Writer's Challenge

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Alright, I will give this a try. Please be gentle, it's been a long time.


As I open my eyes for the first time this day,
They are filled with your beauty,
Taking in every detail of your face,
Burning them into my soul forever.

As I open my eyes for the first time this day,
They are filled with the hope,
That every day they will open,
To that same vision of grace.

As I open my eyes for the first time this day,
They are filled by the love,
That I can see clearly,
Reflected in your own.

As I open my eyes for the first time this day,
They are filled with tears,
From the joy of knowing,
We will be together forever

Be gentle you say?
Who can be more gentle than your words?
Thank you oralyfix8d

 

[wyckdwench]

Alright, I will give this a try. Please be gentle, it's been a long time.


As I open my eyes for the first time this day,
They are filled with your beauty,
Taking in every detail of your face,
Burning them into my soul forever.

As I open my eyes for the first time this day,
They are filled with the hope,
That every day they will open,
To that same vision of grace.

As I open my eyes for the first time this day,
They are filled by the love,
That I can see clearly,
Reflected in your own.

As I open my eyes for the first time this day,
They are filled with tears,
From the joy of knowing,
We will be together forever

Truly beautiful prose from a wonderful man. I am glad you took the challenge, it was well worth the wait.

 

[de-valmont]

When I close my eyes I think of you
Pink socks, smiling tapping away,
At the keyboard, that link between us.

I see those eyes, glinting full of fun,
Reflecting pixels from our playground
Lips parted by our shared cigarette.

I feel your touch, flow through the screen.
Brushes my soul, reaches my heart.
That soft caress, that sets me on fire.

The magic weaving over all these miles,
That welds up, blends us, makes us one.
Intangible chain crossing our tiny globe,
Reminding me always that we are so close.

And so I reach out, as I do every night,
Stretch and touch the one I love.
And although my frail form my never touch,
My spirit forever holds you in its ethereal embrace.

And so I write this, addressed to you,
I adore you Chris, always will.
Finest woman I never met.
So lucky, so lucky to have you in my heart.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

When I close my eyes I think of you
Pink socks, smiling tapping away,
At the keyboard, that link between us.

I see those eyes, glinting full of fun,
Reflecting pixels from our playground
Lips parted by our shared cigarette.

I feel your touch, flow through the screen.
Brushes my soul, reaches my heart.
That soft caress, that sets me on fire.

The magic weaving over all these miles,
That welds up, blends us, makes us one.
Intangible chain crossing our tiny globe,
Reminding me always that we are so close.

And so I reach out, as I do every night,
Stretch and touch the one I love.
And although my frail form my never touch,
My spirit forever holds you in its ethereal embrace.

And so I write this, addressed to you,
I adore you Chris, always will.
Finest woman I never met.
So lucky, so lucky to have you in my heart.

Thank you De-Val I feel Chris' presence in your words.
I hope this inspires you to attempt the other four senses

 

[Sienna]

Thank you De-Val I feel Chris' presence in your words.
I hope this inspires you to attempt the other four senses

Nice poem DE-VAL...

Thankyou for sharing

 

[clevatreva]

Just throwing this in the ring for what it's worth.

She had the merest hint of a laughter line
At the edge of her eyes so blue
And lips like plump pink cushions
Bedecked with a heavenly dew

No words, not one, did we utter
Just motionless, facing, we stood
Both of us sensing the static charge
That said unto each that we would

Yet against our fervent wishes
Other people then came close at hand
But our pupils had said what they needed to say
In the language that eyes understand.

(C) Clevatreva 2006

 

[Stryderthorongil]

Cool Clevatreva, I enjoyed that.

 

[clevatreva]

Cool Clevatreva, I enjoyed that.

Cheers Stryder. Your comment was most welcome.

Seeing as nobody else has been in for 24hrs though it seems I may have put the curse on the thread. My apologies all. LOL

*sneaks off whistling nonchalantly*
THINKS:- Must stop posting these damned poems!

 

[wyckdwench]

She had the merest hint of a laughter line
At the edge of her eyes so blue
And lips like plump pink cushions
Bedecked with a heavenly dew

No words, not one, did we utter
Just motionless, facing, we stood
Both of us sensing the static charge
That said unto each that we would

Yet against our fervent wishes
Other people then came close at thand
But our pupils had said what they needed to say
In the language that eyes understand.

(C) Clevatreva 2006

I enjoyed your poem a lot. The way you expressed the scene succinctly but defined the moment exactly, especially. I am glad you did throw it in.

 

[Stryderthorongil]

Cheers Stryder. Your comment was most welcome.

Seeing as nobody else has been in for 24hrs though it seems I may have put the curse on the thread. My apologies all. LOL

*sneaks off whistling nonchalantly*
THINKS:- Must stop posting these damned poems!

No more curse, someone else came in. Hi WW.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

She had the merest hint of a laughter line
At the edge of her eyes so blue
And lips like plump pink cushions
Bedecked with a heavenly dew

No words, not one, did we utter
Just motionless, facing, we stood
Both of us sensing the static charge
That said unto each that we would

Yet against our fervent wishes
Other people then came close at thand
But our pupils had said what they needed to say
In the language that eyes understand.

(C) Clevatreva 2006

So precise in its meaning and so charged with feeling. Beautiful.
Thanks Clevatreva

And tell Stryder that I have been working and not ignoring him

 

[Nightbird]

Wow, get busy with real life for a while and look what happens.

A lot of really good submissions here everyone.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Only 5 days left before the close of the Sight challenge. Kinda hoping we could reach that magic 10 submissions?

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The deadline is now past for the submissions to the Sight challenge. I was kinda hoping we could meet that magic ten submissions but not to worry; on with the challenge.
Should we do a poll? or should we wait until the end and do one poll for all the submissions by each author?

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

We have five senses -:

- Sight
- Hearing
- Touch
- Taste
- Smell

The next challenge is to write a short story or a poem based on the second of these senses...

HEARING.

Deadline 28th Feb 2006.

 

[oralyfix8d]

The deadline is now past for the submissions to the Sight challenge. I was kinda hoping we could meet that magic ten submissions but not to worry; on with the challenge.
Should we do a poll? or should we wait until the end and do one poll for all the submissions by each author?

I think we should do a poll for each one, then maybe at the end one for the overall best? Just my thoughts...

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Sight Challenge submissions

In date order the submissions to the SIGHT challenge are as follows -:

1 - Gaia_Lorraine

2 - Sienna

3 - MzLady

4 - Stryderthorongil

5 - Nightbird

6 - Wyckdwench

7 - oralyfix8d

8 - de-valmont

9 - clevatreva

 

[Nightbird]

I'm with Oral on this one. I think we should do an individual poll for each one and then one for best over all submissions in the end.

I think we should do a poll for each one, then maybe at the end one for the overall best? Just my thoughts...

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Sight and Sound, Son et Lumiere, combined.


I cannot hide my eyes
words with no voice
read the unspoken
I cannot hide my lies
If only you lived within
the window of my eyes
feel the things I try to hide
you will see
Come closer look within
take me as I am
penetrate my mind
my beauty, my sin
See my inner thought
the dream that lies therein
Within our mirrored mind
no need to say a word
the word is in our eyes
Saying what you need to hear
“Love” is what you heard

Yet you cannot hear my voice
An echo in your mind
Hear the unspoken
You cannot hear my choice
of words I yearn to speak
for you know all of me
Listen and feel
the aura that you seek
Come closer as I whisper
Take my lips and feel
Deep inside my soul
Her beauty, pray kiss her
Hear my inner thought
The word that lies therein
Within our lapping tongues
capture what we sought
As embracing mouths seal
The thought lies deep within
Saying what we want to touch
“Love” is what we feel


© Gaia_Lorraine 2006

 

[Sienna]

Challenge – (2) Hearing

You Cannot Say, I Love You
You cannot say you love me
So show me with your mind
Write me your emotions
Caring and loving in kind

Trapped within your world of silence
Our love is so profound
Nothing shall requite it
For it does hold no bound

I read it in your eyes
I see it through your smile
Our fingers feeling comfort
So tender for a while

You cannot say you love me
So show me with your kiss
Our lips and tongues together
In unrequited bliss

Trapped within your world of silence
We love and live as one
Sharing and caring forever
So on and on and on

I read it in your eyes
I see it through your smile
Our fingers feeling comfort
So tender for a while

You cannot say you love me
So show me with your touch
Let it be kind and gentle
Loving and caring so much

© Sienna 2005

 

[Stryderthorongil]

Hear is my entry for Challenge No. 2 - Hearing.

The Cycle of Existence
© Stryderthorongil, 2006

Hearing…a sense so often taken for granted. Pause a moment each day and hear the sounds around you. You will be amazed. As I sit hear typing I hear the smothered clatter of my fingers hitting the keys, amazed as the letters I search appear upon the screen. I hear “The Magic School Bus” playing in the background, the laughter of my son as he watches the adventures of Liz, Mz. Frizzle, and the kids taking on a rogue asteroid, a cat at the scratching post, a forlorn meow of one looking for attention. The ever-present hum of the computer, a fire crackling in the wood burning stove providing heat inside as the snow falls and cools the outside.

Snow…have you heard it? Standing outside a bit ago, hauling logs to the house, the squeak of the wheelbarrow as the tire turned under the weight of the wood, the thud of logs as I stacked them on the pile, but the snow, that is what I remember. Drifting through the pine needles like soft glass clinking between fine sticks, surfing on the wind hanging ten across the roof of my garage. Peaceful, singing as it falls yet crunching under my boots as it compacts under the stress, crystals squeezing close together. Singular as it falls through the sky to be joined into a group where it lies quietly until the scrape of the shovel, the splash as it melts, turning back into its original form. Continuing its quiet cycle of existence.

The cycle of existence…have you heard it? Listen carefully to the bustle of life, of your life. Can you hear it? Can you remember the first sound of life? Was it your own crying? The warmth of your mother’s voice, the strength of your father’s, the sounds of childhood screams and laughter; anger and sadness? The sounds of the school bell, the coaches whistle, the church bell ringing on Sunday morning. Can you hear the music of life, not just the sounds of song and instruments, but the music of life? The happiness in your parents voices as they sang happy birthday celebrating every year the date of your birth. Not your age, as so many of us believe, but the miracle of your birth. Did you hear the sounds of inhaled breath as every kid, and some adults, prepared to blow out the candles of the cake made just for you? Did you hear the excitement as you blew, the wish you made stored in the back of your mind, put away as smoke rose and laughter filled the room.

Do you hear your father’s voice? I hear it clear in my mind everyday. Strong, confident, caring is that voice. Guiding me through life with a will its own. A sound I will carry with me for all my years, although now the voice is weak. I hear it, listening close, the same caring, but the strength is gone, as each breath scratches its way through his lungs forcing sound from his lips. The words come slow, each breath more shallow. I hear it all. The cycle of existence is nearing its end.

The cycle of existence has its own sound we can track through life, if you listen. Even when what we hear brings sadness or anger, we must listen. Listen even when another sound may put you over the edge. For hearing will do that, push us over the edge. The sounds of life can be light and fluffy, but all to often they are heavy and sharp. Pushing down on us like a weight from above, tearing at our senses, creating a being we do not wish to become. It forces me to think, to listen more carefully to the sounds of my life. Listen with me. You will be surprised at what you hear.

 

[MzLady]

2nd Challenge – Hearing

CRIES FROM THE HEART

“G’morning miss. Let’s have a go at that hair today and fix you up right smartly! Visiting hours begin soon and you want to look your best.”

You are such a good heart. Thank you nurse…Pam isn’t it? I’m looking forward to visitors today…well, most of them anyway.

“How about we dress you in your new blue bed jacket the hubby brought last week? It will please him I’m sure”

Oh, yes! That’ll be perfect. I really want to look good for Tim and for my darling daughter Annie.

“Okay then, let’s prop you up a bit so I can comb your hair. A fresh new fluff will do wonders and how about a bit of blush for a rosy glow? You just take a look at what we have done.” Holding a mirror for me to see shows the young nurses care, yet my reflection stares back weak as I try to smile.

Then a boisterous cry catches me by surprise. “Ah ha Sis! Caught you sprucing up, did I!” A girlish giggle follows Julie as she approaches my bed and leans in to plant a loving kiss on my cheek.

Oh Julie, I’ve missed you so. Thank you so much for coming. Where is that jerko husband of yours?

“Gerald will be right along. He is dawdling down the hall. A new exhibit in the foyer it seems.”

That’s too bad. It would be so wonderful to have some time to ourselves without him hanging around.

“We're only stopping by for a moment on our way to the city. Look at the lovely flowers I brought from your garden. You must know that Tim works tirelessly tending that garden just for when you return home. Look at these beautiful blooms!”

Yes sis, they are magnificent. The fragrant roses and lavender smell heavenly. Thank you for being so thoughtful but please, don’t fret with the old flowers. The nurses will sort them all out.

Then bellowing from the doorway stands Mr. Jerko himself. “Julie, you finished with all that yet?”

“Gerald, we only just arrived darling. Be a dear and give me a few minutes.”

“Well hurry it up. We don’t have all day.”

Cringing inside I bite my tongue, holding back what I’d really like to say to that blowhard. However, just look how happy Julie is. I’ll tolerate that pompous ass for a little while if it means getting to spend some time with her.

Now listen to me sis! Leave the flowers be and come sit with me. I have so much to tell you. Wait! There is no need to bother with the dusting either. Trust me. The nurses do a fine job taking care of all that. Look how much time you have fritted away with your fussing. Now Gerald is hollering its time to go.

Such a short visit. Your kiss is fleeting as I strain to give your hand one last squeeze before you leave. Love and kisses sis…take good care and visit again soon.

The morning sun climbs higher in the sky, bringing warming rays through the window glass. The soft velvet petals of the flowers lend their fragrance to the stark feel of the hospital room.

How much longer I wonder as I lay restlessly in the bed. Seems an eternity already. I’m so anxious to get back home, to my garden, to my Timothy and precious little Annie.

As if on cue, two little hands are clawing at my sleeve from the edge of the bed.

“Momma…momma!” the sweetest words I could ever want to hear.

Yes darling little one, I’m here. Oh, Timothy, you are such a dear.

Watching Tim lift Annie into the air and settle her close to my side. So grateful for this moment as two little arms wrestle around to squeeze me tight. Those soft kisses as she presses close sharing the warmth of her skin and soft silkiness of her long blond curls.

My darling angel, Mommy has missed you so much!

“Hello Love.” Tim’s eyes look tired but his smile is warm and his kisses so tender.

No words are needed as he takes my hand in his. The stroke of his long fingers sends healing energy through me.

You two are all the medicine I need. The hours wane as Annie shares her picture book, telling of the magical story she has conjured between the pages. Tim adds vases of more flowers to the windowsill and finds reason to give me a kiss each time he passes. He shares his day and Annie tells of all her antics. The afternoon ends too quickly and the nurse warns it’s time to go.

Oh, must you. Please don’t go. I don’t want to spend another night alone.

I feel Tim’s hand in mine. I squeeze with all my might and still I can’t hold him here.

Please my love…I want to go home with you.

They are deaf to my pleas. I realize they can’t hear me, no matter how loud my heart screams. My cries go unheard while my body lays motionless in a comatose state, imprisoned until my brain decides to relinquish power to me once again.

© MzLady 2006

 

[wyckdwench]

My entry for Hearing

In the still, dark night, I heard the plaintive cries of a heart breaking in pieces. I recognized the sound for I had heard it before ringing in my own ears. I followed the sound to its origin. There I found a woman hunched over in despair. Wracked by the torture of a shattered soul and a broken heart. I went to her and asked her what had caused her to be this way. She replied that she had lost something she treasured..

“The treasure I have lost is a great love and cannot be replaced. I have lost the love for myself. Long ago I can remember how I loved to be me. I loved the sound of my voice, the way I expressed myself and the way I looked. But NOW, now it is all gone. He took it you know.”

“Woman who took this from you?” I said to her in surprise.

“It was he who took it from me” she repeated mournfully.

I thought about the words I heard her speak and still did not understand. How can you lose the love of yourself? How can someone just take it away from you?

“Woman I am afraid I don’t understand? How can someone else take your love of yourself from you? It is not something tangible one can just steal away?”

“And yet take it he did.” she said with conviction.

“I am afraid I am still confused dear woman.” I said feeling foolish.

“Girl you see when I was younger than you he came to me. He stole my innocence, my heart and my love of myself.” She said with a frown casting her eyes downward again.

“Woman how could you let him take it?” I said shocked by her admission.

“Dear girl I was naive. I didn’t allow him to take anything. He just took it. He knew better he was the adult after all. I was just a child, not the woman you see now.”

Her body was shaking with sobs again. I reached out to take her in my arms. I cradled her as she cried again. Stroking her long hair and holding her tightly against my body. I tried to soothe her with words. Trying to mend her broken heart with mine.

“Woman you must still love something about yourself. Surely there is something that you can still find joy in.” I said to her with sincere hope.

I heard her crying cease for a moment. I felt her shaking stop as she drew in a sharp breath and began to speak.

“Once I found joy in the lives I helped create. There I was able to find some peace for a while. But they grew up and left me as did the peace I found in their existence.”

I listened to the woman speak and contemplated my own life. Our stories were so similar we could be one and the same. I knew the reason she cried. I felt the same self hatred. As I held the woman and comforted her I looked inside myself. I heard the same plaintive cries and felt my heart breaking. My children are not yet grown but I recognized the peace of which she spoke. Suddenly I wondered if this were not a sign. Would this be me if I did not change my inner feelings. Would I be the old woman some young woman would hear crying? I must do something to stop myself from heading on the same path. I heard her cries desist and in a moment she was gone. I found myself holding no one but myself.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

I'm with Oral on this one. I think we should do an individual poll for each one and then one for best over all submissions in the end.

Time is almost up Nightbird, the poll indicates that you will win yet you have not submitted to the second challenge. Only those that survive to the bitter end will attain the pot of gold that lies within ourselves.

 

[Nightbird]

ACK!!! I didn't know that was part of the rules! When is the dead line for the next segment? ACK!!!

Time is almost up Nightbird, the poll indicates that you will win yet you have not submitted to the second challenge. Only those that survive to the bitter end will attain the pot of gold that lies within ourselves.