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The NeoGAF Poetry Corner - Challenge #22: A letter to the world

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A

Ashes

Banned
__________________________________________________________________

The NeoGAF Poetry Corner - Challenge #22: A letter to the world
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xiS0f.jpg



Theme: A letter to the world

We were talking about Emily Dickinson in the last thread, or the one before perhaps, and one of her most famous poems is of course, her letter to the world. Hit the link for the actual poem and discussion in the comments beneath it.

We live in turbulent times; more than usual I mean. If you want to address the world right now, then that is absolutely fine. But to those new to the thread, you don't have to address your letter to the world; you can interpret the theme as freely as you want. You could for example address a letter to your self thirty years from now. Be it happy, sad, inspirational; whatever. It's up to you.

Secondary Objective: Inside Outside Poetry

See first post, I've somehow reached the op text limit. :p

Thank you Bootaaay for keeping up the op template. And the regular writers for keeping the thread alive.


Poetry thread Rules version 1.2:
1. This thread is not merely for winning or losing, but for critiquing and improving your own craft.
2. This poetry thread 'contest' will end on a Friday, and voting will last until Sunday at midnight. You cannot win unless you vote. Although you don't have to submit a piece to vote.
3. The winner must then provide the next challenge theme for the following two week period. Some weeks like during E3, this may not be possible, so we will have an interim one week period until normality is resumed. As a general rule, we like to keep this on the alternate week to the Creative Writing Thread.
4. There are no word count limits, make it as long or as short as you want.
5. Optional secondary objectives are not mandatory, you can include them or not.
6. Further addition to rule five: you can also try the secondary objective as a secondary piece. Just make sure you label it as such.
7. Vote for your favourite poems. Voters should award first, second and third places to their favourite three poems. Don't vote for the same author twice. And watch out for pieces that are labeled ineligible - comments on these pieces labelled as such are welcome but you just can't vote for them. Incidentally, feel free to vote even if you haven't submitted a piece - the more the merrier :)
8. During the count, First place is allocated three points. Second place is allocated two points. And third place is allocated one point.
9. In the event of a tie, the tally will be counted again with first place being allocated three and half points. If it isn't resolved then, it will be up to the OP (most likely the previous winner) to decide to how to go about things.
10. Winner gets a round of applause and will have the records stating it as such. After which Rule 3 is in effect and we start a new thread.

Submission Deadline: (PST)

Friday 25th March 11:59 2011

Voting Deadline: (PST)

Sunday 27th March 11:59 2011

---

The NeoGAF Poetry Society: Alumni's Archive


The NeoGAF Poetry Society: Previous Challenges:

Poetry Challenge #01: Reflection
Poetry Challenge #02: Making the Blind See (+ 5W poems)
Poetry Challenge #03: Interior (+ Incorporate a song or album title)
Poetry Challenge #04: History (+ Dream Song poems)
Poetry Challenge #05: A View From Afar or Within (+ Clerihew poems)
Poetry Challenge #06: The Surreal and the Fantastical (+ Haikus)
Poetry Challenge #07: Expectations versus Reality (+ Ode)
Poetry Challenge #08: Mirror's Edge (+ Rhymes)
Poetry Challenge #09: Look on the Bright Side (+ poem must end with _________________ as it's last line)
Poetry Challenge #10: Obsolete (+ Ink)
Poetry Challenge #11: Pride (+ Kanye West)
Poetry Challenge #12: Passing By (+ Allegory)
Poetry Challenge #13: Take this Society (+ Ballards)
Poetry Challenge #14: The Dark (+ Add Zombies to taste)
Poetry Challenge #15: The Great Winter (+ Elegy)
Poetry Challenge #16: What Nature Reclaims (+ Lay)
Poetry Challenge #17: Storm Clouds Rising (+ First Person)
Poetry Challenge #18: The Phoenix (+ Enjambment)
Poetry Challenge #19: Psychopomps (+ Assonance)
Poetry Challenge #20: Death in the Family (+ Limericks)
Poetry Challenge #21: A Night on the Town (+ Didactic Poems)
 
A

Ashes

Banned
__________________________

Secondary Objective
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Inside Outside


Inside - Outside Poetry first describes someone as the person he or she thinks other people might see, focusing on those things which they don't especially like. The second stanza then describes the person as the perfect boy or girl of their dreams.

An example from the Poetry Pals Club:


0511-0809-0115-1546_Children_Playing_Doctor_Clip_Art_clipart_image.jpg


My inside self and my outside self
are different as can be.

My outside self wears fat, baggy clothes.
Two feet like bear paws,
Elephant ears,
With lots of fears.

My inside self is different you can see.
A rad, awesome dare devil
doing stunts inside of me.
Filled with care, and a gentle person.
A lovely, lovely doctor,
YEAH!!!

That's what I'll be.

By: Andrew

source.


Example two: another example I found on the internet:

22665_f520.jpg


Pain of the heart

Pain we encounter our whole lives through in differing degrees,
Pain can plague our bodies from our head down through our knees
Way on down to feet and toes, our limbs, our every part,
Inside, outside, every place; but none worse than the heart.

Some suffer stronger, deeper pain, and some a lighter ache,
Some need strong medication, others an aspirin take.
But when the pain is caused by loss and radiates from the heart
There is no medication; nothing to stop you falling apart.

Your confidence is shaken and your whole world caving in,
Your clouded mind can’t fathom it… your new day can‘t begin,
The heartache travels through the mind, then on down to the soul,
Then to the eyes so sore from tears that you cannot control.

Sobbing makes your tummy hurt, you feel the future’s bleak,
Your throat gets sore, your tongue is tied as tears roll down your cheek.
So never walk away from one who cherished and adored
Your every move, your every word… don’t hurt them with a word.

For one day they may not be there to show your feelings to,
They may have left for other lands, to wander pastures new,
So cherish every single friend and never leave their side,
Hold them to your heart each day, whisper your love; confide.

Source.

note: you can either incorporate the secondary and first objective into the first entry or have a separate secondary entry. If you have a secondary entry, it must be an Inside Outside poem, of some sort. Secondary objective is completely optional.

Cheers. That's all folks.
 
D

Dresden

Member
The butterfly looks just like the moth, especially in the dark.
we sit cold and quiet in the winter park.

Means nothing, it does, you say,
it has to mean something, i say.
within you there's no talent or hope,
just killing time till you die; that's the pessimistic outlook
that you've inculcated within you
since the day you first fell, and never got up.

Outward all smiles and within all boozed up
mockery for all the times you lied and swilled
letting the pigs feed where you dropped,
and when they were done there was nothing left of you.
it's easier when you talk of yourself,
like screaming in an empty room
a mirror as your only company. Now you'll cry,
probably drink, drink up, gin or shit or absinthe glowing green
the green fairy tarrying near your slumpen form.

Leave a charred print on the wall--i was here,
it seems to say, i was here, till i burned,
let my ashes fall where they may; a trite reminder
that once you stood where the road forked twice
and you feared where they led you, and chose not to walk on at all.
 
D

Dresden

Member
If I don't do it right away, I just completely forget about it (like the last challenge). Gotta strike while I can remember!
 
T

The Lamp

Member
Do haikus count?

If so I'd like to submit one I wrote yesterday as I did math out by the pool. It's addressing how hard school makes it for me to educate myself in nature. I curse the outdoors.

I call it Melanoma

Homework in the sun
Farmer's tan for everyone!
Too bad, no wifi
 
I

Irish

Member
The View

My mind - doesn't work the way it should.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.

My life - didn't go the way it could,
but there's nothing left to do about that.

There are many beautiful things out there in the world.
Not a one of them means a single thing to me.

Where you see flowers and meadows of green,
all I see is fire and bloodied concrete.

You say I'm lying, it can't be that bad.
I'm just telling you the way it can be.
 
B

British Monsoon

Member
Lofted upward toward the heavens
on wings of brimstone flame.
Piercing the sky to soar
above the azure waves, clouded
by opalescent billows of fog
that weave in excursive patterns,
as beautiful from above as below.

Mountainous spires of aeon old rock
extend their stony grasp upwards.
High and away from the swathes of land,
verdant, and wild, and desolate
spreading forth into the distance
Unimaginably vast and grand,
viewed from this celestial path.

In the distance dark shadows creep,
scything forth in a perfect arc.
Swaddling the land in darkness,
pinpricked by electric points of light.
Shining patterns of humanity,
marking their existence
In the ink deep blackness of night-time's embrace.
 
A

Ashes

Banned
Thief

You broke my car window, thief,
And I just slept on passing by,
but what is your future drug addict?
I slept soundly, whilst a noose hangs round
your own.

I'll wake up and fix my car,
whilst the child you bore,
suffers alone.

A rush of blood
takes you closer
to handcuffs,
The sound mind,
beguiled
the bleeding heart,
the search for
cold white milk.

you walk alone,
today, through
dark unpoliced streets;
the sun will rise soon,
and off to bed you
will go.
 
S

Salvor.Hardin

Banned
A Virgin Afternoon in the Arabian Desert

Have you ever crossed
A crestfallen street
Of an Autumn morning

Or paddled along
The bank of your summer youth
Wearing nothing but your smile
And a bathing suit

There is a world out there
That you and I share
But that canvass is painted strikingly
Against our fears

Spread your arms and take us in
Say the sons of cancer
To the the father of dilapidated walls;
Respond the walls:
With ice cold silence

A niche, a noose, a push, a tug
We sing no more
We hang so still
In innocence
In remonstrance
 
D

daydream

Banned
1. In the ink deep blackness of night-time's embrace. (Bootaaay)
2. A Virgin Afternoon in the Arabian Desert (Salvor.Hardin)
3. Untitled (Dresden)
 
A

Ashes

Banned
Sorry about not voting. I slept the length and breadth of eternity it seems. Congratulations Salvor.Hardin.
 
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