Keep in mind, however, that these are simply my interpretations of the theme

Might as well enter.
For the Haiku Contest: Broken Bonds

Sinuous straining,
Shadowy shackles shatter,
Submission subsides.

For the Haiku Contest:
"Broken Bond"

A license to kill
Takes its toll on every man
Spring can't thaw cold hearts

I was originally going to do a straight James Bond haiku to jokingly reference a pun on the theme of "Broken Bond", but it evolved to something else; dare I say better.

Sinuous straining,
Shadowy shackles shatter,
Submission subsides.

Come on Emp..you could have easily used some alliteration in that! =p

The haiku submission:

Broken Vase

Once thought unyielding,
Now cannot be uniform -
The chaos rises.

Reference to entropy.

The Poetry submission:

Sailor, I

Decades spent sailing,
No pennies are earned
Here on the edge of everything -
The universe, void of life.

Here at this distant barrier I am suspended.
The emptiness consumes knowledge -
Science could not explain
The lack of 'earthly' existence.

Curiosity burns my brow
as I reach out into the dusk,
Beyond all life and matter -
The past is but strife.

I pause as I arrive at the Color,
For it greets me as I grasp the truth -
Ancient sailors are we, whaling
Beyond the depths of the universe.

I really want to rhyme this, but it seems like it would be too hard, and would be rather evidently forced. Ah well. The theme is implied more symbolically, if that is alright.

Just so everyone knows, judging shall take place sometime later today. Can't say exactly when, yet it will happen.

Come on..don't lie to the good people! haha

judging shall take place sometime later today

I was expecting some suspense between the due date and the judging. It's a tall order, especially for a double-contest. When people submit on the last day and judging is assumed to be the same day, it slows the process down, throwing a wrench into it. I recommend making it due around the 20th of the month with judging guaranteed by the end of the month, just so there's enough time to adequately critique all the entries and fairly pick a winner. The added time range is also good in case of personal emergencies and such. It keeps you from being backed into a corner by your obligations, like right now.

... Just wanted to know, if you're going to post a link to the final judgement in this thread?

This is for the Haiku Contest:
Anguish fills my heart
The one I once loved will not
Ever see me cry

And this is for the General Poetry Contest:
Hide no more, for the truth is uncovered,
Run no more, for the secret is no longer,
Light has ignited the lies and fabrications,
Burning away to ash, because justice is stronger.

OK, thank you! :)