Stansbury High School Writing Contest - Poetry

I had the privilege of doing multiple writing workshops in November at Stansbury High School. Mrs. Langlie and Mr. Heiner were gracious hosts. As part of my visit, I introduced a writing competition among the students in the categories of Poetry and Short Stories. This contest ends at the end of the day on Saturday, December 10. Winners of each category will win a free Beholders t-shirt and a permanent link to their story/poem on the website.

How can you help? It is your opportunity to play jury! Please read through the following Poetry entries and leave a comment below nominating your favorite.

Entry #1 - "After You Passed"

I thought i knew it all, had everything to show, knew how to live, didn't think it was necessary to give.

Then your life passed away and i didn't know what else to say, I turned away and found drugs as my passage way.

You were my all and now your gone. I wish there was something that could of been done.

I'm over obsessed and stressed, I look at your picture through the day and night knowing that maybe, just maybe you'll be in my sight in the after life.

Pill after pill helps the time kill, one too many and the colors appear, my vision is blurred, my mind is slowed now there is only one place to go.

Entry #2 - "Apocalypse"

The flames have begun.
Within a topaz blaze,
Our world is destroyed.

From the ashes of the end,
Arises the phoenix.
Her tail of scarlet and beak of gold,
Ignite forgiveness.
Landing gracefully on the Tree of Life,
Her ebony eyes reveal the truth.

Reflections of humanity creating a disastrous masterpiece flair in her irises,
Our paintbrushes of destruction dripping with hatred as we paint a picture of evil.

Smudges of love and honesty play cat and mouse with deception and cruelty,
As vibrant swirls of chaos intertwine with the rich crimsons of war.

Identical charcoal faces hide beneath masks of ignorance and pride,
Our beautiful originality committing suicide.

The pastel wings of the aborted angels sweep across the canvas in sparkling sorrow,
Never endowed with the gift of life.

Black and white tragedies, splattered with violet, sing a song of abuse.
Their everlasting lullabies simply forgotten.

Sage paper falls like rain into the hands of the wealthy,
Their egotistical smiles haunting the unfortunate.

Ineffable words scar the skin of the judged,
Discrimination melting their iridescent glow.

Toxicity flows from the lips of the addicted,
Clouding the world in a cancerous fog.
Their eager fingers devour the kaleidoscope of dependence that lies in their palms.
And through their sinister grins;
Absent, decaying teeth reveal their battle,
As the methamphetamine monster rips from beneath their ribcage and drags them to hell.

Enchanting hurricanes of rebellion swim in the eyes of the bold,
Forbidden words burning symphonies in the back of their throats;
Aching to be released,
Aching to take a stand.

With disgusted glares we watch the hungry scour the streets of starvation.
Our laughter torturing them as they give every last shard of energy to attain nourishment.

The canvas of the world,
Dripping with mayhem.
The fragile paper tearing under the weight of our actions.

What have we done?

One by one,
We fall to the ground.
Our rainbow eyes stinging with shameful sorrow.
Our ears burning with every terse word we've spoken,
The blood of karma drips to the earth,
From the charred soil emerge the ghosts of reality.
Eager to consume our last thread of sanity.

Whimpers escape our lips as we suffer for our destruction.

The most beautiful lullaby echoes throughout the destroyed earth,
The haunting song of the apocalypse.

A chorus of screams rises in the air,
Our terror,
Our fear,
Our regret.

The phoenix soars through the harsh winds,
Her alluring melody seizing our blood-curdling cries.
As she sings,
The world is reborn.

Thunder claps in the distance as flashes of gold illuminate the sky.
From the pregnant storm clouds,
Drops of sacred rain;
Fall.


The teardrops sprinkle our faces,
Washing away all the hate,
All the pain,
All of the destruction.

The shadowed earth then sprouts new life.
Lush emerald grass runs for miles,
Dancing with technicolor flowers.
Elegant trees emerge from the ground,
As cool sapphire water fills the thirsty soil.
As the rain ceases,
The glorious sun floods us with light,
Chasing the darkness away from the land.

And like the bird of the apocalypse,
Our world died.
And from the ashes,
We were reborn.

Entry #3 - "Success in Life"

Life... What is it about life that causes some to strive to be noticed and succeed and others to just blend in with  the furniture? Well, if the ones that are in the couch are waiting for a perfect world where nothing bad, wrong, hard, or unhappy happens... Then they are waiting for death. Life is hard, tuff, difficult, sad and full of bad things so that in Hopes of us pushing through all of it and surviving it so that when we leave this world behind, we are stronger and better for surviving life's twists. Those who strive for success and to be recognized realized that if your going to make it in life you need others to help you along the way and also that in every attempt at something, there is the choice of either falling down and getting back up and there is success and also the benefits that come with it. Many people now a days wish to blend in so they can watch greatness and success fall into hands of others and hope that it shall happen to them too. But greatness and success is all around us just waiting to be earned. So my question to you is this. Which path are you on?

Entry #4 - "Where Am I?"

Dwelling upon the past.

Recollecting the memories.

His smile, his laugh, his warmth.

Where had the time gone?

It used to be so effortless to talk.

Now when we get the chance, we talk with much hesitation.

I’m a mere stranger. An intruder in his life.

Never did I think it’d happen to us.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

He promised me, he’d visit when he dropped me off.

Never did he look back, nor regret.

Now, I’m left abandoned, alone, detached from the world.

I was left in an assisted living facility.

I look back, back to reality.

I look around in confusion, where am I?

That's all of the entries in Poetry. Don't forget to leave a comment nominating your favorite, and be sure to check out the Short Stories entries as well!