Poetry Contest
Chatterbox: Pudding's Place
Poetry Contest
Poetry Contest
Well, we haven't had one of these in a while, have we? Time for a new one, I say! Welcome, resident poets!
The rules are pretty simple. I am the first judge. I will give you a theme, and you must write a poem relating to the theme. Be creative with your interpretations! I will then judge the entries by a set date, and the winner will then be the next judge, and set the next theme. And so on, and so forth.
The first theme will be... *dramatic drumroll*
Stars! Whether you chose to write about the kind of stars you wish on, or the kind that take the stage, I will be eagerly awaiting your sparkly, shiny, beautiful poems. Have them in by... Saturday, March 18. Two weeks. Sound fair?
I hope to see your poems soon!
~Booksy <3
(March 4, 2017 - 8:58 pm)
Hello! My apologies for the lateness, but here I am! You all are very talented and judging this contest is truly an honor. Without further ado, here is my verdict!
(December 22, 2024 - 8:50 pm)
ahh thank you so much!! and yes, everyone's poems are so talented!
The next prompt will be echo and I'll try to judge January 5.
(December 22, 2024 - 11:29 pm)
I stand
at the peak
and call.
a chorus of voices
calls
back
HELLO, hello, h e l l o.
I call again
louder
and I hear
WELCOME, W E L C O M E, welcome.
I stand
and dream
that the echo
was
talking
to me.
(January 3, 2025 - 10:26 am)
Since there's only one entry so far, I'll extend it to January 10th.
(January 6, 2025 - 7:29 pm)
-echos
The night may feel only so forgiving
It’s hard to accept the inevitable
You keep trying to run toward the gold
Even though you will be the last to reach it
(Everything is already gone----)
Still, you resist
Jumping impossible gaps
Stretching
Reaching
Grasping
For things you can no longer have
(Please I just want-)
You can want
Doesn’t make you have
You take things for granted
Don’t realize how much you need them
Depended on them
Until they’re gone
Only then will you panic
Start to freak
Attempts to snatch up the left behind bits
Will ultimently fail
Because everything
Everyone
Will have long ago
Walked away
It just took you this long to even notice
(forgive me, come back, I won’t do it again-)
But the decision was already made
You apologized to late
So now all you have is echos
Of what once was~
Ehhhhh I'm not to confident about this poem, but... Ah just post :p
(January 8, 2025 - 3:45 pm)
I'm not sure about this but hopefully it's okay
----------
She touches the flame of her candle to the carpet of woven memories
and flees the blaze, although watching the pain burn could have been satisfying
until the echoes of the tears that rolled down her cheeks
until the echoes of how small she felt
curled up, alone, in the darkness
until the echoes of her aching fingers as they manipulated the loom
of her standing in the cramped hall full of noise
when all she wanted was quiet, and to sit
until the echoes return to haunt her
ghosts of the nights she waited for arms to wrap around her
waited for warmth, for a feeling of protection that didn't come
ghosts of the flowers
of the feeling of delicate petals against her rough fingers
as she studied her past, unable to tell her anything about her future
which led her to one day make it for herself
which took her away from the misery
but not from the echoes.
(January 8, 2025 - 7:42 pm)
to reflect the love
her mother always took her to the beach.
she remembered the wash of the tide
upon their bare feet,
and the kiss of pink sun
upon her mother's rippling sundress.
they would take a treasure basket,
white wicker woven with handmade daisies,
and fill it to the brim
with whatever struck her youthful fantasy.
her room filled with darlings of the sea
as the years crashed and waned on the shore;
and though their adventures
grew fewer and fewer,
her mother still filled the house
with shells and daisies
soaking up the dying sunlight.
she returned to her hometown
at the call of the sea spray siren,
homesick for the warmth of sand
between her toes.
she gripped the rough wicker,
thumb over the woven yarn daisy chain,
filled already with the pink of memory.
she looked towards the ebbing horizon,
and the fallen sandcastles,
and the gulls which once knew her name.
she could almost feel a familiar hand in hers.
she was as a ghost on the shore:
sundress waving,
toes in tide,
shells in her basket,
just the same.
(January 8, 2025 - 8:11 pm)
(January 10, 2025 - 8:52 am)
Thank you for all your spectacularly written poems! It was really hard to judge, since each one was so good!
Honorable Mention - Amity
I love how powerful the imagery is in this poem! The emotions were really strong and I loved especially "woven memories" and the repetition of the word "the echoes". I love the intensity overall and the last line is beautifully written! Good job!
Third Place - Climate bee
I really enjoy how this poem uses simplicity to convey such a strong feeling. The echoing words give it a magical, wistful feeling. I love how the poem was broken up into small chunks, and I especially like "I stand / and dream / that the echo /was / talking / to me." It's a beautiful, reflective piece. Great work!
Second Place - Hawkstar
This poem really hits hard. I can feel the regret and the struggle in every word. The repetition of "echoes" is really effective---it gives the poem this haunting vibe that sticks with you. I love how the idea of this poem plays out in its imagery. It feels really real and emotional, and the way you build up to the final resolution is so powerful. Truly amazing!
First Place - the indigo frog
I really love how this poem takes you through this mix of nostalgia and love. The way you describe the beach and the little details like the wicker and the sundress really brings everything to life. The shift between past and present is so smooth, and the feeling of longing is really relatable. I also loved how you tied everything back to the echoes of memory at the end---such a nice touch. Congratulations! You're the next judge!
(January 10, 2025 - 9:26 pm)
(January 13, 2025 - 4:42 pm)
so sorry everyone!! this completely slipped my mind.
the new prompt is devotion and the due date is February 1st :)
(January 18, 2025 - 4:16 pm)
Day after day I walked in with a smile.
I gave you presents.
I made small changes, observing with the keen eye of a scientist
the modifications analytical and precise
studying what made you happy so I could be who you wanted.
Focusing so much on you while my own joy plummeted
until I realized that you were leading me away from myself
holding such power over me
as a smile or purse of the lips, a single word or phrase, could make or break my day.
You were steering me into the dark, handing over a candle
which I clutched as shadows shifted, shivers traveling up my spine
and then you were gone, leaving me with nothing but the single flame.
I called to you, I screamed, I begged
but you didn’t answer, of course not
because if you led me into the trap, you would not help me find my way out.
How could you blame me for trying?
I couldn’t help it, I was too devoted.
I was too deluded.
But people appeared to guide me from the gloom.
I only needed to open my arms to them
and there they were.
(January 18, 2025 - 6:22 pm)
-Completion
Like a blue sky on a sunny day
I match you perfectly
Like a rainbow after a storm
I compliment you
A cave behind a waterfall
We know the secrets
In and out
Like an oak, tall and old
Surrounded by saplings
We're grounded in our roots
A satellite circling the moon
Circling the earth
Circling the sun
We are in orbit
A sunset and rise
We are constant
A tsunami wave rearing to strike
We can face the world
Two against all
Like a mother bird and her young
We protect each other, strong like a shell
A volcanic eruption, shaking Earth to its core
Withstanding and hostile elements
A flower in the snow
Hope forevermore
Like a smile in the gray world
Devotion shows~
(January 26, 2025 - 7:18 pm)
When the world became darkness and woe,
When the path ahead was crooked and unlit,
When everyone around me had left long ago—
I will always be there, I will always be there…
When whispers became piercing arrows,
When calm ocean waves became a storm,
When beasts hunted me amidst shadows—
I will always be there, I will always be there…
A soft lullaby you would sing to me,
While bathing me in your ethereal glow,
Telling stories of somewhere free—
I will always be there, I will always be there…
Yet when light shone once more,
And chased away the fleeting shadows,
And I did not seek you anymore—
I will always be there, I will always be there…
No matter how far I strayed,
No matter how much I had forgotten,
No matter how long you I betrayed—
I will always be there, I will always be there…
And when darkness fell once again,
Blinded, I stumbled along, alone,
Searching, yet nothing, searching, when—
I will always be there, I will always be there…
The next night, you appeared anew,
And you showed and made me believe,
In your devotion, through and through—
I will always be there, I will always be there…
As while the sun shines for the blessed,
The moon glows for the ones who are lost,
Devoted to guiding them in life and rest—
I will always be there, I will always be there…
(January 28, 2025 - 11:20 pm)
somewhere there’s an old crumbling courtyard
built in a whimsical, magical era before regency
past thicket and bramble and stinging nettle green
it does not belong in our world of satin and steel
long, snaking vines choke the elaborate columns
and fragrant wisteria embroiders stone archways
and nostalgia plunges it’s dagger into my heart
a statue carved of marble reaches towards the sun
the wind blows past sadly, as if zephyrs is mourning
these long-lost days of gold crown and silver throne
and yet I hear a whisper, a silent beckon to come
i feel at peace in this solitary tale spun from stone
the sunshine warms my face as i look to the sun
although so delicate i fear it will fall fall to pieces
as the sky is as cloudy and gray as a london fog
ravens swoop through the ashy shafts of fallen light
tears slip down my cheeks as I see a wild garden
lily of the valley-so like the ones she used to grow
and for a fleeting minute she’s with me-hand in hand
these flowers are in my anatomy thriving through
all who find this lonely place are lonely too, i feel
tender pain and fragile love is who i am was is
and maybe i’ll stay her forever, one with the wind
oh, how devoted I am to the nostalgia that binds me
Oh, how devoted am i to the notalgia that sets me free
(January 30, 2025 - 8:20 am)