Form Poem Contest

Night Rain

The sky lets rain refresh the night.
Priscilla watches in the light
While pausing from a lover's fight.

Her Jim says he has got to go
And won't return tomorrow, so
The evening pounds as lovers grow
Apart though hearts are clenching tight.

Who knows why they have gone this far?
The rain starts beating on his car
Which helps them notice who they are
While anger tries to block their sight.

It's then it seems that he will stay.
The rain relaxes as they say
They'll try again another way
To see each other's role play right.

A flame of fire lights up the sky
As ghosts and spirits flicker by
And I sit here where the shadows lie...

It's come my time to do my best
To voyage on a Vision Quest
Invoke my totem animal by request
To rise from where the shadows lie...

I sit unmoving like a stone
Feel like a child, barely half-grown,
The chill wind whispers that I'm not alone
Here where the silent shadows lie...

A cougar rises as the flames ascend
His growl a voice telling what the dreams portend
Our spirits join, and the whole transcends
My lonely life as the bright flame dies...

I walk back to the village more than mortal men
The cougar spirit buried deep within
My eyes alight with what no one comprehends
Never more shall I in shadows lie...

Pendragon
(C) 6/11/2012

Dollhouse:

My grandfather would listen to the Hornsea evening tides
he would compare them to incantations where ecstasy resides
grandmother complained that her husband was never really home
he compared wood to the soul in death searching for a form
a carpenter-he built my sister a dollhouse and me a horse
grandfather heard the grass growing he understood it's force
he would stare into the dolls house and share his visions
that night winds would blow the cottage free of it's fictions
On her last night grandmother opened the window and heard the sea
that night her husband finally arrived home and she for eternity
he would make wings for the horse and build a boat-his last creation
sailing at night he muttered his wife's name like an incantation
sleeping till morning the wind would carry his dreams in its suitcase
staring into the dolls house he watched grandmothers sleeping face

Between Here & After

The sky split open before me
standing here beneath the world tree
below the dead in slumber be.

Afar I hear the sirens sing
within my ears the echoes ring
that could humble even a king
a tempest rose upon the sea

Torn between life and waiting death
but one kiss hath stolen my breath
I gazed into the eyes of Seth
the raging winds will set me free

Neath the world tree I take my rest
as the Bard tells his final jest
and by the spirits I am blest
arose the cry of the Banshee.

Deadline already.

In order of reading:

YesNo - A Zejel with the touching tale of love gone sour; only to be reawakened with the night rain beating down, giving the poem a nice "turn" at S4 L1. The form was nicely encompassed within an 8-syllable/line format.

Pendragon - Enjoyed. A Zejel of a vision quest invoking a totem animal; retaining the totem animal within. The syllable count/line varied somewhat, but didn't seem to detract from the poem and its telling very much. Tres bien.

whitman - A bittersweet poem of a grandfather's folly and fantasy. While not a Zejel, it was well written and I enjoyed the tale.

Dark Muse - A poem of other-worldly tension; a Zejel with the form encompassed within an 8-syllable/line format. S3 really stood out for me.

After much deliberation I award Dark Muse as the winner. Congratulations.

Well done everyone!

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY

Congrats Dark Muse! :smilewinkgrin:

Thank you, I will work on thinking up the next form.

I came up with an idea which I thought would be fun, so your next challenge is to write acrostic poem using the letters of your own user name.

An acrostic poem is a poem in which the first letter of the first word in every line spells out a particular word or name.

Usually the word/name chosen is also the subject of the poem, but in this challenge you may be creative with the content of the poem. It does not have to be about you or anything relating to your user name if you do not choose.

An example:

December eyes steal into my soul,
alluring diaphanous lips
retain alchemistic secrets,
keeping my heart within your ebon box.

Moth-like caresses upon my skin,
under the spell of your illusionist love,
serpentine kisses swallow me whole,
elusive I become lost in your labyrinth.

Yes, surprise smooths fearful corners
Easing pleasure, even pain.
Sudden peace for broken mourners
Now upends both loss and gain
On the joy of sunshine's rain.

corner to corner I see the stars
alignements make them float the skies
colours to colours I see the lights
increasingly brighter they swirl the tides
allowing the mornings to swim the heights
nautical fashion till night time glides

Past the limits of my mind
Endurance starts to shatter
No way out and no one I can trust
Dreaming broken visions of mocking ghosts
Reality seems illusion, can I pay the cost?
Act like nothing's going wrong, pray every day
God in heaven knows I don't know where to turn
Only Fate knows the future, my steps still stumble on
Nothing ventured, nothing gained, nothing lost...

Pendragon
(C) 6/21/2012

Moonless night of songbird cries
Our eyes reflect the starless skies
Onyx blankets lovers' kiss
Nighttime blooms with passion's bliss
Birds of heaven and of hell
In the whisper breeze's swell
Rolling over moonlit skin
Darkness hiding lovers' sin.

Thank you all!

This one was really tough, as you all had great entries.

YesNo: This was beautiful, it crated a very vivid image in a few words. I like the hopeful note in it, and the suggestion of rebirth. I also think that the balance between negative and positive presented within the poem, does reflect well upon your name.

cacain: This paints a wonderful picture of the night sky. This is beautifully written and has such a serene feeling. There is some lovely language here. I also like the originality used to describe a subject that is often addressed. The first line peeked my interest from the start, and I loved the last line.

Pendragon: A wonderful way with words as always, and this poem is so you. Quite haunting. I particularly loved this line "Dreaming broken visions of mocking ghosts" I also really enjoyed the way in which the last line gives the effect of fading away, and how it leaves things open.

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

moonbird: This was beautiful and haunting, I loved the dark allure, and the imagery. Also quite enjoyed your use of rhyme. There was some great lines here, and nice use of language. I loved the opening line, which caught my attention right away and the ending I thought was great as well.

Dark Muse thank very much for the feedback and many congratulations Moonbird a very well deserved win!!:wave:

congratulations Moonbird

Thank you!

The next form will be the Sedoka. This style consists of two stanzas, unrhyming, each with the syllable count 5/7/7. For an example see this link:

http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/sedoka.html

Deadline is July 20. Good luck!

And the Stars Fell

Do you remember
on a sultry summer night
when you spoke your last goodbye?

How clear the sky was
and even then I loved you
we watched the stars as they fell.

Only one? I'm shocked.

Trying really hard
To achieve perfection has
been my only true goal in life

I have badly failed
But if I try perhaps I
Achieve perfection in death...

Pendragon
(C) 7/15/2012

Do Not Press This Button


The museum’s rules
Are impractical and no
Schoolkid could ever comply.

One, too free for five
Minutes, trashed an abacus.
You could have counted on that.

5 more days. Keep em coming.

could you still be light
although you spoke not, of dark
having turned your back?

would it still be there
the light that was once, simply
the meaning of life?

Dark Muse: Beautiful imagery and an original story.

Pendragon: Dark and thought-provoking. I liked it.

MarkBastable: Very interesting. A unique piece.

cacian: Interesting contrast between light and dark.


And your winner is Dark Muse. Congrats!

Thank you very much!

Congrats, DarkMuse! :patriot:

Thank you!

Ok your next form is Pleiades

It is a poem with a one word title and a single seven line stanza. The first word of each line starts with the same letter as the first word in the title.

For and example look here:

http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/pleiades.html

Sorrow

Suffering long takes a long, long time
Solitude assures that I can clear my mind
Shifting memories that can haunt me at times
Seeking ever restful, calm unending rhyme
Softly now from somewhere deep inside
Somber questions from heart depths arise
Sound of silence echoes from dark skies...

Pendragon
(C) 7/23/2012

congratulations Dark Muse this looks quite interesting.
I will come back to this...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cacian

congratulations Dark Muse this looks quite interesting.
I will come back to this...

---

Thank you!

eminent

elevate a thought to make a sought
extrapulate a sound to make a prow
evaluate a mind to strike a say
emancipate a play to write a tale
expell the lows to reach the highs
eliminate the brash to look the part
entranch the whys and does and be the best

Bright

By the park, they watch through twilight.
Bettie and her Tom are walking.
Bright the moon, then bright the midnight,
Bright the dreams that frame delight,
Bright the eyes that focus their sight.
Bettie and her Tom are talking
By the park with hands held tight.

Muse of artists' painted stroke
Music voice as soft as smoke
Melting into glittered stars
Making streaks like whitened scars
Mask to hide the darkened skies
Madness shrieks in night birds' cries
Moonlight shine your chilling glow.

I haven't written a poem in ages but here goes...

Water

Wake up next to a cool spring
whistling waves of breeze
Wash and wear the sea creatures'
wardrobe: a clear tease
Why, weep! Because, in truth, these
woven currents are filled with
waste and debris

Any judges around? :p

Yes soon, I just recently got back from vaccation so I haven't got around to it yet, but I have been meaning to shortly.

Pendragon: Beautiful and elegant, in spite of the darkness ( or perhaps because of it, for me) there was something I found almost serene within this poem. It had a lovely flow to it, and I really enjoyed your use of rhyme. Wonderfully written.

cacian: I am not sure I really understand this one, but it was quite interesting. I really enjoyed your use of language here, and the broad vocabulary, also I thought it did have a good rhythm to it.

YesNo: Another poem with a good use of rhyme. I really liked the repetition of "bright" I thought it worked quite well within this poem and it gave it an almost lullaby like feeling. I also really enjoyed the atmosphere which the poem set. It painted a vivid picture in my mind of a pair of lovers walking together in the park.

WhiteRabbit24: An interesting poem, I like the way in which there is both a touch of humor to it, as well as bleak reality. I enjoyed that sort of balance of the poem, as it starts out with a rather claming image, and then diverges into something more cynical.

And the winner is......

moonbird: I loved the imagery of your poem, and thought it had some beautiful lines and was quite haunting and enchanting. Loved the darkness of the mood and the touch of whimsy to it.

Thanks Dark Muse! The next form is one I only recently discovered, the Fibonacci poem. You may be familiar with the mathetician's famous sequence, where the sum of the last two numbers equals the third. This poetic style uses the sequence for its syllable count, which is as follows: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. You can make it as many lines as you like in this pattern. For more information see the link below. Deadline August 1. Good luck.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-...ew-poetic-form

now
is
the right
time to be
the right way to say
those words all over again
life is an ingredient love is civilient
mix
all
for a
fun deluge

why
does
the night
call to me?
lost in my little dreams
what a way to live life these days...

pain
feels
like hell--
suffering
I do my penitence
does God still care or am I lost?

graves
seem
to be
a good thing
I wish I was there
visit me when you get the time...

no!
no
peace there
only pain!
I must enjoy life
in spite of all the things I hate!

push
the
tears away
dry my face
try to mend my heart
never easy, but can be done...

sleep
comes
must I
dream again
haunted by my fears?
remember why I choose to live

new
dawn
pink sky
time to rise
today celebrate
one more day I have made it through!

face
dawn
bright sky
cry a tear
moment passes fast
I smile and vow to cry no more!

Pendragon
(C) 8/18/2012