Poetry Prize Rules!

[admin]

Announcing the 2014-2015 RhymeZone Poetry Prize

This year's theme: "Understanding"

RhymeZone will make unconditional grants totalling $5,000 to 10 authors of thought-provoking poetry in the United States or Canada.
The submission deadline is Sunday, February 1, 2015 and winners will be announced on Sunday, March 1, 2015.

To enter, compose an original poem related to theme of "Understanding" and share it with the RhymeZone community by posting a new topic to this forum.

Poems will be judged on the basis of how thought-provoking, well-crafted, and original they are. All entries must be original poems that have not won any award previously. Ten winners will be selected from the bunch by the beginning of March 2015, with each winner awarded $500 USD.

Why a poetry prize? It's our way of saying thank you to the poetry community which has been so supportive of RhymeZone over the years — and also a way to encourage the writing of more great verse. And we also just think it will be fun.

For detailed rules and guidelines, please see http://www.rhymezone.com/contest/

People please do not post your poems as replies to this rules topic.
Back out to the "RhymeZone 2014-2015 Poetry Prize entries" forum and click on the blue box that says "+New Topic" and create a new topic with the topic title being your poem title. Thanks.

[Long-Skirts]

MY
MOTHER’S
FEET

Withered, wearied
Ripped and torn
My mother’s feet
Were rough and worn.

For they had carried
Future’s weight
Engraved by God
Her pregnant plate.

No money for
The perfect fit –
So when in pain
She’d pray and sit

Until her purpled
Blood would race
Body, soul
Varicosed in grace

And though so wearied
Withered, torn
Emeralds fade…
‘Fore feet so worn.


Long-Skirts
St. Louis, MO

[iamatxgirl]

Very nice. I truly enjoyed this. My minds eye watching from afar.

[Jiynx Diablo]

Ha. Looks like NONE of you read what the admin said. -.- Good poem though.

[Jayden Gino Price]

Understandings just perception
funneled through a vase
Put the cornfields of the south
Within "Brick-city's" gaze

Each environment boasts strings
Which captures the mind
The ego of man
Keeps subcultures blind

For those who break free
A smile awaits
But it is short lived
As fish hoard the bate

To walk without thought
Is the peace of a child
But believe you are "sure"
And you lose a mile

In the end its your footprints
Which transfer the ink
As the pages keep turning
Before you can blink

Raise your hand to the teacher
And scream, "I don't know"!
He'll laugh at those words
But let you pass go!

[SkylitTyler]

love this piece, it's witty and humerous as well as being full of cleverly disquised insight. Though doesnt this sticky state that entries have to be new topics? or is this justa though you dotted down? shame if its not an entry, its well crafted as all get out...

[[email protected]]

The American Dream

The American Dream
This Dessert storm is one I refuse to conform
I’ll be patient but I refuse to be a patient
When you become injured just be aware that
Obama-care was created without a care
Did you know that history repeats itself?
You must step out of the fog of illusion
That has no conclusion
Because this illusion is a confusion
Don’t worry don’t worry I’m not in a hurry
Sit down and smile for this may take a while. Please let me explain what is causing me pain.
America has stolen my Dreams. This started when they sold me my Dreams. I wonder if this began
When speaking of religion in public was a sin.
No Justice no peace screams the protester
Put your hands up or I will still shoot screams the protector.
I don’t understand the paradigm of the 21^st Century.
Placing innocent black men in the penitentiary. This will explain why they have been extinct for a century.

[SkylitTyler]

seems ur heart was there but lacking a real direction or a message, confused the bejeepers outta me but a few lines caught my eye.

[Louise Thomas]

7 pm and You

My mom dropped me off at the fair
I bought some sweet tea for 75 cents and walked around alone
Then we ran into each other
You were with your friends

Some highschool band was playing
So we all danced in the back of the expo hall
You danced with Jonas date while he stepped outside
Your twin brother asked me to be his partner
Placing a hand on my hip to get you to pay attention to me
I could of kissed him right there but they asked us to leave

You and I stood side by side in the rain near some funnel cake vendors
Your brother shivered and I gave him my coat
Then you asked me for my sweater
Cause you knew I only had a tanktop on underneath
You just wanted to see me naked again

Half a mile a way, the gangs were fighting
Two blocks away, a new boys hands were up my sisters shirt
Four days away he broke her heart
Three days away you ignored me
A week away we kissed
A year away you forgot my face

[Nhamojx]

I had a dream

I had a dream
Of grown white men and women
Are working in the fields
Begging for a meal
I had a dream
I had a dream that
Night colored folks are the ones to run the coast
I had a dream
I had a dream that
Little white boys and girls, are the ones who can't read
They are the ones to fantasize about being free
I had a dream
I had a dream that night was superior
And light was below under
I had a dream
I had a dream that the white man
Gets the lashes
He's the one
That screams for pain to past him.


Naketa Williams
Hamilton, Newjersey

[Christopher C.D.]

One man's dream is another man's nightmare. This would have been kind of good if you knew how to spell but I guess you explained why you couldn't.

[BlackButterfly2015]

ummmmmmmm. NO

[szrikem]

Comrade

All hail Comrade Stalin
For he is the man that Russia adores
Our problems have been long forgotten
Never again to see a corpse

I am but a child
But I have been taught well
If I keep my thoughts mild
I am sure to excel

Comrade Stalin is all I see
This is no complaint
In every paper -- on ever screen
He puts a smile on my face

There is no God that I believe
No miracle that I feverishly await
Russia provides everything for me
And none to those who choose a holy faith

Those richer then I
Why they do not exist
Taken away in a blink of an eye
Just like any that seem to resist

All hail Comrade Stalin
To him I am forever in debt
And with this debt, I see a problem
For I and not he, may soon be dead


Soraya Zrikem
Ann Arbor, Michigan

[Friar]

very provoking indded

[EdwardWingard]

If I Lose its Understandable

I understand that this challenge is a test... Lol look at the smarty pants on rhyme zone segregating the Diamonds from the Rine stones
Well I understand your purpose
And I know you need the best poet in the universe to write an ultra extraordinary poem for the ultimate test of understanding I get it i understand and I except you challenge
BUT AT LEAST GIVE ME A CHALLENGE..!!
True imma under dog under a bridge with over whelming people with petty problems that don't understand the true art of the perfect poet performing outstanding poetic expressions elevating the crowd with elegent excellency and probably still won't and that understandable
But you need the unique piece of poetry that gives undefined beauty in a sexy camal type of way...
And I get it I understand well I'm a smart guy 2+2 is 8 and 10-10 is 8 I know I understand a lot...
But unfortunately I fail to understand how to write about understanding
And I hope its understood that I am a great poet but this prompt is really grinding my gears
Because I can't seem to understand how to write a deep piece about understanding the understood but whats understood ain't gotta be explained
And if I don't exceed in creating great creativity and I lose I won't you to understand that I understand and I will not take it personal SHIT HAPPENDS
And you need the best and I understand that so if I lose it understandable

Edward Wingard
Milwaukee Wisconsin

[amagneto]

I Can't Fit IN:

Talk to me about a time you were unbearably miserable
Then talk to me about it again
Talk to me about it until it consumes you
The way this blackness inside has consumed me
Because I don't know how to communicate this anguish I’m going through
This brain pain is real
It’s the most real thing I have ever faced
When most of my days are spent in the clouds in an effort to keep it at bay
To keep it far, far, away
You think I'm lazy
A sad piece of scum
I've committed too many sins and I can't fit IN
To your perfect world anymore
I'm the whore they told Jesus not to talk to
The sad charity case you need to fix because you want to be like Him
But you can't fool us;
He and I know your heart isn't in it
You can’t care for me at your core

And tell me if I were dying of cancer would you hold me instead of shout at me?
Would you treat me like an angel instead of like someone demon possessed?
“Get it out of her because we can’t love her this way, she’s a monster don’t you see!”
But I didn't ask to become this devil
And I didn't ask to walk with the dead
I've lost myself on this road to insanity
Whispers keep…
Calling out my name…
But no, no, no
I won't follow them there
Please, be proud of me for it

And please, let me know
If my cries of agony were caused by raw, full body, burns
Bleeding, bruising, blistering
Would you stand there and say, “Get up, help yourself. We can't do everything for you.”
If I nodded and pulled myself up, gasping, groaning, reeling, steeling myself for the worst, saying…
“Yes, but look! Don't you see! Understand! I'm wounded. I'm battle scarred. I can't do it all alone.”
Would you still give up on me three days later?
Take me back like a gift that just wasn't what you asked for?
Your daughter, your friend, your sister, your lover

Don't forget me here
I’m begging my God to turn my heart to stone
Can't anyone see?
I'm fighting to save my own life here!
I can feel it
This isn't a joke
This isn’t temporary
It’s all that I’ve ever known
I’ve forgotten who I used to be
And these diseases have the power to kill me
To put me in the ground
But I promised, I wouldn’t fall down

So here I stand
Guilty and faded
Hollow inside
With a spinning mind
With empty promises in my thoughts
Of all the people who said they’d stick around to see me through it
Yet here I am shaking cold and alone in my bed
Throat raw and sore from my screams, and lungs tired from heaving heavy breaths
Weeping,
Begging Superheroes, Buffy, and Constantine to comfort me, rescue me, because no one actual will,
I let their darkness resonate with mine
But they can’t save me, they aren’t real
I’m still walking through a reverse nightmare
Where getting up in the morning is something I dread
And going through the day puts me deeper and deeper in this state despair

All my friends are asking me
"Are you having fun?
"Are you feeling better?"
"Do you enjoy being home here?"
"Have a wonderful day."
"Have a wonderful trip."
"Have wonderful, wonderful, wonderful life."
When I told them just a few days ago
That I can barely move my body
Because my soul is so thick and so weighty
Painted black and rotting from the inside out

And I’m calling out to Jesus, to God, to the Holy Spirit
The deities of my youth
Asking what do I have to do to make people understand
I’m not okay
Not even a little bit
And what I need is love and compassion
I need help and understanding
I need calmness
I need peace

Not your curses and looks of disgust
Not you sternness or your nagging
Not your hard brutal strength that tears me apart inside
Because I can’t match it

I don’t need another bad memory to cry over
I don’t need another invalidation of what I'm feeling
If that’s how you take care of me…then please just get off this ride
Because I can do this with or without you
But don’t you ever forget
I know what it feels like
Intimately, truly, and absolutely
I know what if feels like to be dead inside

By: Abygail Merlino
Albuquerque, New Mexico

[marcysantos]

SEE VIEW

Some are

Watching from the shore
Far from tidal turbulence
Refuge from the rage and roar
Treasure the tranquil trance

Some are

Standing in the shallow waters
That do not rise or fall
None are deep blue plotters
In the shelter of the wary wall

Some are

Wading around the ripples
Slight surprises of the surges
No fear that truly cripples
Pleasure of the splashing splurges

Some are

Whipping through wicked waves
Action packed and stacked
No calm for adrenalin slaves
Flipping for full impact

Marcy Santos
Covina, California

[loisvain]

My Life Simply Put
In my life, I've worn lots of hats
And, been a whole lot of people.
Imagine that!
Some renegade; others peaceful.

In my life, I've held many jobs
And, dealt with all kinds.
Imagine the odds!
Some liberated; Some confined.

In my life, I've looked many ways
And, had a lot of faces.
Imagine the phases!
Some racy; others graceful.

In my life, I've lived lots of places
And, enjoyed their flavors.
Imagine the bases!
Some sweetened; Some savored.

In my 40 years, I've lived a long life.
More than a mother and a wife.
I do imagine that my favorite times
Would never fit in this simple rhyme.

[loisvain]

"The Womb"
"Balls to bones....
And, right as rain."
The oracle speaks
Of future things.

Neo is one
And, the one is he,
What about the Trinity?
Will they be born into Eternity?

In the Matrix you can find
The birth of your natural mind.
Now think about this everytime,
You jump into the, "Everybody," line.

Be yourself and find the truth
That's the way the mind is soothed.
Remember now when your choose,
Red you live and blue you lose.

How were they born again?
Did they ascend or descend?
All the others will stay asleep.
As they lay, they admit defeat.

Being born again is a theme,
Holding with Chiristianity.
But, don't we have to evole,
If this puzzle we are to solve?

Inside the cave most do dwell
Where they create their private hell.
It's only few that choose to rise
With opened eyes and head for the bright skies.

[loisvain]

Mirror, Mirror
Mirror, mirror what do I see?
Who is this person staring back at me?
She looks very familar like someone I know.
Same girl, but now with baggage to tow.

Mirror, mirror who's that staring back?
Are her priorities out of whack?
It's time to rage against this aging game.
By becoming different while staying the same.

Mirror, mirror what do I know?
Is it more than years before?
Always love fiercely from the heart.
Remember your feelings from the start.

Mirror, mirror what should happen now?
What secrets do you think time will allow?
Time is your favorite of all the cancers.
Why ask when you have all the answers?

[iamatxgirl]

enjoyable, relative and inventive

[мιѕѕ♥αηgιє]

Ode To Understanding's Liberty

Oh ! How the spirit and mind drives to understand.
Humanity works with demonstration and experience,
The desire to know and feel, perhaps it's not planned.
Yet there always will remain with great adherence
The will to find a purpose and explore.
For comprehension itself is a dear liberty,
The open mind in oneself to speak for.
This tends to be an unspoken victory,
Though understanding always opens gates
Viciously breaking down barriers.
There are relations of idea and matters of fact
Which could be, in all possibility, abstract.
Still if the mind operates this way, it lessens failures
The acts of imagination and reason establish fates.
For to know what something is for sure,
Establishes confidence more.
There is joy when making links
As if a bridge was built and so you willed,
To free yourself in knowing beyond before one thinks.
Once making the connection is fulfilled,
There is provided comfort and sweet stability,
And can assuredly enhance one’s ability.
Oh Understanding!

[ChristianTanner]

Stop Crying, Stop Crying

Written by Christian Tanner

http://weirdshortstoriesbychristian.wordpress.com

I don’t like how my mind keeps me awake at night.
To this poisonous feeling I feel, I wish I knew what you are telling me, or I just want you to pack your bags and go away.
I don’t like how you keep me awake at night.
The bottomless pit I feel in my stomach sinks too low.
If there’s a place lower than hell, I’m there.
I’m more afraid of emotional harm than I am physical pain.
But the people I love, the poetry i write,
They help sooth my pain away.
My nerves around my stomach shock my appetite away.
Just at certain uncontrollable thoughts about my past.
Stop crying,
I tell myself,
Stop crying.
My feelings are behind it.
How is it that i know my past, but it feels so uncertain, while my future is uncertain but I feel like I know what’s going to happen?
It’s time to change.
What’s the quickest way into the unknown?
It’s through the door you’ve never walked through because you’re too afraid to go alone.
I keep telling myself,
Stop crying,
Stop crying,
This hurt,
it has to go away before I do.
Put on your shoes, tie your laces, and go for a walk.
You have to shake the shock.
Put in your headphones, stare at the sky and know there is a God.
He’s watching over you and he’s going to take away your pain.
Keep crying, keep crying, and let it all out,
It’s just not your pain anymore.