Friday, September 16, 2011

Contest entries (so far!)

Nicola 3:31am

We are just the SKELETON CREW,
the last WARM BODIES
after WORLD WAR Z.
I, a LIVING DEAD GIRL,
exist in THE SHADOW OF THE WIND,
dreaming of THE DEAD AND THE GONE,
HAUNTED by the
TORMENT OF OTHERS.
I LINGER
in THE DEAD ZONE,
waiting for the ALL CLEAR,
but I'll never BEG FOR MERCY.











-------------------------
Alia 2:59am

 DR NO has an 
AFFINITY for SHARP OBJECTS.
He's in THE BUSINESS of ALTERED CARBON,
Practising THE ART OF DECEPTION,
Answering the MIRROR, MIRROR prayers of a NATION.
After THE RITUAL, THE SCAR will be GONE FOREVER.
I have NOTHING TO LOSE.
So why do I LINGER on THE ROAD?
THE TRUTH is,
That MONSTROUS REGIMENT of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES makes me SHIVER.
Among 400 BILLION STARS, how do you tell
THE ONE FROM THE OTHER?

















----------------
Tina 2:02 am



 THE STORY OF ZAHRA

One of PRINCESS SULTANA’S DAUGHTERS
THE WOMEN OF SAND AND MYRRH
Full of GRANDMOTHER’S SECRETS
And ARAB FOLKTALES
Traveling THE ROAD TO TAHRIR SQUARE
Wearing a VEIL OF ROSES
She leaves the THE HOUSE OF OBEDIENCE
And DREAMS OF TRESPASS
Or an EXIT TO EDEN
THE ARABIAN NIGHTS
Are full of NADIA’S SONG
SAND CASTLES
Like ATLANTIS RISING
Remembering STOLEN LIVES
SEVEN DAUGHTERS AND SEVEN SONS
Making THE CHOICE
A TRUST BETRAYED
UNEXPLAINED
Chasing TOMORROW’S DREAM
SCHEHEREZADE GOES WEST
Whispering to ANGELS & DEMONS
Searching for the EYE OF THE PYRAMID
Through the fog of the EMPIRES OF SAND
But, wait, MIRAGE
THE PERFUMED GARDEN OF CHEIKH NEFZAOUI
She never left the HAREM










------------------------
Rena 12:50am


 THE BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEAD

ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN go
TO THE END OF THE LAND for
THE LAST GREAT DANCE ON EARTH.
They SHIVER
in THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS,
A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS
their only CONSOLATION.
There are DREAMS UNDERFOOT.
These DEAD SOULS
MARCH to meet
the MASTER OF THE CROSSROADS.
The UNDERWORLD
is FOR THE RELIEF OF UNBEARABLE URGES,
Where the WICKED
are FOREVER
SILENT IN THE GRAVE.
The CHOSEN
those REMARKABLE CREATURES
are for THE WORLD TO COME
where ALL SHALL BE WELL AND ALL SHALL BE WELL AND ALL MANNER OF THINGS SHALL BE WELL.



----------------------------

Megan 12:05am
 The Last Song plays.
I am Forever bested,
by A Bend In The Road.
Matched step for step,
left pleading for Twilight,
I whisper "Hush Hush, my darling
I have only just Fallen."
If I Stay,
I shall Wake,
If I Linger,
I shall Fade.
And after the First Drop of Crimson,
I shall drift into the Shadowland.

















--------------

Gayle 12:04am


 Finding What I Knew

In search of MIRACLES,
I left THE KNOWN WORLD
To go WALKING ON WATER
Toward a LOST HORIZON.

RIDING BETWEEN THE WORLDS,
I was a WANDERER OF THE WASTELAND.

THE STRANGER took me,
I was SOLD INTO EGYPT
Until THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Sent me THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
To THE THURBER CARNIVAL.

IT'S A MAGICAL WORLD, after all.





----------------------

Lyra 12:03am

 Stained
Juliet, Naked,
The Woman Warrior,
a Fraud
at The Edge of Reason.
The Secret History of
The Whore's Child
Written on the Body,
The Human Stain.
Fear and Loathing
on all The Places in Between.
Men and Cartoons
Their Perfect Women,
Naked,
Lost in the Funhouse
Their White Teeth,
Skinny Legs and All
A Teenage Wasteland.
A Compass Error.
The Infinite Jest.


------------

Gemma 5:59am



 this is a STORY OF A GIRL

ONCE
I was a GEEK TRAGEDY
and THE DUFF.
You were BEAUTY QUEENS
perfect IMAGINARY GIRLS

With THE PULL OF GRAVITY
YOU
became THE ENEMY
because SOME GIRLS ARE
BEASTLY.
After  AN UNFORTUNATE SERIES OF EVENTS
I cried RED TEARS
I was NUMB

THEN
was THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY
and I learnt HOW TO BE A WOMAN
WHAT I WAS
turned to ASHES
and OUT OF SHADOWS
stepped THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

NOW
THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
I’m A TINY BIT MARVELLOUS
THE HAPPINESS PROJECT
is HOW I LIVE NOW

But BEFORE I DIE
I’ll look UP AND DOWN
and ONE DAY
I SHALL WEAR MIDNIGHT
and WHEN YOU REACH ME
you’ll feel my EMBER FURY




















--------------------
Kitty  6:02am


my PERFORATED HEART

those ELEVEN DAYS
were A TIME TO REMEMBER.
but 1933 WAS A BAD YEAR,
when HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT,
when VERY BAD MEN
in THE DEAD OF WINTER
ended THE AGE OF INNOCENCE.
I ESCAPED FROM AUSCHWITZ,
found HAVEN
in WYOMING.
but I STILL DREAM ABOUT YOU.
still MISSING JOSEPH








----------

Jennifer 6:15am

I freefall
into the kiss -
no shame, no fear.
The choice is mine.
And I am fearless.










---------

Brandy 6:18am

 HOW BEAUTIFUL THE ORDINARY
but THE STRANGER
A HERO OF OUR TIME
is NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL
she SHINE’s
a DARK GODDESS
WICKED LOVELY
EVERMORE
her WINGS
CATCHING FIRE
A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY
until ASH
in a CITY OF ASHES
EVENFALL
BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY
a STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND
but EVERYTHING’S EVENTUAL
and THIS LULLABY
is THE LAST SONG

10 comments:

Feaky Snucker said...

I sent mine twice, and got no response. :(

Abby said...

These are already so great! And I love the way people's consistent literary tastes seem to make the poems even more coherent.

Josin L. McQuein said...

Great entries!

Sadly, I have no books and therefore can't stack them up pretty without going to the library and making the librarian give me dirty looks for unshelving ten or twelve books at a time to take their picture.

I'd imagine someone who reads e-books would have a hard time, too, unless they stack a bunch of Kindles. :-P

Kelly said...

Nice examples. It appears the bar has been set.

Melinda said...

Wow this is so awesome! Great contest Janet. There is something about a stack of books that just gets me. Good luck everyone!

Tina said...

I had the greatest time coming up with something from the book titles. I even impressed my husband with my skill. LOL

Heather Hawke said...

I took a look at these witty poems and had to try it too. Such fun!

Lynn(e) Schmidt said...

My favorite part of this is seeing people who own the same books I do :) Yay for reading and awesome writing prompts!

Shaunna said...

Josin,

I went to the library. My picture doesn't look as good because of the call numbers taped to the spines, but nobody gave me dirty looks. At least, I don't think they did. I was really too busy finding books to notice. :)

Feaky Snucker said...

I like seeing other people's books. It's like being a literary peeping tom.