POETRY CONTEST WINNERS!
Dec. 11, 2002
This is WhiteShepherd here and I would personally like to thank all the great Furs who participated in Furtopia's first Poetry Contest. There were so many wonderful poems but each Staff was only permitted to vote on 3 poems. The Furtopia Staff judges in this contest were WhiteShepherd, Kada-Ru, Benjamin and Son of Earth.
Now, don't let the title fool any of you! It was very difficult to choose from the many wonderful poems submitted by talented artists! But, we did have to narrow it down by vote. Again, this was NOT an easy choice to make!
Here are the results you have all been waiting for! First Place: 25 points is "Transition" by Sumarra
Transition
A sea of clouds flow in the night,
Dragon wings do hold me high,
Into the light I soar and sing,
Cares and troubles all wash away,
Glowing bright, begin the stars,
Lifting with unearthly grace,
Shining love and light below,
Sumarra
As I glide upon wings alight,
With starlight fire, so cool, yet bright,
It fills the sky, a glorious sight!
Beneath the starwashed, moonlit sky,
'Bove creatures sleeping by and by,
I carry on, and up I fly.
A Legend's pride, with me I bring,
Amoungst the stars we hear it ring,
"Dragons arise! Join this being!"
Leaving peace and love to stay,
Inside my heart I hear it say,
"Have you hugged a dragon today?"
Causing heehees and some hars,
Beneath our scales, we feel it warms,
Shining so, we're becoming stars!
We rise up high to take our place,
Amoungst the stars in their chase,
'Round the skies in sedately pace.
We watch as others toil and tow,
Waiting for them all to know,
Someday we'll meet and say hello.
COMMENTS:
Kada-Ru - I like the idea of all creatures arising into the sky as we all become stars and meeting each other and saying hello.
Son of Earth - I liked the free-spiritedness and the almost visceral feeling of the enjoyment of soaring.
Benjamin - I quite liked it's uplifting pace and subject matter. It has a
quick, playful pace to it that matches the content fairly effectively.
Second Place: 18 points is "Maiden with Horn" by Heavy Horse
Maiden With Horn
She walks among the roses, sunlight
"Alms!" he cries and the
A whisper returns, "Do you ask
"May we not do both?" He weaves
Her retreat quickens his spirit.
By wonder transformed, The
by C. Alan Loewen
Glittering off opal and pearl.
He sees through the blossoms
A delicate body of wreathed
Alabaster, distillation of sylph
And maiden.
Silhouetted vision pauses.
"Alms! Bless this poor man’s
Soul."
Or give?
His web of words, "Come and
Enrich my heart."
He follows the shadowed vision
To a wooded glade.
Under an ancient oak, he sees
The body of a girl, the face of a myth.
Her spiral horn shines in the setting sun.
Novitiate lays his head, his
Life, his alms, in his
Mistress’s lap.
COMMENTS:
WhiteShepherd - *smiles* This one took me back.... I think one of the first things I fell in love with as a child was a unicorn. I still remember those feelings well as this poem so beautifuly brings out. Beautiful words and a heart felt story. For me "Madin with a Horn" was my favorite.
Benjamin - I like the medieval approach to it. It adds to the fantasy setting
of this timeless little poem. Hmm. I'm feeling tempted to hunt down that big book of poetry that I had when I was a kid. I wonder where it's gotten to? Your work is reminiscent of the style of poetry often shared in such books.
Third Place: 17 points is "Not Willing to Pay" by Railo Wolf
Not Willing To Pay
Day becomes night, As the sun goes away. Love is a price, I am not willing to pay.
A noise is heard outside, The heavy pouring of rain. As you run to my side, With a heart filled with pain.
The tears roll down your cheeks, As they roll down mine too. I give you a kiss and whisper, I will always love you.
I wrap my arms around you, Holding you close and tight. I let you know you are safe, And everything is allright.
I will hold you close, Until night becomes day. Because losing you is a price, I am not willing to pay.
-Railo Wolf
COMMENTS:
Kada-Ru - Because I can feel EXACTLY what he does when I think of my WhiteShepherd!
WhiteShepherd - This poem was simple and short. But it was gentle and soft to read. The message felt so true and brought back bitter sweet menories for this dog.
Other poems that were chosen.
"Jordan Draws" by Heavy Horse
Jordan Draws
Dedicated to the anthro art of T. Jordan "Greywolf" Peacock
Ink flows and
COMMENTS:
Son of Earth - As an artist, I can appreciate that intense, dramatic moment as the picture slowly forms on the paper. "Angel" by Lycan Taris T. Wolf
Angel
Darkness falls, the night begins
No matter how far I seem to go
I trip and fall, my knees hit the ground
Out of the darkness, I see a light show
Who are you? I ask, with a nervous tone
Lycan Taris T wolf COMMENTS:
Kada-Ru - I believe someone is always watching over all of us. "Free" by Amaruk
Free
4 soft gray paws move silently through the woods
-by Amaruk COMMENTS:
Son of Earth - It captures that feeling, I believe, all humans have to find their wild side. I also like how it lacks rhyme but not rhythm. "Depression Senata" by Narrius
Depression Sonata
Mingling with my other emotions,
What can come of life but pain?
is there true adventure and joy.
behind your dreams and nightmares,
There is a voice in my head that denys it
I wanted the body of an animal.
in the other world.
COMMENTS:
WhiteShepherd - I felt this poem needed mentioning. I am a dog who normally does not focus on negative emotions. But sometimes something screams a truth, a memory experienced by so many yet not much explained. So many furs have felt and walked these steps. I think this poem made a clear voice to their feelings. In this dogs opinion a very good poem and a very furry poem. "Dream" by Joel
Dream
I
Sprinting,
Waking,
COMMENTS:
Benjamin - Short, yet delightful. A nice reminder that dreams never fade away
and die out.
an ebony line forms
a face, an eye, a mouth,
the artist's desire made
corporeal-a faint echo
of a Divine hand when
it sketched its heart
on the virgin soil
of Eden.
I start my journey, to escape my sins
Alone I start, drown in my tears
The night engulfs me, over taken by fears
The road is long, can’t see the end
Run from my family, dash away from my friends
I can’t get away from the evil I know
Seeming like days, and weeks pass me by
Still running in darkness, alone still I cry
I look to the sky, no light can be found
I prey to the heavens, for help of some kind
Place my head down, once again start to cry
Out steps a figure, surrounded with a glow
He walks up to me, and extends his hand
I take it and he lifts me, back off the land
I’m the angel you asked for, when you were alone
Have you come to take me, is it my time to depart?
No, I am here, to heal your heart
Together we travel, out of the night
You saved me from evil.
You mended my heart
A shadowy figure slips between the trees
But suddenly he stops, and he’s heard to say:
"Am I going the right way?"
For a moment uncertainty
The dark forbidding grip of uncertainty
Wraps its’ hands around his soul and clouds his mind with indecision
"I’m not lost
I can’t be
I won’t be
Surely this IS the way, it has to be"
What does this wolf desire so intensely?
Where does he run with such great propensity?
To find the meadow he schemes
For wind open spaces he dreams
To run through the tall grasses
To see the night sky so clear
To feel a sweet spring breeze, as across his face it passes
In his heart, it all seems so near
This great forest has always been his home
And he’s never been one to roam
But he’s always known there was more than this
The years passed, the desire grew stronger
Until one day he could contain it no longer
So now he runs, following a trail that only he knows
The further he travels, the firmer his conviction grows
Determination and desire
Panting on with eyes of fire
For the place where he can be like the wind
The wind that sweeps across the great plains
Free
My sadness is only surpassed by my utter loneliness,
I cry, I scream for the mercy of others, for attention to my needs,
Tears leaking onto my face like bitter jewels.
In Death is peace
(no no no no no I deny it I won't accept it)
In the Requiem sung for the fallen
Greedily, you chose to live the human life,
Realizing too late its curse,
Realizing too late the trickster, the shadowy specter
Is the regulator Death.
Lies and bitter betrayal,
Are the true meanings of this weak human life.
(I do I deny it and you shut up shut up shut up life is light is love is good in any form)
But I overpower it with the word 'Suicide'
I wanted to run with the pack, closer then friends.
Denied, I am human.
But I will still find out... what lies on the other side
If I cannot have the body,
the fur, the pelt of the wolven warrior,
then I will not accept the body of the human
By: Joel Hudson
Dream
this feeling of freedom overwhelms me
I finally have found the key
To being free.
Running among the trees
Finally feeling truly carefree
However, I know that this is but a
Dream.
I feel disappointed,
But not depressed,
For I know that minted
Dreams can be returned to
You can see all the great poems in this contest in Poetry Corner in the Furtopia Forums.