ForumsArt, Music, and WritingOfficial Poetry Contests - Theme: Sunshine (Due: May 31)

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Devoidless
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Devoidless
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Jester

Welcome to the newest contest on ArmorGames!

This is the new and improved version of both the Periodic Poetry Contest and the Haiku Contest. From this point out, both contests will be combined into one massive contest for everyone to enjoy! And as such, each user is allowed to enter is both contests with separate entries if they so desire, effectively doubling the odds of winning.
Each contest (One being general poetry and the other exclusively haiku) will have one winner every month. Every month, two winners (one from each contest shall be chosen and receive a merit for all their hard work. Show it off to your friends, gloat about it to your enemies! Tell your parents about it and confuse them! It's a win-win-win-win-win scenario, folks.

Rules

General Poetry Contest:
- It must fit the theme if the month (same theme as the Haiku Contest).
- It must be submitted by the deadline.
- It cannot have inappropriate language in it.
- It cannot be stolen (if you plagiarize, we will find you).
- The poem must be created for this contest
- A user cannot win twice in a row (though everyone is welcome to submit every month!)
- Only one submission per user will be accepted

Once a month a winner will be chosen from all the received entries. To begin, the Moderation/Administration Team will act as judges and choose winners. Subject to change depending on how well things go.
The winner will then make a comment on the ContestWinners profile to receive a merit.
(Original idea by ubertuna, itemized rules by DragonMistress, modified by Devoidless)

Haiku Contest
"A Haiku is a Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons."
Well, that said, here are the rules:
- It must fit the theme of the month (same as General Poetry Contest)
-The haiku must be original (no plagiarizing)!
- It must be submitted before the deadline
- It must be created for the contest (no using works previously written)
- One submission per user
- The same user cannot win twice in a row (but they are welcome to submit!)

Once a month a winner will be chosen from all the received entries. To begin, the Moderation/Administration Team will act as judges and choose winners. Subject to change depending on how well things go.
The winner will then make a post on the ContestWinners profile to receive a merit.
(Original idea and itemized rules by Maverick4, modified by Devoidless)
First Themes
The first themes to kick off this contest shall be:
- The theme for the General Poetry contest this run is "Touch of Truth".

- The theme for the Haiku contest is "Broken Bond".
Submitting an entry
Since there are two separate contests, users are required to mention in the post which contest they wish to use the entry for. Any entry without this is subject to not being entered into either contest.
Examples of how to clarify which contest an entry is for:
-

This poem is for the General Poetry contest

-
-This is for the Haiku contest

-
I'd like to enter this for the General Poetry/Haiku contest

Remember, each user is allowed to join both contests!

Alright! Looking forward to seeing what you all can create! Good luck, and have fun with it!
  • 549 Replies
ExitPathGirl16
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ExitPathGirl16
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Nomad

btw @AHomoSapien I'm sorry I switched the avatar last minute

The amazing penguin I'm using right now is the one he drew

Anyway, if @Gantic is ok with it, I'll write my next poem soonish

SirLegendary
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SirLegendary
16,583 posts
Duke

@Gantic, does this mean we can now enter for that theme?

Gantic
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Gantic
11,892 posts
King

No. There's a special rule for next round.

Saphire24
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Saphire24
3,114 posts
Scribe

Ooooo! Sounds exciting!

Guest_Pegasus1234
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Guest_Pegasus1234
1,276 posts
Farmer

I'm excited as well

Gantic
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Gantic
11,892 posts
King

Judging may be delayed again because I overlooked half of the entries, so I'll announce the theme now:

The next theme will be "Fifteen" due February 23rd. You can be creative in how you express the theme, but you cannot use the words fifteen(s/th), one, five, fifty, eleven(s/th), twelve(s/twelfth), thirteen(s/th), fourteen(s/th), sixteen(s/th), seventeen(s/th), eighteen(s/th), nineteen(s/th), or quinceañera in any language.

Guest_Pegasus1234
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Guest_Pegasus1234
1,276 posts
Farmer

General Poetry Entry for Fifteen

My Grandfather
He was an amazing man
So much he overcame
He spoke his words with stutter
He struggled with dementia
I felt terrible for him
He spent his final years in peace
One day we got a call
His heart was beating slow
We rushed to say our goodbyes
I saw him laying on his bed
He looked well
Then he started to speak
I....Love......You
He said clear as day
We all then smiled
A miracle it was today
Although maybe his last
Since he looked well
We then asked a few questions
To see what he remembered
We almost forgot he was dying
And time seemed wasted
He didn't remember much
Not even what state he was in
But some things he couldn't forget
When was our wedding?
My grandmother asked
He struggled to breathe
But he spoke
A...Ap...April...
Fi....Fif.......Fift.........Fiftee....
He spoke with tears on his face
His heart stopped beating
And those were his last words

--------------------------------------------------------
P.S. this is remotely based on real life events, my grandfather recently passed away, he and my grandmother, who is still alive, both had dementia, my grandfather didn't stutter though, I added that part in the poem to fit the theme, and the wedding wasn't on April 15th, I added that to fit the theme as well

Guest_Pegasus1234
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Guest_Pegasus1234
1,276 posts
Farmer

Sadly, I can't edit my post

A few things that I would like to changed, if possible

1. replace "One Day" with "Today"
2. and "Laying" with "Lying"

Hopefully you don't disqualify my entry

SirLegendary
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SirLegendary
16,583 posts
Duke

This one is pretty difficult. I'm taking my time on writing my poem.

Saphire24
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Saphire24
3,114 posts
Scribe

My haiku

A fortnight and day
A performance to enjoy
Dancing to music.

Is that OK?

Gantic
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Gantic
11,892 posts
King

Judgment for the last round should be up this weekend.

Saphire24
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Saphire24
3,114 posts
Scribe

Yay!
I have an idea for this month, will post my entry when I have time.

Gantic
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Gantic
11,892 posts
King

GENERAL POETRY

His hands, his eyes,
Bloodied and torn;

His terror, his cries,
And what we have sworn.

He left, not without sound,
Not without pain,
The way loved ones ought to.

He left, and we stood,
And bawled and terrified

And quiet, but we stood,
And we stood, and cried.

I remember him, I remember;
I can't forget, the look in his eyes--
The terror imbued.

We promised to live,
We promised to survive him,

To survive, in death, and thrive
Our very best to sing the hymn

That he taught us, that he sang us.
His death - his eyes, his hands -
I remember, I remember, I can't forget.

His death is what remains,
All that remains, for new beginnings.

We strive, from Death's own chains,
To build our lifeless lives, and sing,

That hymn, all over again.
Without him.

I don't think the third lines in every third stanza are necessary. I'm not sure about the breaks in assonance (a, e ,i) and consonance (w and t/d/th). On one hand, it "breaks from the chains". On the other, it also breaks the rhythm.

Sunshine and roses
Butterflies on noses
The world was full of light
A light exquisitely bright
But over time optimism decomposes
And the window of light suddenly closes
With no light in sight
In came eternal fright
Filling in the chasms of light
Pessimistic ideas start to ignite
Taking over my mind
Leaving my past all behind
Outward was the world of the Optimist
Inward was the world of the Pessimist

The first two lines had me singing "My Favorite Things" in my head. I think the images might be mixed here. The window of light closes and there is no light but there are chasms of light. Ignition is a a process of starting a fire, which gives off light.

I search once again
for what I have lost
but I gave them away
And I don't remember the cost

I know not my name
my age nor my kind
for it was taken by a demon
I have now lost my mind

I know that it was for a reason
and that it meant all my family was safe
but I now know no longer the season
nor the time no, not even the date

for months on end I've been stuck here
Mocked, and hurt and betrayed
I have but two friends who're beside me
and for that and one more reason, I've stayed

But now my one chance has arrived here
My freedom at last is in hand
I sneak with them away, through the portal
and arrive on a beach and on sand.

It is here that I see what I'm meant for
I can travel throughout all of space
and time now will stand still before me
though still I don't know my own face.

My friend, Luke and I, then we parted
for our jobs now were not the same
mine was to heal, help and care for
his was to seek exposure through fame

and though now all was before me
I had skills of no imaj'ning or name
but still I felt nothing but empty
For I still had not yet regained my name

And so I began my beginning
A fresh start with me all on my own
with but just one friend, inside me
Nameless, and yet widely known

I abandoned my past and my future
I lived only for the now and the here
but what kind of life is it to live
to be close, and yet never near

And although I gained a new beginning
I can only feel empty inside
for I can remember no feelings,
not love, not hope, and not pride

I saw what life was without companions
with power, but lonely as a star
a small light that shines in the darkness
always watching, but always so far.

I no longer think much of new beginnings
For life will just follow the trend
and if I again must start over
next time, I wish just for a friend.

This narrative needs to show more and tell less. Even so, there's still unanswered quests. All I know is what I have been told and I can't gather much beyond that. How did the escape come about? What happened to the second friend?

Why does the sun go down?
Why does the moon go up?
Why does the sky get dark?
And why do the stars light up?

Why do people die?
Where do they go when they do?
Why does it hurt when they die?
Do they sail on a boat with a heavenly crew?

Why do some doors close?
When other doors open?
Why don't they close properly,
When they are broken?

Where did the dinosaurs go?
Why didn't they leave a note?
Why didn't they let me know?
Or step on Noah's boat?

When somethings leave, and another dies too,
The world works this way to begin with something new.
There's a reason for everything, which will come soon,
But for now, just look up, and see the sun and the moon.

The ending feels dissatisfying, because it undoes the four stanzas of build up. This seems less like "a new beginning" and more like "unanswered questions".

The Power of Wind:

The Flame lies snuffed
The Earth has crumbled
The Rivers and Oceans dried up
The Light has Faded
and The Darkness remains

But The Wind will not be stopped.

It brings forth the clouds
which summon forth storms
and rains upon the ground
Lightning strikes, ignites The Flame
which starts The World again.

I like the idea here for a storm bringing light back to the world and the way life, through a series of events, comes back. The last two lines are not part of the same sentence as the three lines before it. There should at least be something to show that there is a difference.

HAIKU

After the darkness,
The sky lights up once again;
A New Beginning.

What I like about this entry is that while it touches on the same or similar ideas of other entries it shows more than it tells. The last line could be something more cogent instead of a repeat of the theme.

Death is not for you,
Nor me an immortal end--
A new beginning.

The last line here seems off, as it reads more like the word "but" was dropped instead of putting two things together.

Time rewinds again,
Giving chancèd excuse for
Resolute choices.

The accent over the 'e' in 'chanced' is the not right one. It should be an acute accent where it is currently a grave accent. Overall, the wording is odd, as it seems to unnaturally stretch itself to fill syllables, which might be best left to one-syllable words like "like" and "and".

Spring, Summer, Autumn
Winter has claimed us and yet
Spring will return soon

The first line here doesn't add anything. Without the first line, the meaning would be the same. This tells rather than shows. It could be better if it showed winter (What kind of images are associated with winter?) and showed spring (what kind of images are associated with spring?) or perhaps the transition between the two 9what kind of images are associated with the transition?).

The Sun at its end.
Silence prevails all, Fear not
Life begins anew.

I'm not entirely sure what this is supposed to mean, but I get that life continues. Also, this isn't the right use of &quotrevail", since &quotrevail" used without an object.

First place for the general poetry contest goes to @Koshionos for "The Power of Wind".
First place for the haiku contest goes to @Guest_Pegasus1234 for "After the darkness".

Congratulations! You should get a merit within the hour and a shiny new quest if you do not already have one.

Guest_Pegasus1234
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Guest_Pegasus1234
1,276 posts
Farmer

Congrats Koshionos!!

I'm suprised, but happy to have won the Hakiu contest

Koshionos
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Koshionos
884 posts
Jester

Awesome! I've been at work so much I didn't realize I won that until I logged in. Neat.

@Guest_Pegasus1234, awesome job!

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