tower, that's an area of the house I no longer frequent as it is currently occupied by my pet bear in homage to Byron.

But thanks for providing the inspiration for this poem; I'll keep working on it - it's only two lines off a sonnet...

mazHur

12-08-2010, 10:21 AM

His head is tilted to the side
With feathers spread to show his pride.
He hopes some hen will care.
But it's just me. My camera tried
To picture hope when sweet hope lied.
There was no lady there.

Congrats..you wrote a really good poem, the best of all after I read it now!! :)

YesNo

12-08-2010, 10:37 AM

Thank you! :)

That means I need to look for a picture for the next contest. And figure out how to upload it.

I'll try to have it ready by tomorrow.

YesNo

12-08-2010, 10:04 PM

Here is an image for the next contest.

My daughter picked it out thinking it was cute. After all the cropping and zooming in, it is a little blurry. My only excuse for that was a pair of parent swans making sure I kept my distance.

Deadline: January 7, 2011

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1065&pictureid=8352

hillwalker

12-09-2010, 06:25 AM

Congratulations YesNo - your poem was indeed a gem (and you had some stiff competition this month so very well done).

H

YesNo

12-09-2010, 03:34 PM

Congratulations YesNo - your poem was indeed a gem (and you had some stiff competition this month so very well done).

H

Thanks, Hillwalker! The competition was so stiff I didn't expect to win, but glad nonetheless.

So what do you think of those two cute little swans my daughter liked?

hillwalker

12-09-2010, 04:33 PM

So what do you think of those two cute little swans my daughter liked?

Well, they're nothing like 'ugly ducklings' in the famous children's story. What a cheeky pair!

H

autolycus

12-13-2010, 07:38 AM

Congrats YesNo! We had one bird last time, and now we have two... it's almost like the twelve days of Christmas! :)

Pendragon

12-14-2010, 10:57 AM

They look so cute as they sail across the pond
Fuzzy and warm despite the weather
What we humans never see
Is their legs kicking like mad
To keep the goslings afloat
Whatever the surface of the water does
Smooth and glassy or white with foam

YesNo

12-15-2010, 03:07 PM

Thanks, autolycus! Maybe next time there will be 3 birds.

I enjoyed your submission, pendragon. Thanks!

moonbird

12-29-2010, 06:48 PM

We follow blindly
across the lake
our mother,
for we have nothing
for protection
from the evils
of the world,
foxes
tomcats
and worst of all
the big people
loud
and terrifying.

mazHur

12-29-2010, 07:45 PM

Killjoy!

'Bob, I am frightened'
'What's wrong, Sally?'
'I am worried about humans, Bob',
'But there aren't any humans around,'
'Bob, You may be right but who knows?'
'What do you mean, Sally, be explicit.'
' I am explicit , Bob, but you don't seem to understand.'
'Really?'
'Look Bob, we have to fear Humans, not the beasts'
'Why? they are equally dangerous!'
'Nay, my Bobby dear, the beasts are straight'.
'Oh, Sally dear, you are being philosophic. Be clear, please''
'Bob, I do not fear beasts
because they kill only when they're hungry
but human, Oh, no, Bob, no....I get scared of them!"
'Well, Sally, both beasts and humans kill so what's the fuss about?'
'Try to understand, Bob, it is easy to survive among beasts, isn't it?
Aren't we already surviving among them?''
"Yes, we do but how on earth did these humans get on your nerves?? ''
''My sixth sense, Bob, I detest humans because they kill
for fun's sake and we are so alone and unsafe'
''I know but what do they have to with us,
we are only innocent little ones.''
'Ha, humans don't care about such things,
they kill indiscriminately for pleasure,
they will kill us too.''
''Oh, no, Sally, you are being extra-apprehensive,
get out of your phobia because
there is no sign of a human here!''
'I know they are not here but can you be ever sure?
Humans are a step ahead of beasts
and I am getting worried about YOU;
They will appear from nowhere and,
unlike the beasts, kill us both
with one stone!

YesNo

12-29-2010, 08:48 PM

Thanks for the entries, moonbird and mazHur! We humans can be the scariest of all.

YesNo

01-04-2011, 10:19 AM

Only a few days left to write a poem about these lovely baby swans!

Here is an image for the next contest.

My daughter picked it out thinking it was cute. After all the cropping and zooming in, it is a little blurry. My only excuse for that was a pair of parent swans making sure I kept my distance.

Deadline: January 7, 2011

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1065&pictureid=8352

YesNo

01-08-2011, 11:58 AM

mazHur

01-08-2011, 04:16 PM

Thanks, Pendragon, moonbird and mazHur, for your entries! I enjoyed them all.

Pendragon shows us that there is more beneath the surface of "cute" that we are not likely aware of even if it is just the kicking of legs.

moonbird warns of the terrors, especially from humans, as the young swans cross the lake unprotected following their mother.

mazHur gets these two little swans discussing terrors caused by humans and whether humans are worse than the beasts because they would kill for pleasure.

They are all good. Thank you again!

But I must pick a winner. It is mazHur.

I liked the ending where the clinching point in the argument between the two swans was that the humans could kill them both "with one stone".

Congratulations! :hurray:

Thank you very much, YesNo, for your decision which I appreciate.

One more thing about my poem: Apart from your observations I tried to
relay the subtle feelings of altruism that Sally possessed for Bob in that she was concerned more about Bob's life than her own!

Here's the picture for the next contest:)
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/01/06/wikileaks_israel_gaza_economy/md_horiz.jpg

Babyguile

01-10-2011, 09:08 AM

Congratulations mazHur but is there a larger version of this image anywhere?

mazHur

01-10-2011, 09:41 AM

Congratulations mazHur but is there a larger version of this image anywhere?

sorry, I don't have the larger version but you can always 'zoom in'' for a larger view.:)

Briefly, the picture shows an old man (outside the tent) looking after his ill mother (inside the tent) in a refugee camp!

moonbird

01-10-2011, 08:40 PM

Congrats, mazHur, and cool pic choice! :)

mazHur

01-11-2011, 05:53 AM

Congrats, mazHur, and cool pic choice! :)

Thank you very much:) You are welcome!

moonbird

01-15-2011, 07:01 PM

the dirt is everywhere
on our skin
in our water
woven into our clothing
stamped onto our callused feet
gritty in our teeth

it creeps into our home
through gaps and slits
the more we sweep out
the more comes in
to take its place

it brings little creatures
ugly and black
that live in our hair
nest in our beds
feasting on blood
as we sleep

we don't try to run
not anymore
for we have learned
there is no escape from
its scratch
its poison
its nagging
its spite
for we are no match
for dirt

Pendragon

01-16-2011, 11:00 AM

Nice one, mazHur

What do you do when it all falls apart,
Your country, your friends, and your life
When the party is over and you come up empty
Is there any more reason to fight
It makes me feel sad to see such desolation
Breaks my heart to know they have lost it all
But it makes me feel proud to know against all odds
Somehow, someway life goes on
You can take away all that makes life worthwhile
Destroy the whole picture it seems
But you'll never vanquish the flame of human spirit
Nor demolish human hopes and their dreams
Life at its best is a vapor in the wind
But the candle still burns bright in our dreams

Pendragon

Dark Muse

01-17-2011, 02:58 AM

From the Ruins There is Hope

Is this it
the worlds end
balanced upon that precarious edge,
ruinous.

Time measured
only in nights
and days
and only the sunrise
is beautiful
but the stars have never
been more.

In solitude
where even the echoes die
and rain has never been
more welcomed,
dancing in an unexpected
moment of freedom touched.

Alone to think
uninterrupted
with a mind no longer
bothered by the clutter,
no longer deaf to the low
tremors hum
which the earth sings
only waiting
to be heard again.

Among all the death
feel again the pulse
of life and once again
a mans heart will beat
in harmony with the world.

jajdude

01-17-2011, 07:53 AM

While there is life there is the possibility of joy;
We have to be somewhere,
Where the minutes and days
Bleed into our emptiness.

We have each other,
And the need to remain;
Be still for a while;
Let time have its way.

Do not worry,
For he pulse still runs strong;
We have each other;
Through this we shall endure.

YesNo

01-17-2011, 10:32 AM

I sit. I wait.
I meditate.
There's nothing else to do.
The tent might fall.
The water's all
I'd have to give to you.
But you are gone.
I linger on
Since life does what it will.
I don't know why
You had to die.
I'm waiting for you still.

yuka

01-29-2011, 12:46 PM

Please Come Back To Yesterday

Please come back to yesterday, that sunny day
And try to stay, to make much more breathing space
For this land of suffering
To wake the sleeping people
And to take the olds to their children
The children to their parents
And to give a hint, to all who don’t know the truth

They do not aspire to the paradise of the other side
They only love their home-place
Where they own estates left by their ancestors
They have lovely children and tender wives
And there are heavens for children growing up happily

Even if they were doomed to be forever abandoned
I beg you, the noble Chronos
Come back again to yesterday
Come back to that spring day
Let them take a good look at their beautiful place
And the olds a last look at the sun rising
And the children sit in the classroom obediently
And for the last time
Let the men hug their wives gently
And the women give warmth to their families

To give strength to the lonelies
To bring consolation to those who are suffering
You even can tell all, who is going to be discarded
What waiting for them
Is a heaven of eternal happiness

mazHur

01-29-2011, 03:27 PM

Thank y'all for submitting such beautiful poesy, I am really impressed by going through all the great variety of thoughts forwarded. Seems it's going to be a tough for me to decide the winner!!:)

I think last date for submissions be marked as 15th Feb. to allow time to more good poets for participating in the contest.

best

mazHur

02-19-2011, 01:11 AM

Hi folks!
Thanks to y'all for submitting your beautiful works for the contest and keep the 'thread' rolling!:)
It's high time that I announced the result.

moonbird--a nice well- concentrated thought from the beginning to the end.

Pendragon-- a nicely composed poem stating straight facts of life.

Dark Muse--a well composed idea..yes, from ruins there's hope, indeed.

jajdude-- nice poem auguring good times ahead.

YesNo-- nice composition portraying patience and hope.

yuka-- sentiments very nicely portrayed.

I think the real tie is between jajude and YesNo- submissions by both of them are precise and very close to idea behind the picture. Decision is difficult but I have to choose one of them as the winner,,,,and the winner is

Do not worry,
For he pulse still runs strong;
We have each other;
Through this we shall endure.

jajdude!

Congrats!:) Let us have your picture plz!

Pendragon

02-19-2011, 01:04 PM

Congrads jajdude! :iagree:

mazHur

02-20-2011, 02:44 AM

Congrads jajdude! :iagree:

Thank you, friend:)

YesNo

02-20-2011, 02:16 PM

Congratulations, jajdude! I'm looking forward to the next picture!

yuka

02-21-2011, 06:43 AM

Congradulations, Jajdude, also looking forward to your picture

moonbird

02-21-2011, 11:48 AM

Congrats jajude! :)

jajdude

02-23-2011, 01:40 PM

Thanks. Been away a few days. Just returned to China (from Canada, long flight) to start a new job.

Not sure how to post a picture. Guess I can find out.

Dark Muse

02-23-2011, 04:49 PM

There are two different ways you can post a picture. If you find a picture you like online you can right click on the picture, and this box should pop up that says properties are the bottom, and if you click on that, it will give the URL address for the picture, and copy that, than in your comment box in lit net click on the insert image icon and past the web address for the picture into the box that will pop up and than click ok.

Or if you want to use a picture saved on your computer, to post it on lit not scroll down to where it says manage attachments click on that, and than click on browse choose the image in your saved files on your computer, and than click upload.

jajdude

02-24-2011, 01:11 AM

http://www.travel-to-china.org/wp-content/uploads/travel-to-china.jpg

jajdude

02-24-2011, 01:12 AM

Well the picture turned out ok, bigger than I knew. But there you have it. Thanks.

..perhaps could make it smaller? or just use "zoom" ;;;

YesNo

02-24-2011, 11:27 AM

Jim waits for her. The overpass
Lets walkers cross the busy street.
He met her once in someone's class.
This is the last time they might meet.

The cars are busy down below
And keep his mind off other things
Like did he love her. Watch them go.
He knows before his cell phone rings.

She's sorry she won't meet him there.
Hey, that's OK. He understands.
Flights scatter people everywhere:
One takes off, another lands.

From up above their lives pass by
As fast as cars. No time to waste,
But even so Jim wonders why
There's any need for any haste.

autolycus

02-26-2011, 09:38 AM

they come, they go:
ages since Ford
and Edison
the hallowed mass
of light and gas
has made the glow
across the board
now seen in heaven

they sell, they trade
the Daimler-Benz
and Toyota
Japanese pride
and Detroit ride
see what was made
we left our tents
and wandered far

they growl, they gleam
range the concrete
prowl asphalt roads
chariots of fire
steel and sapphire
the city's dream
of wheels on street
now overloads

Pendragon

02-28-2011, 10:40 AM

It's an endless black ribbon
Full of lights in the night
As people speed by
In their tiny capsules so busy
Whom do they pass
Do they even notice
Humanity passing by with inches to spare
Long hard road leading from nowhere to nothing
With all of eternity somewhere in between

moonbird

02-28-2011, 07:03 PM

yellow paint
cutting through the black
the black street
like a sword
or a lightning bolt
fearless

it keeps them away,
they can not pass
its invisible barrier,
the cars
the cars with their horns
with their tires
screaming at me
waiting
in ambush
to strike in silence
in darkness
when i am alone
all alone

but they are not here
not here
i am safe here
safe
here
the clear-cut path
straight and unwavering
through the minefield
to safety
i am safe
here
safe here
on the crosswalk

Dark Muse

03-04-2011, 04:13 AM

Neon Heaven

I want to become lost
within your electrolytes
vanishing beneath your neon gaze
upon these halcyon nights.

Give me a taste of your acid
trip so my reality might
start to blur just around
the edges, watching
chemical blues and electrode
red bleeding through.

And I feel the strobes
pulse like a heart beat
dancing in the middle
of the road where the air
is bitter cold infused
with your gasoline
hot as the dragon's breath.

But sleepless
in the sultry air
there is no reason left to care
so sweep me away,
watching my face
a ghost in the glass
make me a hologram
and I will disappear
in a single flash of light.

The Comedian

03-07-2011, 02:20 PM

Here's mine:

Glow Sticks

Little linear lights and
Elongated echos
Along the avenue . . .

Accelerated autos:
Shall I compare ya'all to a sunbeam?

All your lights 'r threads and
We retreat behind them.

mazHur

03-07-2011, 04:45 PM

Motion
Life
Machines
Science
Marvels
Night
Darkness
Flash
Flood Lights
Flooding streets
Noise
Pollution
Speed
Anxiety
A mad race
Up street
Down Street
No soul around
Heart beats lost
In moving encapsuled rush
Of various types of Steel and Polymer vestibules
Life seems to rest
Yet move
On wheels!

jajdude

03-12-2011, 07:29 PM

Hi

Shall I judge now?

5 days or so is enough idle time right?
oo.
Excellent entries everybody. I'm too lazy to do commentary.

The last one, by mazhur, I thought, captured the pic well.

So, next pic.

edit:

DarkMuse and YesNo, enjoyed your writing too.

moonbird

03-12-2011, 07:44 PM

Congrats mazhur :)

jajdude

03-12-2011, 07:53 PM

I like this: "Give me a taste of your acid"

mazHur

03-13-2011, 06:17 PM

Thanks, jajdude.

I too like this beautiful line:)"Give me a taste of your acid"

Here is the next picture..
http://images.askmen.com/dating/curtsmith_500/542_where-has-her-libido-gone-the-eternal-questions-flash-1043116-flash.jpg

mazHur

03-13-2011, 06:18 PM

Congrats mazhur :)

thanks, moonbird:)

YesNo

03-13-2011, 06:58 PM

She's not too happy, checks the time,
Assumes her man again is late.
She knows too well the reason why.
She'll leave before she needs to cry.
Should he get back, he'll have to wait.

krymsonkyng

03-14-2011, 01:00 AM

Pillowed pouter checks her stop
watch, as time ticks off the clock
she waits to hear his knocking
at the door.

Arms that rest beside her show
she brought the pool boy home
moments before the door opens slowly
left unlocked,
to make sure he knows
who she's lying there for.

Pendragon

03-15-2011, 12:45 PM

The Tryst

She’s fixed up her hair and makeup so precisely
Slipped on something sexy to lure him in—
She’s bathed in perfume and oh, she smells so nicely
Great expectations, she’s longing for him

But now the hours are passing so swiftly,
She pouts at her watch wondering just where he is
She carefully checks all preparations to make sure they’re classy
It just isn’t like him to make her wait like this

The watch on her wrist tells her he’s not coming
But she’s a hopeless romantic, here she goes again
She thinks about calling him, her pout turns to frowning
She wonders why angels fall in love with bad men

Suddenly the phone rings and she answers it breathlessly
It’s the hospital calling, he’s so close to death
He was in such a hurry that he drove recklessly
But he tells her he loves her with his dying breath

She gets out of bed and dresses with her mind spinning
She’s got to see him, if for one final time
Their love started with fire, who could have guessed the ending
Now she has a heartache to last for all time

The funeral is passed, she stands at his graveside
Black mourning clothes replace her sexy nightgown
She tosses a rose as tears flow from her sad eyes
Maybe love will be lucky if there’s a next time around

Pendragon
© Tuesday, March 15, 2011

moonbird

03-15-2011, 04:31 PM

11:54
She fixes her eyeliner,
coldly aware that it
doesn't need fixing.
11:55
She kisses
the back of her hand,
wipes the lipstick
on the pillowcase.
11:56
She knows
that she looks good
and catwalks
in front of the mirror,
a hand on her thigh.
11:57
She picks up a paperback
reads a word or two
and puts it back.
11:58
She spritzes
a little more
Lust
by Beyonce
onto her shoulders.
11:59
She stares at her
wristwatch
with silent desperation
knowing
once midnight strikes
he won't be coming.

jajdude

03-20-2011, 04:57 AM

Is she lonesome tonight
Or is she lustful?

I've got a feeling her man may not show up,
For he's distrustful.

moonbird

05-02-2011, 08:20 PM

Hmm... What's happened to mazHur?

Pendragon

05-03-2011, 12:11 PM

Hmm... What's happened to mazHur?

Yeah, the contest awaits his judgment.

mazHur

05-03-2011, 03:20 PM

Hello all

I am sorry for delay but here I am at your 'service':)

My thanks to all participants. All the submissions are good but have almost the same flair.
In fact the girl has lost her sexual desire and is not interested in having sex. She looks at the watch to check the time her man would come but she isn't in mood for sex at all!!

Keeping in view similar theme adapted by most contestants I feel Pen has done pretty well to be declared the Winner!! These lines are quite near my concept and make a good ending.

Their love started with fire, who could have guessed the ending
Now she has a heartache to last for all time

The funeral is passed, she stands at his graveside
Black mourning clothes replace her sexy nightgown
She tosses a rose as tears flow from her sad eyes
Maybe love will be lucky if there’s a next time around

Congrats Pen.

regards
Maz

Pendragon

05-04-2011, 10:28 AM

Thank you, Maz! In view of the widespread tornado disaster, even destroyed a town 20 miles from the house here, I thought this would be appropriate. May20th is the deadline

http://www.highestfive.com/wp-content/uploads/tornado-natural-disaster.jpg

moonbird

05-04-2011, 06:10 PM

Well done Pen! I'll kick things off...

Aiolia

The winds are calm over Aiolia.
Its mountains are of bronze;
they glitter in the sun,
shimmering caps to distort the truth
shrouded beneath.

The waves crash like thunder
on the milky-white cliffs
of Aiolia; beneath their blank sanctuary
sound the wails of the Harpies
the roars of the storming Daimones
as they rattle their chairs
and scream in unheeded anguish.

It is on this night
as a chill rustles the trees
that the lord of this land
a rusted key in hand
unlatches the door
releases them from their
strangling shackles
and tosses his creatures out
to breathe the open air.

The swift-flying Okypete
tastes the dewy night first
and as she dances
twirling under moonless skies
she wails in delirious bliss
and her winds wail back
twisting round her ankles
churning the deep black clouds.

It is not long before
the others have joined in
and their fluttering wings
send bitter chills
to the land below,
and then they are all spinning
round, round, round
mixing the air
and the night grows darker still
and in the skies over Aiolia
it begins to rain.

Dark Muse

05-09-2011, 05:26 PM

Nature's Wrath

Empowered
with your Mother's wrath
frightful at the height
of your beauty
tension mounts
until it breaks
descending
like an avenging
angel.

Suspended
in awe
and torn with secret longing
to be pulled within
the embrace
of your anger
and swept along
upon your destructive tide.

Heartbeats quicken
and your force
vibrates throughout
my bones
breathtaking
I long for the serenity
which waits in
your core
while the world quakes
before your vengeful
kiss.

YesNo

05-09-2011, 05:46 PM

Blown Away

The winds will blow and sweep away
The fancy dreams with which we play.
With what remains, we'll start again.
So let the dreaming time begin
Though winds of time will always win.

mazHur

05-09-2011, 06:09 PM

A multi-faced genie art it
Calamity can find its own way
It can rent the sky asunder
Or rip off the earth
Turn it upside down
Create hell on earth
Punch the sky on nose
at any time any place
at its own convenience
Or perhaps it has the means
And knows the method
To sneak in at the weakest spot
This universe may pose her?
Whatever, but the genie of calamity
And destruction is quite adept
At pouncing upon the first opportunity
To relieve itself from her den
And create havoc and fear
To the shock of humans and all alive
Very much like the Genie locked up in an stray bottle
Found by Aladin at some shore
And whom Aladin released from the
dark prison by opening up the bottle cap
Whoosh!! How that genie blew out of the bottle
Like a tornado blooming into a mushroom
Of smoke and smudge
Touching the limits of the high sky!
Then suddenly turning into a humongous genie
To the utter shock and surprise of Aladin!
Tornadoes are like genies, generally bad,
Unlike the good genie which Aladin rescued
From the womb of a bottle
Not one such genie takes abode
In the uterus of the scorched Earth
Or over the ever-hanging sheet of sky
When Genies from these get liberated
They only tend to bring
Wide spread devastation and destruction
Calamity, catastrophe and misfortune
Kiss of Death
To whoever whatever comes within their range.

tailor STATELY

05-10-2011, 08:27 AM

Who Is This Poet ?

Who is this poet
whose pen of
seeming wrath
cuts swath through
countryside
filling its nib
from havoc wrought
as it glides and
dips like a glede
hunting prey ?

Who is this poet
that I might curse
his drunkard's walk
that leads him
astray writing
misery in his wake
cryptically destroying
one yet forsaking
another fffffortissimo
in his moment ?

Who is this poet
whose sway o'er
earth and heav'n
esteeming
men as naught
has his way with
no dearth of terror
in his avatar
and signature
signed death ?

:tailor STATELY

Pendragon

05-10-2011, 11:51 AM

Very nice entries so far. This one is going to be tough to pick a winner!

Pendragon

05-11-2011, 09:35 AM

Moonbird's kick-off poem has been my choice from the beginning, so here's to all of you who participated and a fond farewell. I'm leaving the forum, Expressions of true pain find indifference, and I can take no more...

Congrads, Moonbird on your wonderful award-worthy poem!

YesNo

05-11-2011, 09:58 AM

moonbird

05-11-2011, 05:08 PM

moonbird

05-13-2011, 04:55 PM

Below is the link to the pic for the next contest. If I figure out how to insert it directly into the post I will do so but don't get your hopes up, I'm not very computer-savy.

Anyway, if you'd like a little background info, this picture (I stress that is is a real picture, not a painting or computer creation) was taken by the satellite Cassini as it passed behind Saturn. The eclipsed sun shining through the rings creates a breathtaking effect. Being an astronomy buff, I thought I'd try it out here. (I set it as my new desktop background too :))

I'll set the deadline for the last day of this month. Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap061016.html

hillwalker

05-13-2011, 07:02 PM

Thank you Pen, we'll all miss your wonderful entries! I'll get to work finding a pic for the next contest... In the meantime, I have no idea how to attach a picture to a post so could someone enlighten me please? :)

You have to save it into your LitNet Album first (there are instructions how to do that) then select the picture and insert by copying its Picture URL and pasting it in your post. It sounds complicated - but it isn't really.

H

YesNo

05-14-2011, 03:34 AM

Insignificance from Saturn's Perspective

I think I see that pale blue dot
That flickers through our glorious rings.
It's far too small for you to care.
No need to look for wonders there,
Although as dots it's rather rare
And some have claimed it sings.

moonbird

05-14-2011, 02:37 PM

Thanks hillwalker! Here's the pic:

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1131&pictureid=8845

Pendragon

05-15-2011, 10:21 AM

the ball of the planet plunges
like a drop of water into a pond
an infinite, ever expanding circle of rings
ripple the fabric of eternity
what once was will be again
in a never ending cycle

Pendragon

tailor STATELY

05-17-2011, 09:08 AM

L'Oeil de Chat

Down drops the cat's eye token orb
Grave it penetrates into
the cosmic jukebox
The orb's chatoyancy permeates
the æther like muted ripples
upon a placid pool
Space and time halt as if
in the same breath awaiting
the saturnine response
of majestic Holstian song

:tailor STATELY

Hawkman

05-18-2011, 05:46 AM

Is this the image?

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0610/newrings_cassini.jpg

tailor STATELY

05-18-2011, 09:48 AM

yup..

moonbird

05-18-2011, 06:49 PM

Yup see my 5/13 post if you want a little background info about it before you write your poem :)

Hawkman

05-19-2011, 04:31 AM

Your form is oblate, a word
once used for children
given by their parents to the church
in service of their god.
Perhaps this is why you have a halo.

But you bear the name of a different god,
dedicated agriculturally
by pagan Romans,
with your festival a mischievous affair;
an excuse to drink and misbehave.

We, so much cleverer than they,
unveil your mysteries with robot probes,
take pictures, and declare your miracle
resultant from the natural forces
of the universe. Our faith is science.

prendrelemick

05-19-2011, 05:32 AM

Cold, cold beauty,
Pristine and pure,
Ringed with glittering ice,
Haloed with borrowed light.
Perfect.

We see you now,
Framed and displayed,
laid bare to our fatuous stare,
But you remain aloof and lovely,
As only a cold beauty can.

jajdude

05-21-2011, 11:13 PM

I dunno what is going on but Pendragon is not allowed to leave.

Pendragon

05-22-2011, 10:15 AM

I dunno what is going on but Pendragon is not allowed to leave.

The good news is I have an appointment with my doctor on the 26th, hopefully to help resolve some issues. The bad news is this depression gets worse every day. However, I have heard you and I stay, even if I may not post as much. So relax, jajdude, I'm not going anywhere...

jajdude

05-23-2011, 04:13 AM

Good to know dear Pen.

Hope the fog lifts.

Hawkman

06-03-2011, 06:05 PM

The deadline seems to have come and gone with this thread, or has it been extended?

moonbird

06-03-2011, 07:58 PM

Sorry guys, I lost track of the deadline a bit. But here are your results finally!

YesNo: I've always loved how you manage to portray a complete thought in so few lines. People often forget that before Galileo, no one even knew of Saturn's stunning set of rings. Wouldn't it be a tragedy if still today we regarded it as only another dot in the sky?

Pendragon: I hope you will continue to post here on LitNet long into the future. I liked your comparison to Saturn's rings to the patterns of ripples in a pond. Lovely poem.

Hawkman: You poem showed the true dramatic irony which is true not only with Saturn but many of the other planets, in that its great namesake has been forgotten in modern society. Interesting take on my picture.

prendrelemick: When I read your poem I pictured the type of beauty possessed by supermodels, lovely yet coldhearted, much like a Greek statue. Your last two lines left me breathless and thoughtful. Nicely written.

This was a very difficult choice to make, as everyone managed to take a unique interpretation of my picture. But finally I narrowed it down to only one, so the winner is.......

tailor STATELY: Your lovely descriptions created stunning images of Saturn in my mind. I felt your poem described the planet in all its beauty most accurately and in the most detail. I must admit I had to look up a couple of words (chatoyancy... I'll have to use that one sometime :)), but after that the images you portrayed revealed themselves to me beautifully. I believe without even knowing of Saturn at all I could have pictured it in my mind in all its glory. Beautifully done, and congradulations!

Hawkman

06-04-2011, 07:23 PM

Congrats ts and thanks to moonbird for setting the challenge and assessing the results.

Go get 'em, Tiger :D

tailor STATELY

06-04-2011, 09:08 PM

Thank you moonbird and Hawkman, et al. I had fun writing and researching.

The next deadline will be 6/15 (or there abouts).

And here is the new picture:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p219/bomrox/80percent_Reflection-bridge-29612973196367mk.jpg

Enter and tell your friends !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

YesNo

06-05-2011, 01:38 PM

Congratulations, tailor STATELY! Here's a contribution toward your contest.

Below the Bridge

While gazing underneath the bridge
More of the world comes shining through
Much like when gazing in your eyes
Where all the world is a surprise
And I don't tire of watching you.

Hawkman

06-06-2011, 06:18 AM

Great eye, brick lidded,
lashes wrought of scroll carved stone,
you gaze with Buñuel’s vision
on a world bisected
by the razor's edge.
A bridge between reality and troubled dreams,
your horizontal pupil
is the gateway to a predatory soul.

moonbird

06-06-2011, 12:08 PM

As I walked that morning
I began to wonder
what side of the world
I was truly on
the one above the water
or the one below.

jajdude

06-08-2011, 09:52 AM

I slept there once and my dreams had the same symmetry,
It was an entanglement of fury and dearth.

When I woke and my back ached I was
Sad to realize the river had forgotten me.

Pendragon

06-12-2011, 10:45 AM

If your eye is focused, the whole body is filled with light."
This quote is from the Bible and seems excellently applied
This wooden eye sees the same thing every day and night
As if watching over the scene is a need to be supplied

What is in that distant building is any body's guess
The fence in front seems to be so fragile and no protection
I wonder why the secrecy, and I must profess
I wonder if it is just another somewhat secret government section

Are they dissecting aliens there and learning their technology?
Have they created one more method of destroying human life?
Is it a countdown to doomsday that affects their chronology?
The watchful eye sees it all, you could cut tension with a knife

Looking through the eye I see the mysterious buildings there before me
Do I really want to know what goes on behind barred doors?
Looking for some answers I feel Mother Night enfold me
I guess I can't change anything, the world goes on as before...

Pendragon

mazHur

06-12-2011, 04:54 PM

Hasten! Take cover
For the Death's Eye Eyes
All that comes its viewfinder
Hither and thither and all
As the Sun sets or it doth rise!

Death is mean, Death is cruel
It's evil eye's always cast on Life's jewel!

Dark Muse

06-14-2011, 12:17 AM

Dragon's Eye

Take a view
through a dragon's eye
while he slumbers
lost within distant dreams
which rise from the fog
of a far off past,
yet trapped in his tears
of the looming future.

A world which has
shaped without
a trace of his mark
left, but the occasional
murmurs.

Voices which
trickle down
like out of season
rain, and carefree
laughter of wayward souls
who know not
of the beast
sleeping just beneath
their feet.

Take a moment
to escape
your reality
and see the world
through his opaque
glimmering eye.

breathtest

06-15-2011, 04:10 PM

A hollow arch of light that promises a rising of the day,
and yet no day will rise,
and yet night will plummet like an insect
to death,
completing the circle of the dark.

tailor STATELY

06-18-2011, 10:29 PM

Wonderful entries, I enjoyed them all. Though curious why half had no titles? And now the hardest part:

YesNo - Yours was the most upbeat interpretation of the picture - and left us with the memorable lines:

"Much like when gazing in your eyes

Where all the world is a surprise

And I don't tire of watching you." - though a better balance might have been struck using 'into your eyes' perhaps.

Hawkman - Ok, I admit I had to research Buñuel. I understood the title translation having had studied French (and German) in school days long ago; but the wild ride I was thrust into when combining the two was worth the price of admission. My only quibble with the poem would be to consign the word 'is' to another work.

Moonbird - LOL. Your musings reminded me of Jack Sparrow found coping in a surreal netherworld (in Pirates:3 I believe). Well done.

jajdude - Your poem opened up a slew of questions: Why were you there? Back ache? Why would the river forget so? You left me wanting; more, more.

Pendragon - Perhaps the most prodigious interpretation. "Do I really want to know what goes on behind barred doors?", LOL, in this instance I did. What of light ?

mazHur - A most frenetic tone! that cooled with "Hither and thither" and "As the sun sets or doth rise!" I did enjoy your ending couplet very much - though "It's evil eye's" is not without poetic license.

Dark Muse - I must admit I thought this would have been Pendragon's realm of discovery. Your ending was most noteworthy:

"Take a moment
to escape
your reality
and see the world
through his opaque
glimmering eye."

breathtest - A wonderful start:
"A hollow arch of light that promises a rising of the day,"

And the winner is, well, I vacillated twice- so , I would like to give a gold, a silver, and a bronze:

Bronze to Yes/No
Silver to Hawkman
and the winner: Gold to Dark Muse

Congratulations all !

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

Dark Muse

06-18-2011, 10:39 PM

Oh wow thank you! I will get to work on thinking up a new picture.

mazHur

06-19-2011, 05:59 AM

congrats. Dark Muse!!

jajdude

06-19-2011, 08:18 AM

Good job Muse

Pendragon

06-19-2011, 08:50 AM

Nice poem, Muse! :):):)

moonbird

06-19-2011, 11:49 AM

Congrats Dark Muse!

Dark Muse

06-19-2011, 12:29 PM

Thank you!

Dark Muse

06-19-2011, 02:45 PM

Ok here is your next picture

http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2010/299/f/3/one_last_drink_by_silverwynd-d31l61c.jpg

breathtest

06-20-2011, 08:15 AM

Is it the wet grass he has become, the harmony of
thin blades as they lean upon one another?
And in the moonlight, as the wine bottle was placed
upon the tombstone to quietly mark this death,
a young woman stumbled away
with the stains of his life upon her knees.

That's a really good picture by the way, Dark Muse. And congratulations on your recent win.

YesNo

06-20-2011, 09:35 AM

Reminder of Last Night

The gravestones were from long ago.
We chose to party there last night,
The two of us. They'll never know.
The grass now sparkles in the light.

Dark Muse

06-25-2011, 07:13 PM

Thanks to the two brave souls who started things off with their great entries.

Deadline July 10th

Keep them coming!

Pendragon

06-26-2011, 11:33 AM

For Shame

A grave should be a place of eternal rest
So why do people treat them with little respect?
An empty beer bottle sitting next to a grave
Of some remembered soul so good and so brave
Is it so hard to bring flowers as a token of love
To remember the life of someone now passed above?
The grass is uncut, there's a tone of neglect
Why do people treat graves with so little respect?

Pendragon

mazHur

06-26-2011, 03:17 PM

mazHur

06-26-2011, 04:05 PM

Rejoice, folks! I am not Dead
I lie here for eternal Life;
A coward's bullet in the battle field
Cut a Hero's Heart like a blunt knife!

My Friends do not think I am Dead
I am traversing a Life beyond Life
A Life which only Hero's claim
A reward for their Heroic Strife.

Weep not, my dear, at my mound
It holds me like a baby in mother's womb
I get nourished by ethereal sap
Oozing out from all around my tomb.

O dear visitor! Be kind to my Soul
Sit down and drink until you drop
Leave behind the goblets small
Let bottle after bottle gently plop.

Let the tips of green grass around sparkle
With Stars of life-giving dewy wine
Let the holy soil of my last abode
Smell sweeter with the redolence of vino fine! !

moonbird

06-26-2011, 05:01 PM

i went to the graveyard today
to see my husband
who'd lived for the bottle
loved it like a child
(not that he had
ever loved a child
or a woman
for that matter)
and then let it
seize control of him
and
when i found him
that morning
the bottle was still
clutched in his hand
(his cold hand so cold)
and i thought
perhaps
if he's still there
somewhere
and he can see me
as i go to visit him
every Sunday
then he'll want to have
just one drink more
from his beloved bottle
and i thought
perhaps
if i bring him his bottle
so he can drink and be happy
as he pretended to be
in life
then maybe
he'll remember me
wherever he is
and reserve for me
a spot in his heart
right next to
his beloved bottle
so I went to that cupboard
in the kitchen
which had always been his
before he
left
and opened it up
and took a bottle out
that he'd been saving
to drink the next morning
(not knowing
there'd be no next morning
no next anything
forever oblivion
after he closed his eyes
that night)
and i blew the dust off it
and
i went out the door

i forgot the flowers
i'd bought for him
on the table at home

i don't think he'd have wanted them
anyway

jajdude

06-28-2011, 12:51 AM

Will try to contribute soon. Picture had me thinking Poe.

Jack of Hearts

06-30-2011, 03:28 AM

Good Lieutenant, you're in the earth now,
I brought two dollar wine up, for what it's worth now.
Nevermind the sonuva***** infront of you,
who tries to drink it down.

And who does you this kindness?
Tell me, who could it be?
On the glass, slim fingerprints of a lover?
or maybe that sonuva*****, Henry,
buried with no wedding ring
because he solved a mystery.

Good Lieutenant, you're in the earth now.
Oh my good lieutenant, in the hearth how
hungeredly fire eats white day photos
of Henry standing next to your lover,
who leaves tears two-times in dirty ground.

Dark Muse

07-08-2011, 03:25 PM

Thanks to those who have entered thus far and just to remind you deadline is in a couple of days!

Dark Muse

07-14-2011, 01:27 AM

I want to thank you all who entered. As always I enjoyed reading your works and it was a tough job choosing a winner but without further delay here goes:

breathest: A very moving poem which creates quite a vivid picture. When I first started reading I was concerned that it felt a bit too much like a literal description of the picture but than those last lines really made them poem and was beautifully done.

YesNo: I thought this created some lovely imagery. I really liked the concept of the poem, and the fact that it had a touch of playfulness to it and there was just a great atmosphere. The opening and closing lines I thought were quite well done and really gave the poem a nice rounded feeling.

Pendragon: I liked the fact that you took a bit of a different perspective on the picture. Your poem really had a very somber tone to it with a touch of regret, and the lamenting tone of this poem really brought that feeling of absence through. There were some very beautiful lines. I particularly really liked "Of some remembered soul so good and so brave" I also thought this line was beautifully stated "The grass is uncut, there's a tone of neglect"

moonbird: I just loved the opening lines of this poem:

i went to the graveyard today
to see my husband
who'd lived for the bottle
loved it like a child

That really caught my attention from the start and I did really like the direction in which you took the poem. How you did focus more upon creating a story around the individual in the grave and the life they may have had. I enjoyed your unique approach, but in the middle chunk of your poem it began to read like a run on sentence which broke the flow of the poem and well made it hard to read all in one breath and grasp what was being said.

Jack of Hearts: I loved the start of this poem and I thought that there was some beautiful writing there was something about it that was quite compelling and kept my attention yet at the same time there was also a baffling aspect of it. I am left feeling like there is something I am missing or do not quite understand. I am not sure I grasp the full meaning of the poem and just what is really being conveyed.

But the winner goes to

mazHur: I loved the tone and concept of your poem which I think most reflects my own personal thoughts. The way in which you embrace the idea that it can be a joyous occasion and a celebration and that it need not necessarily be strictly a solemn affair. I like that uplifting feeling which the poem leaves at the end, and that wish expressed from beyond the grave that those left behind continue to enjoy life. I also though you had a very good use of rhyme and there were some great lines expressed.

mazHur

07-14-2011, 05:29 AM

moonbird

07-14-2011, 09:47 AM

Way to go, mazHur! Would there be a larger version of the picture available anywhere?

mazHur

07-14-2011, 11:05 AM

I hope this size image works better....sorry can't do it more:) Please zoom in manually for a larger size!!
http://www.flixxy.com/future-shopping-image2.jpg

YesNo

07-14-2011, 10:14 PM

Shopping

Her hands are resting on her hips.
She imitates the ad.
Those clothes would wear as well on her.
The color's not half bad.

Pendragon

07-15-2011, 10:57 AM

Congrads, Maz, and thanks for your kind comment on my own poem. True sportsmanship! I gotta think about this picture for a while. Hummmmmm.....

blithe spirit

07-16-2011, 01:50 AM

As florescent lights wash the room
draining color from her flesh like a blotter
pale are her clothes in shades of gray doom
reflective of her life grown somber.

Time and seasons of change meet technology
transformed images via remote control
Make-over's image, a stark dichotomy
Lady in Red begins her new life untold

Dark Muse

07-18-2011, 02:56 AM

The Body Factory

Come one
come all,
step right up
haven't you heard
the latest word?

No longer
need we be confined
to the whims of nature's
design, take charge
upon our assembly line.

Pick the perfect body
any shape or size,
settle not for what you have
got when its in your
power to make adjustment
as easy as the push
of the button.

Want longer legs
bluer eyes,
unhappy with your
skin tone,
you can choose
to be darker,
lighter, or why
stop there,
impress your friends
with a hot pink tan,
be the talk of the party.

We have hair
galore, anything you like
just point and click,
and don't forget
to accessorize,
it is all the rage.

Why bother
to diet when
all you need do
is crop your waist
line, downsize,
realign, and
upload, you're
ready to go.

So come one
come all
don't be shy
you can have it all,
as perfect as a plastic doll
a package deal,
all for one reasonable price
read our testimonials,
try our 30 day free tail,
satisfaction guaranteed
we will even give you
a 5 year warranty.

tailor STATELY

07-30-2011, 03:25 AM

The It Girl

Barbie doll figures; pinup fashions
Wear your hair the way Di wore it
(snigger) "Before she died, dah-ling"
Parading peahens ever preening
Unique clones pressed from plastic
Hoarfrost and bittersweet lives

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

Pendragon

08-01-2011, 10:39 AM

The reflection in the mirror
Doesn't show what it should show
Is there something about that red dress
That the rest of us should know?
Does the reflection show us dreams
Instead of just the way things are?
Are they moments from the future
Coming to us from afar?
I think we all should think about
What our reflections show
Before we just follow Alice
Down some endless rabbit hole...

Pendragon
1/1/2011

Pendragon

09-04-2011, 11:14 AM

Where is MaZhur? Surely this contest has ended now! Judge, please! Uh, Your Honor? :willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly:

mazHur

09-04-2011, 02:38 PM

YesNo---good extempore ditty but rather away from the theme!

blithe spirit:-- thoughts very nicely put in two stanzas...quite extempore as well.

Dark Muse: very nice poem truly depicting the idea behind the picture. However, a bit long...and spread into stanzas of unequal length.

tailor STATELY:: not a bad attempt at all!! I liked it!!
Pendragon: well put but last line not worked properly. It could have been made to rhyme with the preceding word, show, such as

Down an endless bunny burrow!!!

I think we all should think about
What our reflections show
Before we just follow Alice
Down some endless rabbit hole...

Considering all aspects of the poems submitted I think Pen has done comparatively better and he deserves to be the Winner!!!
Thanks to all for submitting their beautiful poesy and keeping this thread alive.
I am sorry for delayed result.
Congrats, Pen!!

Pendragon

09-08-2011, 12:10 PM

Yeah, I kinda slant-rhymed that last line, liked yours better.

New Picture: http://www.kaluta.com/pages/shadow/shadow-xanadu8.jpg

YesNo

09-09-2011, 07:17 AM

Red and Black

The breeze that blows about his cape
Is teasing with her high slit gown
Exposing skin, caressing shape.
Black covers up an angry frown
And claims his Red who didn't mind
The looks she got. She'll blame the drink.
He'd blame the gun when it's behind
Them back in bed with time to think.

krymsonkyng

09-09-2011, 12:39 PM

We'll run this city, you and I,
as giants in a small fry town
and own the gold stained midnight sky
with steely eye, and viper's gown.

If looks could strike a killer down,
could lay him out and make him die,
you would not need to hide your frown,
I would not need my lovely lies.

What wily web will snare our fly?
A glass of gin. Another round.
What does it take to catch a spy?
A glance, a gun. A pense, a pound.

Though capture would mean cyanide
we have become too dark to hide.

Pendragon

09-15-2011, 07:00 AM

The contest will be judged September 30th. If you haven't entered, there is still time. You must enter to win! :drool5:

Perhaps I should point out that this is a picture of pulp and comic book characters The Shadow and Madame Xanadu
Might help you with poem ideas!

moonbird

09-24-2011, 05:44 PM

Entrance

Entrance me,
Dark One.

Your darkness hides
In shadowed corners
In shadowed eyes
In shadowed lives,
But mine hides within you.

Entrance me,
Eagle of Vengeance.

Your wind-beaten cape
Like wings of a bird
Casts shadows on the world,
But as we're falling
We'll pretend to fly.

Entrance me,
Great Hypnotist.

Your eyes are like walls;
Walls have never troubled you
But how much they trouble me
I expect you'll never know,
For I shall never tell.

Entrance me,
Dark One.

For soon the moon shall set
And our shadows meet the light.

mazHur

09-26-2011, 05:21 PM

changing forms
matter me not
I am a woman
born of a woman
and you too
transformations vile
cannot scare me
for I am a woman
know this and that
about ye men!
your veiled face
your all that cover-up
ha! hides nothing
You are a man
A shadow in the dark
I know, I know
'Cause I am a woman
humiliate a woman?
No way, man
try and follow my trail
I bet you'll fail
I am all love
I am all human
I am life
my life
your life
life's life
understand?
I like your overtures
That's what's expected
of most men
Come on,show me your face
From the same race
hold me in your arms
kiss me and hug me
I am all for love
I am a woman
unmoved by devils
Unimpressed by Dracula's
or their kinsmen, Eagle Men
look at my smile
and that may be for a while
until you behaved
and acted like a Man
to win me over
for I am a woman
a fountain of love
courage and strength.

Pendragon

09-30-2011, 10:34 AM

Time's up! Let's review:

YesNo

I thought these were your strongest lines. Not bad!

The breeze that blows about his cape
Is teasing with her high slit gown
Exposing skin, caressing shape.

She is teasing in this shot, no? :smile5:

krymsonkyng

I especially liked these lines, as our characters are secretive and fight criminals, including terrorists:

What wily web will snare our fly?
A glass of gin. Another round.
What does it take to catch a spy?
A glance, a gun. A pense, a pound.

The Shadow is a lot like James Bond: A License to Kill!

moonbird

An excellent poem. I liked these lines best:

Entrance me,
Eagle of Vengeance.

Your wind-beaten cape
Like wings of a bird
Casts shadows on the world

During WWI, the Shadow was known as "The Dark Eagle"

mazHur

Really great lines here:

your all that cover-up
ha! hides nothing
You are a man
A shadow in the dark

Interesting to take the woman's viewpoint, seeing through the disguise...

Good work all, but in the end there can only be one:

moonbird, you are the winner! :hurray::hurray::hurray:

moonbird

09-30-2011, 04:20 PM

Thank you, Pendragon!

Alright, here comes the next picture...

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1131&pictureid=9191

Crazy, right? This is an actual photo taken of a nebula, dubbed the "Cosmic Hand" or "Hand of God." For a little info about it see the link below.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/04/09/the-cosmic-hand-of-destruction/

Deadline October 20. Good luck!

mazHur

09-30-2011, 04:20 PM

Congrats Moonbird.:)

Pen--thanks for appreciating the poem. Verily I was (and am still not) aware of the background of the picture, hence my theme.

Pendragon

10-02-2011, 09:43 AM

It's a nebulous hand, reaching for something
That lies beyond all mortal imagination.
What lies beyond the stars, in the eternal rift of space
In the vast emptiness, unexplored frontiers?
Some see the beauty of the coincidence,
But is it purpose; is it planned?
A ghostly blue hand in space, unbelievably massive
Could this perhaps be the Hand of God in the moment of creation?
The possibilities are indeed endless...

Pendragon

YesNo

10-02-2011, 10:36 AM

Supernova

Whatever was within its reach
Has now been swept away.
It's pretty, though,
Puts on a show,
For those who get to stay.

krymsonkyng

10-07-2011, 12:21 PM

The high five of a master hand
sends shivers down my spine
and draws, like magic, smoke and sand
across both space and time.

Some nebulous will from beyond
the world we know and trust
may want some star stuff to snack on.
Oh no! It's Galactus!

mazHur

10-07-2011, 04:28 PM

God is All-encompassing, all light
more radiant than the nebula bright
It can't be God or a part of his limb,No.

That's too animistic to believe
a bundle of atoms dispersed in the sky
representing the Hand of God.

God is everywhere
why take a petty nebulous sign in the sky
as God or his digital image?

Stone Age isn't yet over it seems
Humans long for God or his sight
take Him for anything, even Man or his mitt.

God is Man or Man is God?
Let's not say that lest ladies get vexed
incidental images cannot be All-encompassing Truth.

moonbird

10-07-2011, 04:49 PM

Two weeks left till the deadline. Keep em coming!

moonbird

10-14-2011, 08:20 PM

One more week, still plenty of time to submit! The more the merrier.

breathtest

10-16-2011, 02:58 PM

I see other than a hand.

To my eye there is a
crown with four peaks
to its emblazoned image
in the sky.

I see the source of light
from where it erupts,
like a torchbulb or a
searchlight in the bottom
left.

And I see its destruction,
an erupting heaven
that will absorb this
regal image and leave us
with the stars.

moonbird

10-20-2011, 11:55 PM

Pendragon: Nice use of open-ended questions. I liked your description of "the eternal rift of space."

YesNo: Brief but still managed to get its pure and simple point across effectively.

krymsonkyng: I enjoyed your humorous phrases "high five of a master hand" and "star stuff to snack on."

mazHur: Your message was original and well-written. I liked "Let's not say that lest ladies get vexed."

breathtest: You were the only one not to see the picture as a hand, which made it stand out. I liked "an erupting heaven."

There can be only one winner, and that person is...

mazHur! Choosing to ponder the title "Hand of God" made your poem stand out and gave it a unique standpoint from which to write. Nicely done.

Pendragon

10-21-2011, 09:41 AM

Congrads, mazHur! :seeya:

mazHur

10-21-2011, 03:22 PM

Thanks, moonbird. Thanks Pen.
Here is the next picture
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/354/cache/world-photography-contest-2011-open-after-dark-lanterns_35449_600x450.jpg

Bon voyage!!:)

YesNo

10-22-2011, 10:02 PM

Lights

Beneath the lights that shine above
The people stand. They're thinking of
The stars and lights in play.

So many lights, each one quite small
And weak, but still together all
Make night a fancy day.

FozzieFunk

10-24-2011, 04:21 PM

Polaris

a candle lit ballroom
making way to heaven
saunters around in time,
while souls sip tea
under the great polaris.

Eyes gaze after the evening
as stars mystically born
give life to the sky,
and sighs of relief
send them straggling home

breathtest

10-25-2011, 04:22 PM

I am the thousand
nipples of light
that adorn the sky,

and I am released
and watched
by modern priests
of night.

Dark Muse

10-25-2011, 05:49 PM

Festival of Light

Through night floating souls
illuminate my world
entranced within thier lost light.

Subtle illusion
like a thousand fireflies
stars sent by men into the sky.

krymsonkyng

11-03-2011, 01:24 PM

A thousand new aspiring stars
took flight tonight
composed of trash and scrap and hope
and bits of light
they drifted in space like dreamers
to warm the weary heights.

Pendragon

11-03-2011, 03:16 PM

The night is full of lights
Like candles in the wind
Life is a lot like those candles
Too easy to snuff out...

cacian

11-25-2011, 10:47 AM

nebula it has seized
expressed itself freed!
bounties full of sparks
jaded and oblete,
orangy warmth and beige
dangling off a scene,
starry eyes are set
reaching out for the skies,
will it come down from heights
and lights up all the hearts?

mazHur

11-25-2011, 03:10 PM

Hi all

Good input...let more come in!:)
the deadline for the winner is set as 30th instant, right??

Pendragon

12-03-2011, 10:52 AM

Ummmm? BUMP?

moonbird

12-21-2011, 09:12 PM

Ho hum. Awful quiet in here.

mazHur

12-22-2011, 06:35 PM

Hi all!

Thanks for submitting your work. Am sorry for delay in announcing the result. Anyway....

The ditties submitted by the contestants are good but the idea bound in cacian's poem being quite subtle and mystically appropriate to the spirit of the picture makes her the WINNER !!

Congrats Cacian... let's have your next picture!

cacian

12-23-2011, 10:27 AM

OH MY GOD....I never win anything usually...this is great thank you very much mazHur I am truly flatered!!!:eek::wave:

OK...here is my next picture

http://rlv.zcache.com/magritte_museum_rene_magritte_gallery_card-p137939528834578655z85p0_400.jpg

YesNo

12-23-2011, 10:33 PM

Journey

Each world is but a faucet's drop
That's swallowed by the sea.
The cruise we take will be non-stop
Throughout eternity.

Pendragon

12-24-2011, 09:49 AM

Congrats Cacian!

From a Certain Point of View

Do you find all these images fantastic?
Could it be that your imagination is not elastic!
Every object is not carved in stone nor set in plastic
Each day can be exciting if you want it to
Take off the blinders that prevent you from seeing
Allow possibilities to creep into your being
Don't restrict your heart from believing
Everything depends on one's point of view

Pendragon

cacian

12-30-2011, 03:39 PM

Pendragon thank you!!

Pendragon

01-17-2012, 09:10 AM

Um... BUMP?

cacian

01-17-2012, 10:41 AM

the blue that run
the red that fun
the white that slunt
it black of tones
sail around the globe
waving a spin
shall earth receive
its purest feel
havens of floats
upmerge the seals.

moonbird

02-03-2012, 07:30 PM

Judge needed here, I believe. Cacian?

mazHur

02-05-2012, 05:34 AM

http://rlv.zcache.com/magritte_museum_rene_magritte_gallery_card-p137939528834578655z85p0_400.jpg

Two Gods at Loggerheads.

What a wonderful Universe is this!
Two Gods at loggerhead;
Staring at each other
As if ready to pounce
And rip open their adversary's abdomen
And tear away the heart into stoned daglett!
Oh, What a mix of gods and godliness
A cocktail of Good and Evil, lo!
Ishwar with all its constructive overtures
Failed by countering destructive force of Ehrman
Good versus evil is the norm
Who's winning is open secret
Who will come out as the Winner
All can guess!
The forces of Ishwar and Ehrman
will always be at loggerheads
This universe will continue to be
An arena of two unending opposing forces
Of Good and Evil working at the same time!
Good will remain good no matter
Evil will also seem good no matter
A God will appear as a split-form
To the raw, bewildered eye of us humans
Still doomed with the growing process!

cacian

02-05-2012, 09:15 AM

Judge needed here, I believe. Cacian?

sorry am I suppose to be the judge?
I do begg your pardon I am so sorry I did not realise....:blush2:
Ok. If I am then I will be giving the results today shortly.
Good luck:smile5:

cacian

02-05-2012, 10:01 AM

Ok here we go.
All the poems entered are brilliant.
I enjoyed reading all of them.

YesNo: Journey
Your poem is beautifully written. It is short and captivating. I love every single line.:smile5: the word eternity in the end just closed the poem beautifully.

Pendragon: From a Certain Point of View
A fun, witty lighthearted poem.
I enjoyed the opening line under a question form that answers itself in the last line!
Very clever. Thank you for an enjoyable read!!:smile5:

mazHur: Two Gods at Loggerhead.
Rich imageries. Powerfull and emotional poem. Good and Evil is an excellent theme and says a lot about our present world.
I was somehow hopening for a different ending to the poem...good defeating evil..haha..happily ever after type of thing..but isntead the last lines offered a different open ending for readers who wish to formualte their own thoughts regarding this very important theme of Good versus Evil.
Excellent read too! :smile5:

All three poems are worthy winners to me, but if I have to chose one of the three then it will have to be mazHur, because of it is simply an excellent theme, I enjoyed the contrast of two gods and I have also learned about Ishwar and Ehrman.
Thank you all again and congratulations to
mazHur

mazHur

02-05-2012, 02:40 PM

jajdude

02-06-2012, 05:06 AM

Is the train a-coming soon?
I need to stow away.
Is the train a-coming soon?
I need to go away.

I got stuck in an awful place.
The habit took my life away.
I got stuck in an awful place.
The habit took my wife away.

Is the train a-coming soon?
I need to stow away.
Is the train a-coming soon?
I need to go away.

cacian

02-06-2012, 05:42 AM

I can't work out the picture sorry guys!!!:frown5:

Pendragon

02-07-2012, 11:43 AM

He sits in everything he owns
Oblivious to the trains that come and go
Wrapped in a world that is his alone
Wanting only food and a place to come home
The photographer finds his image thought-provoking
Captured moment that will last
Did he or she give a hand to one who needed it
Or did they snap the shot and turn away?

Pendragon
(C) 2012

BookBeauty

02-07-2012, 12:18 PM

Distraught and clutching,
Chest to knees
Can barely draw,
A breathless wheeze

Fruitless purchase,
Fingers quaking
Can't understand,
The words they're making

Passing unseeing glances,
Crows seek scraps on the ground
Pecking frantic by the rails,
I offer meager food stuffs found

Toes grow numb,
As cold sets in
Guilt and loss,
Inside of sin.

YesNo

02-07-2012, 08:12 PM

Accident

He dropped the weakened, plastic bag
That carried life-supporting grain.
And now he squats. His head is bowed
In prayer to ease his current pain.

moonbird

04-28-2012, 04:26 PM

Judge anyone?

mazHur

04-28-2012, 06:24 PM

Oh, sorry, I had just forgotten that I was supposed to judge!

The picture actually shows wastage of food and the guy taking it is a tramp.
None of the poems portrays the issue relating to wastage of food and its consequences. However, to close this contest I find YesNo's ditty quite extempore and somewhat close to the basic idea. Hence I declare YesNo as the winner.

Here is what I might have written

Resources are not inexhaustible
Use them with reasonable care
Eat as much as you can but
For others do some spare.

There are rich and there are poor
both need subsistence for food
The rich must not seize their morsel
or waste it in a manner rude

Better feed a hungry man than waste
the precious food you throw away dear
Fear the night when you will sleep on empty stomach
Fear the day when you'll hunger fear.

YesNo

04-28-2012, 09:18 PM

Thanks, mazHur!

Here is the next picture. That thing on the right is a gargoyle probably from Notre Dame overlooking Paris.

Deadline: Saturday, May 12th. That would be two weeks from now.

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1065&pictureid=9581

jajdude

04-29-2012, 11:11 PM

Well done YesNo, and a cool picture. This thread got buried for a while. Might try to come up with something later.

YesNo

05-01-2012, 07:24 PM

Thanks, jajdude! Looking forward to your poem.

Dark Muse

05-02-2012, 01:29 AM

Gargoyle

Daylight:
stony-eyed
lethargic
earth bond
waiting, watching
silent guardian.

Nightfall:
awakening
flesh and bone
rippling muscle
nocturnal flight
fearsome sentry.

Innocently
the city resides
beneath
unaware
of the best
in their midst
locked eternally
in the struggle
between
freedom and
chains.

YesNo

05-14-2012, 06:26 AM

I realize the deadline for the contest has arrived.

Since Dark Muse is the only entrant, it looks like Dark Muse is the winner. I do like the way the gargoyle was presented with a tension between a chained daytime and free nighttime reality. A worthy win!

Congratulations, Dark Muse!

Pendragon

05-14-2012, 09:50 AM

My computer glitched yesterday when I tried to enter the contest. Congrads, DarkMuse! Sorry you had no competition, but it in no way detracts from your winning poem!

Dark Muse

05-14-2012, 01:37 PM

Well even if it was a win by default, thank you. I will work on coming up with the next picture.

Dark Muse

05-14-2012, 02:40 PM

I could not get the pic to show directly in the post, when I tried to do it the way I usually do it, it just came out as an x, and I don't know why the attachement doesn't show up with the pic, but you can just click the link to see it.

Deadline May 31

YesNo

05-14-2012, 08:51 PM

Tips on Using the Pillory Table

One way to keep your date from going far
When she becomes aware of what you are
Is pillory her head inside the table.
Her hands should be locked, too, if you are able.
Then help her sip the wine and scratch her nose
When itches come. She'll like you better then
Though not as much as she's liked saner men.
There are a few who dress in darker clothes
And morbidly prefer this kind of stuff.
When it's your turn, beware, things can get rough.

Pendragon

05-17-2012, 11:05 AM

She stares from her prison at the man in the chair
Wondering if this time she'll be fed
She tries so hard to ignore all the humiliation,
The pain and the stiffness, the heart full of dread
She doesn't know that this all is illusion
A pillory table cooked up by her mind
Old age has provided the pain and paralysis
Her soul is now almost ready to fly
No bonds on this earth, real or imagined
Can bind the spirit when death opens the gates
Weary of battle, starving and unmoving
She is impatient; she simply can't wait

Soul fly away
From the world of seclusion
From the doubt and confusion
For now the solution
Is flying away

Soul fly away
Paradise waits for souls now in prison
Those with darkened vision
Harmed by hurt and division
The time has come to fly away

Death will release her from her pillory table
The soul knows no bonds to hold it in place
Rising up strong from her place of imprisonment
Past earth, moon, and stars; flying away

I see in the corner a pillory table, a man stands beside it
Reading a long manuscript
Calling the name of his next prisoner,
The key in the lock of this temporary enslavement

Soul fly away
Know what lies beyond...

(C) 2012
Pendragon

mazHur

05-20-2012, 05:31 PM

Gone are those days when women were weak
Past are those nights which women spent in disgust
No more accusations which men can lay on them
No more blames that could make hearts bust.

women are free, no men can harm them as they did
Long before civilization came to their homes
No more torture, pain and agony women will suffer
No more pillory to enslave them on suspicion dooms

Barbarism of the past shall be no more, no more
Men will behave and throw their penance gadgets away
If they don't women now can pay them in the same coin
Pillory, guillotine, the stake-- no more of this nonsense to play.

tailor STATELY

05-24-2012, 11:12 PM

Box 17

Awash in red: The lines,
the times; the pillory'd
postmortems that shriek
to the eternities only to
languish as the vanities
of the ragtag and bobtail
Awake ! and write if only
with cankerous and withered
hand to feast upon what
foolscap is available; for
every revolution begins with
one word, one idea, one man

5/24/2012 r.

Dark Muse

06-07-2012, 03:01 AM

Thank you every one, there was a tough call to make:

YesNo: This one made me laugh. I quite enjoyed the bit of dark humor which you used. It was a fun poem to read and captured the image well.

mazHur: I thought your interpretation was interesting, as a retrospect upon the past, I liked the way in which your poem provides a reversal to the image and I thought it had a good message behind it, while still being a bit playful in nature.

tailor STATELY: A very interesting poem, I had to read this one a few times. I thought it was quite unique, though I am not entirely certain I understand it all I did very much enjoy reading it. It grabbed my attention, and provided some great imagery. The first line was a powerful start.

And the winner is.......

Pendragon: Superbly written. I loved the originality of the poem and the way in which you really made the image your own while still keeping the essence of it. I quite enjoyed the more metaphysical interpretation of your poem. Some very profound imagery, and so much depth.

Pendragon

06-07-2012, 09:37 AM

Thanks Dark Muse!

Next image: http://images.wikia.com/pirates/images/3/30/Worlds_End_art.jpg

Contest ends June 30

Pendragon

06-12-2012, 09:13 AM

No takers? Where my poets at!! :nonod::nonod::nonod:

YesNo

06-12-2012, 09:30 AM

Blue

Blue delight,
Moonlit, bright
Overall,
Waterfall:
Stars stand out
While we shout.
Down it goes!
Where? Who knows?

cacian

06-12-2012, 11:22 AM

a mirage

amidst a frame rests
a beautiful sketch
of ceiling blue shrays
and
moonlight arrays
seas and skiy high
stars and bright night
lit above barge
that has reached
its shrude stop
awaiting for ropes
from a ship steering hopes.

Dark Muse

06-12-2012, 11:11 PM

Journey to World's End

At world's end
in uncharted waters
beyond a starless sky,
journey beyond eternity
where there awaits
greater mystery,
only brave souls
dare to trespass
in search of wonders
never even dreamed,
be hearty lads
rough waters lie ahead
and storms never imagined,
the time is near
to plunge forth
into the vast unknown.

Pendragon

06-20-2012, 09:57 AM

Any more takers? Still ten days left. If you don't enter, you cannot win!

Pendragon

07-04-2012, 04:47 PM

The winner is (Drumroll, please!) ******cacian******* I think it was the part about "ropes and hopes" that gave this poem the edge over DarkMuse's "vast unknown" and Yesno's "Down it goes!/Where? Who knows?"

Congrats, cacian!

cacian

07-05-2012, 04:08 PM

Hey Pendragon thank you very much!!

and now here is a picture I think might inspire fellow poets
Ok it is not a picture picture but it is a picture with words and why not!!:wink5:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/306618_324891397594787_447210990_n.jpg

YesNo

07-05-2012, 06:45 PM

Awkward

Sunday morning: oh, last night
Was nice, I guess. How would I know?
The sun provides a better light.
I have to ask: where did you go
And who's that laying in our bed?
Yeah. Just my luck. They both look dead.

Dark Muse

07-09-2012, 02:02 AM

Blackout

She lies there languid, in pale beauty
ahh what a shame that I do not even recall her name,
that I would kiss her cold lips
and whisper in her ear, but alas she will hear me no more,
her death remains a mystery
for I have so little memory,
I live in a world prone to black oblivion,
it is to my grave remorse that this has happened before,
poor sweetlings, fall like angels before temptation,
but so little harm I am sure I intend, somewhere
between now and then it all goes awry,
so I find myself again with my beautiful corpse,
my lover in the night, would it be too much to ask,
once to awaken to living breathing flesh?
The bodies are piling high, and my morning labors
wear upon my soul, grim work lies ahead
while the rest of the world wakes in sunshine.

Pendragon

07-18-2012, 11:24 AM

I took granddad out to eat Father's Day
He's ninety-five and in poor health at best
His kidney's sometimes work without warning
An I hated to, but I had to ask...
"Granddad do you have on a clean diaper?"
He grinned, slapped his but, and said
"Depends, m'boy!" "Depends on what?" I asked
Talk about awkward...

I had a dear buddy who had diabetes real bad
He lost his left leg in the end...
I went to keep him company, watch the ball game
But he looked so afraid and so sad
I had to say something, but I messed up again
"Cheer up! You're acting like you've got one foot in the grave!
Talk about awkward...

I once knew a lady with a beautiful dog
Half shepherd and half collie, I think
Sweet as can be, wonderful with her kids
But she got ran over in front of the bank
She cried and sank into depression, scared me to death
I said "Connie, what's wrong? You look like you lost your best friend!"
Talk about awkward...

Some old friends of mine had marital problems
But they reconciled after a month
Around nine months later a baby girl arrived
Why can't I just keep my big mouth shut?
I was holding her and I said in all innocence I swear
"You know, she reminds me of Eddie the mailman!"
Talk about awkward...

Pendragon
(C) 7/18/2012

cacian

07-24-2012, 05:05 AM

Ok here are the results for the winner of this picture entry, I think all three are winners and each is a real gem to read but and because I have to chose one only then the congratulations go to:
Pendragon for the very witty litlle snapshots of stanzas type stories/prose!!:D :hurray:

ampoule

07-26-2012, 02:54 PM

Where's our new picture, Pen?

Pendragon

07-27-2012, 11:29 AM

Thanks, cacian! Sorry, folks, I had Internet issues. Here's the next picture. Background: I shot this picture below an old Confederate iron furnace used in the American Civil War. There was a skirmish fought there. Some call these orbs ghostly energy caught on film. I have a differing opinion, so your poems can be about anything concerning this picture or its history. Good luck. Tentative cut off date for entries is Aug 15. Write poets, write!

http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l108/AbsalomKane/Ghost%20Pictures/

cacian

07-28-2012, 08:11 AM

Great stuff Pendragon you are a talented photographer very impressive I love photgraphy very much!
Inspiring for a poem I see what I can come with:D

moonbird

07-30-2012, 05:39 PM

Echoes of gunshots
Shimmer on the stones
Fade and fold over
Whisper forgotten names
And dance like shadows
Across the sunlit trees

cacian

07-31-2012, 04:49 AM

it's ghoslty hour
locked in a clock
of an empty tower
it's a night time
tremor
looking down
on streets
trembled and
sour
this timely power
is proul to cower
to a state of lower
the silenced hour

YesNo

07-31-2012, 08:54 AM

Ill at Camp During War

The civil war had made him ill.
Latrines began to swell
As others added to them till
The breeze took up the smell.

A gun wound didn't down this boy
Nor did he fire a shot.
He didn't take from others joy,
But died around that spot.

Pendragon

08-14-2012, 08:02 AM

Not to prolong the contest, since I have only three entries and the deadline is tomorrow, anyhoo....

Moonbird: The word "echoes" really stands out, since orb energy is said to be a "residual haunting", a repeating echo of past lives and events

cacian: Loved the repeating rhyme especially strong here:

this timely power
is proul to cower
to a state of lower
the silenced hour

yesno: I had to laugh at your delightful satire of bringing a soldier's life down to digging a latrine! I am sure that for any newly inducted soldier, digging latrines and doing push-ups seems to be life for a time!

But only one winner...

I believe Moonbird interpreted this picture best. MOONBIRD is the Winnah! Congrats!

moonbird

08-14-2012, 02:18 PM

Thank you! Here is your next picture:

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1131&pictureid=9764

For a little background, the hole in this tree was dug hundreds of years ago in order to make a road. Amazingly, the enormous sequoia still lives today. I find this feat of nature to be inspiring. Can't wait to see what you all will come up with.

Deadline August 31. Good luck!

cacian

08-14-2012, 03:37 PM

moonbird

08-14-2012, 10:49 PM

No picture? Weird, it shows up for me. Are others of you having a problem viewing the pic?

Dark Muse

08-14-2012, 10:51 PM

Yes I have the same problem, I cannot see anything where the picture is supposed to be.

moonbird

08-15-2012, 03:45 PM

Okay, well for those of you who are unable to view the picture, below is a link to the website where I got it from:

http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/yosemite/tuolumne-grove-tree_l.html

cacian

08-17-2012, 11:43 AM

nice picture moonbird

a simple path
to simple truth
is under roof
that
towers youth
models a proof
and powers moves
to break through grief
with ease
and please
a lifelong breeze.

Pendragon

08-17-2012, 12:18 PM

I really suppose that they had to build this road
But why did they build it through me?
It was a curious choice, it made its point--
This tree is Huge! Couldn't they just see?!!

Through all the lonely years, I've stood here
The crowds of tourists than now drive this road!
They pass through me every day, words of awe they say
But now I'm growing old and cold!

Think about it, friend, how these dreadful men
Cut the heart wood from my bole
Could you live like this, don't you think you'd resist
This wounding of the soul?

Here comes another car, I see it from afar
I think I may have had my fill!
If I give up now and come crashing down
How many do you think I'd kill?

If a tree falls within the forest walls
And no one's there does it make a sound?
When I give in to the wind, don't worry friend
How the screaming shall resound!

Pendragon

Dark Muse

08-19-2012, 11:38 PM

The Gateway

Before me stands a doorway
leading into another world,
at the entrance I hesitate
wondering if I should pass through.

What awaits the otherside
remains a mystery,
it tempts me forth to boldly
go into the unknown.

But am I ready to leave behind
this world and all I know?
I look back seeking the answer
and consider my life up to this point.

Perhaps it is time
for a change, I could use something new
and there adventure is waiting
beckoning me to come forth,
gradually I step forward.

moonbird

08-25-2012, 10:26 PM

Deadline in less than a week.

YesNo

08-26-2012, 12:09 AM

Underneath the Giant Tree

Some seedlings sprouted by the tree
That was extremely tall.
It blocked the sun and without light
those seedlings had to fall.

A trail goes through that big tree now
That died, too, after all.
The seedlings still don't stand a chance.
Cleared pathways keep them small.

moonbird

08-31-2012, 08:23 PM

cacian: Simple yet interesting. Enjoyed the rhyme scheme.

Pendragon: I like how you took the tree's point of view. The last stanza was my favorite.

Dark Muse: Eerily beautiful, as is your style I've learned to recognize.

YesNo: Sadly truthful. Enjoyable to read.

And of these four entrees your winner is Dark Muse. Your turn.

Dark Muse

08-31-2012, 09:53 PM

Oh thank you. I will have a new picture up soon.

Dark Muse

09-02-2012, 01:28 PM

Ok here is your next image

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m713iyvfN51r1eenfo1_1280.jpg

YesNo

09-02-2012, 02:17 PM

Cuddling With a Wild Bird

You're face is much to close to him,
My belle. I fear that wild bird might
Turn quickly, pecking out your eye,
Then fly away in careless flight
With you regretting, while you cry,
Your faithful waste of worth on him.

Pendragon

09-03-2012, 10:59 AM

Talk to me, my feathered friend
I'll listen well to what you say
But please remember little one
My shoulder is NOT a w.c.

Dark Muse

09-17-2012, 12:46 AM

Only two entires so far? Anyone else want to jump in?

ampoule

09-17-2012, 03:36 AM

I would like to give it a go. When is your deadline?

Dark Muse

09-17-2012, 03:38 AM

I will make it the end of the month.

miyako73

09-17-2012, 01:40 PM

Blue Desire

My breasts do not fool you;
Your eyes want something.
I give you my shiest finger;
You ignore its nail and skin.
My moist lips are waiting;
Kisses do not excite you.
I offer you my keen nose;
You avoid my breathing.
My bony chin scares you;
It moves when I speak.
I beg you to peck on my cheek;
Your sharp beaks are for digging.
Do you want my satin shawl?
Will the white lace satisfy you?
I have nothing left but my eyes;
You go ahead and dig their blue.

Jaked

09-27-2012, 03:15 PM

You cannot stay,
how e’re ye pray,
the fates wilt not abide ye;
fly fast, my dear,
ne’er return here,
lest Feline shalt devour thee!

jajdude

09-30-2012, 07:32 AM

A quiet bird sat on my shoulder.
She made me feel older.

I wished I had wings like she.
But, ah, bird said, is not to be.

I asked, why not?
Bird laughed.

Then flew.

Dark Muse

10-06-2012, 12:27 PM

Thank you all for your entires:

YesNo: A humorous little poem with a bit of a dark twist to it. I liked the classical sound of it. It had a nice flow to it and was enjoyable to read.

Pendragon: A whimsical little poem with an unexpected humorous twist at the end.

Jake: I liked your use of Old English in this poem. It was a fun little poem.

jajdude: I really liked this. It was quite a lovely little poem. I thought the beginning lines were catching, and I enjoyed the conversation between them.

And the winner is.........

miyako73: This was beautifully written, very elegant. I loved the imagery of, and I found it to be quite an original take.

Pendragon

10-07-2012, 08:59 AM

congrats, miyako73 :yesnod::yesnod::yesnod:

miyako73

10-07-2012, 08:46 PM

Thank you, Dark and Pendragon. Here's the next image:

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs29/f/2008/167/5/e/small_deaths_are_the_saddest_by_mirrorTEA.jpg

YesNo

10-11-2012, 03:52 PM

Change

Death marks out a time to pause
And makes for us a past.
Life moves on observing laws
That change is what will last.

Pendragon

10-12-2012, 04:42 PM

The sparrow falls and lies so still,
A bloody flower blooms near its head
A body so tiny that it is easily overlooked
But before it formed inside the egg
Before the first note that it sang
Someone somewhere took notice of the bird
He even knew the very day it would fall to earth

In this life I move so quickly
Old age creeps in before I'm ready
Disease robs me of my joy, my hope, my life
Before I was formed in mother's belly
Before a whisper of life in the dark
Someone somewhere took note of who I am
When I fall
I shall not be forgotten by the One that sees us all

Pendragon
(C) 10/12/2012

Dark Muse

10-12-2012, 11:12 PM

Small Deaths

Innocence
a fragile rarity
which flickers and fades
in and out of existence,
it is but a spark with a wavering
life span,
crushed too soon within the world,
yet even in its death
there is something almost beautiful,
which leaves an eternal impression
upon the soul.

miyako73

10-22-2012, 11:24 AM

Deadline in a week. Any more poems?

prendrelemick

10-23-2012, 04:52 PM

Jimmy and Ben.

Jimmy an' Ben sittin on a wire,
Say Jimmy to Ben,
We bin here for a' hour
It's time we was up,
An stretchin our wings,
flyin' aroun' an doin' bird t'ings.

Sez Ben.
Its nice up here jus sittin an singin,
Watchin the world,
An essent-chally chillin,
But Jimmy he say
Up, up, an' away,
I'll race yer' roun' the dock of the bay.

And off they went to swoop and fly,
Till Ben hit a window,
'Cos he thought it was sky.

miyako73

10-31-2012, 05:50 PM

YesNo, although expository, I liked the seemingly authoritative voice and the desirable economy of your words.

Dark Muse, I liked how you beautfully masked the gore of death with deep words and beautiful images.

Prendrelemick, I liked how you used an informal language, but I thought you could use Ebonics but still be poetic.

The winner:

Pendragon, I liked the metaphors, the subtexts, and the analogies. I thought this poem was deep and well-thought out.

Thanks, everyone.

Pendragon

11-01-2012, 08:44 AM

Thank you. Next up should stir the imagination....

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/diversepixel/diversepixel1110/diversepixel111000007/10794838-future-city--alien-planet-part-1.jpg

Jaked

11-02-2012, 07:40 PM

homeless

in times like these i imagine the moon
setting like the death star over new york city
serpentine smoke twisting heavenward
from this broken parquet tarmac
and i wonder what the future holds
for me and you, us, this civilization:

will we find ourselves
self-realized, complete
or deluded and broken?

i am an orphan, a vagabond and this is my home
this city named Hope, her boulevards my bed
i lie under twilight’s red star-sequined blanket,
my head throbs to her pulse
and i wonder what fire burns inside
those who sleep warm:

when they dream
do they fly high
or do they crawl?

this city at night has always been my love,
my geometric mistress clothed in nothing
but the flicker of smooth jazz candlelight
that dances invitingly in her eyes
and i wonder what would happen
if one day i did take her hand:

would i find myself
trapped, condemned
or home, free?

YesNo

11-06-2012, 01:36 PM

They work too late tonight. The lights
Are on inside the moon.
The curfew cleared the streets. All rights
At night were over soon.
Resistance to the Judd had failed.
Now no one says a word
Since those who talk get mugged and jailed.
Defense is never heard.
They work too late tonight because
The monsters in the west
Are doing what a monster does:
They give the strong a test.
The Judd will answer, and if war
Is what the monsters need,
The Judd will make sure never more
Can any monster breed.
What's new is what prepares its fate
Beneath the moonlit sky.
Tomorrow, wet with blood and hate,
The Judd march out to die.

prendrelemick

11-18-2012, 04:53 AM

Dante at the Worlds end.

I laid my head upon the mossy knoll,
For weary was I and far-travelled,
There soothed by murmurings of fountains close,
And lulled by breeze among it's trees,
In that forest glade, sleep profound I met.
How long in that parody of death I laid,
Non was there to tell, nor guess,
When sense of life returned ,cold marble pressed my cheek,
And silence surrounded me unnatural -
As though gone had Nature from the Earth.
Courage at last I found to ope my eyes,
And saw I lay upon a mighty thoroughfare,
Smooth paved with stones of hue contrasting,
Laid out in pattern geometrical.
Great edifices, smooth built, lined the street,
Though made of what material I could not say.
Nor stone, nor wood, nor iron, nor lead I saw,
The far horizon did my eye engage,
For beset with lighted casements square
A massy golden orb there was displayed,
Sentience I knew whithin resided,
And so to it addressed my question.
“What is this place and how came I here? “
The answer came to me not through the air,
But reverberated in my very whole .
“You have not moved, this is the place,
where once wearied long ago you slept,”
As with wonder I pondered this strange tale,
Urgent doubt assailed my thoughts..
Fearing answer for ne'er so 'lone I felt,
I asked again. "Where are all the people?"
“Gone” was the reply, “you are the last.”

cacian

11-18-2012, 05:46 AM

the night ahead shimmers in stars
skyrises blue white in distance peak
the road is clear
in twilight mere
the air is sheer
all around austere
and midnight is weir to a space endeared

Pendragon

11-18-2012, 12:09 PM

Let's move this one along now:

Jaked: Nice use of the Death Star line, kind of hoped people would see some of my favorite fictional universes in this shot!

YesNo: Great use of The Judd! Doctor Who is also among my favorite fictional universes!

Prendrelemick: Great use of Dante! Hadn't quite thought of that inspiration, but you pull it off well!

cacian: Wonderful use of rhyme! I've often thought about doing that for a form poetry contest, find one rhyme and keep it going!

Only one winner, when as far as I am concerned, all of them are wonderful expressions on the picture. But the nod goes to Prendrelemick for bringing in Dante and the end of the universe, at least for humans!

Good show all. Congrats, Prendrelemick! You're up!

cacian

11-18-2012, 12:56 PM

Congratulations Prendrelemick and thank you Pendragon that was an impressive picture.

prendrelemick

11-20-2012, 03:04 AM

Thankyou Pen and cacian.

How about this -

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h329/tragedy24/ORIENTALISM/Simonetti_AmedeoMomoAttending_the_Princess1900_Wat ercolor-large.jpg

MystyrMystyry

11-20-2012, 08:55 AM

'I shall be procuring a new hovercraft'
sayeth the maiden

'What for?' asketh her maid freshly plucked
from the plantation

'At dawn's break' she wriggled on her roids
'Thence I'll be all set'

'I shall remember to wake you at sunrise'
sayeth the ebony head

'Egads!' came the startled sudden horror
'Where are your eyes!'

'What do you mean?' tried to lookinglass
'Hey yeah!' she realised

'Ha Ha Ha! You can't see anything! Pip!'
'How misfortunate!'

'I hope you can still stuff the substances
into my bong alright!'

'I should - but firstly I should locate my
peepers perhaps yes?'

'No time for that!' the maiden snappeth
'I need a fix and a fex!'

'Eww. What's that smell? Did Her Highness
drop the Royal Guts?'

'Are you accusing me of blowing a stinky!
How dare you sir! Guards!'

'Oh I'm so sorry - must've been me - please
accept my apology!'

'Gotcha! Were I to send you to the dungeons
I'd miss out on my-'

'Hoverscraft?' sayeth the maid 'You'll be blowing
some gas with that!'

'What!' she is shocked 'I'm right here you know!'
'Found your eyes yet?'

'Nope, but I should be heading off-'

'What! [Phrrrrt!] Who's letting off!'

'Hee hee hee...'

'Tee hee hee...'

Pendragon

11-20-2012, 11:53 AM

Light Girl, Dusky Girl

I get her fixed up for her party
I never even get from her thanks
She shares her problems with me
I hold her when she cries in the night
In public she puts me "in my place!"

My skin is not the cream, it's the coffee
My people are servants, not kings
The color of skin they say makes one inferior
Here on Earth our duty to obey and serve
Dreams are discouraged, ambition squelched

But tonight she'll come home from her party
So drunk I'll have to help her get dressed for bed
I'll sit by her side, for I anticipate the moment
When she awakes and she cries in the night
I'll hold her again, and ask myself:

Who is really the better off here?

Pendragon
(C) 11/20/2012

cacian

11-20-2012, 12:21 PM

''mirror mirror
tell meth how
I shall looketh today
pretty sad or brave?''
to which mirror replied:
''taketh a way you may
now go and
find a faith
and maketh tell you
tales
and give myself a rest''
to which the
girl replied:
''oh mirror such
you tate
I shan't detain
you nay
any longer then weight
I shall looketh
for faith and if
I find it
I shall sure make it a stayt''

YesNo

11-20-2012, 01:29 PM

Pretty maiden with her maid
Prepares her charms for life today.
Her prince will see
No one but she
Would make a better wife today.

prendrelemick

12-01-2012, 02:40 AM

Anybody else?

prendrelemick

12-07-2012, 04:09 AM

MM. On reading your poem I looked again at the pic and yes, from her expression she could well be sneaking one out. I've often wondered what girls discuss when they get together, and this doesn't really help at all. I liked the last two lines though, good ending.

Pen. Intresting, the poor little rich girl scenario and the squelched ambitions of the dark skinned.

Cacian. I like your idea the best - a mirror tired of reflecting the same pretty face telling her to go out and find a different faith. The trouble is I don't understand some of the words you use, or the context of other words known to me. Is that intentional? Do you do it for an effect? I admire your confidence to make up a word when you need one, but I can't always see how they fit in either. So as usual with your poems , I THINK its very good, but am not entirely sure.

YesNo. A single simple idea, simply expressed. backed up by a thousand years of romantic notions.

And so to judgement....

I really wanted to give it to Cacian because of the central idea . So I read it about 20 times and interpreted it and substituted bits of it and guessed about other bits and tried to understand, and then decided that essentially, that is what poetry is all about - the readers interaction with the words the poet chooses and what he/she makes of it, what it reminds them of and what new thoughts it stimulates. (Just like The Wasteland!)
MM's effort also had something of this quality, while the other two were more straight-forwards - all the work was done for me.

So the winner is Cacian.