April Madness - 2026

74 posts1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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second submission

good luck to everyone !!!
[soon, i will submit myself to the stars]




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I hope I am not that late this time:

Spoiler
An Ode To The Teenager

The world is burning, the ocean's churning;
It is concerning that despite the warning
Nations across the world keep ignoring
The pleas of the masses that keep on pouring.

Even so, in a bleak and unforgiving world, we rise.

We rise in the petrichor and the apricity
Of this blood-drenched madness with curiosity
Beaming beyond the boundless banality --
We always have, we always will -- with vitality.

We feel the most, we move the most,
We murmur in the susurring ghost
Of the pale past and future boast --
To never be satisfied by just 'almost'.

We shall not beg for our rights,
We shall not fall for foolish fights,
We shall not stop flying our kites,
We shall not trade whimsy for might.

We shall make mistakes and learn to do better,
We shall ride ahead and break down the fetter,
We shall debauch and still be the go-getter,
We shall keep going, no matter what, and rewrite the Letter.

The Letter of doom, the Letter of grievance,
The Letter of gloom, the Letter of penance --
Even in suffering, depression, and nonfeasance,
We shall not, we must not stop -- that is our essence.


Btw, a question, we can put our submissions in the Green Room too, right?
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond skies with one hand waving free,
Silhouetted by the trees, circled by the circus sands --
With all memories and fate, driven deep beneath the waves,
Let me forget about today until tomorrow...




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Oh, but you know, we'll be golden for a moment
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket




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here i sit,
it is always another hand that guides me.




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Two minutes before the deadline, here is my submission:

this will be your undoing
Good is not a thing you are. It's a thing you do.
- Ms. Marvel

LuminescentAnt ~ Lum ~ Ant
(she/her)




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Parhelia:

Tomatoes bubble off the vine
Instead, he said, Brother! I know your hunger.
To this, the Wolf answered, Lo!

-Elena Passarello, Animals Strike Curious Poses




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Late, but still here!

Spoiler

There is a version of the room where we are flipping through pictures on a phone,
or was it a page of Kafka's diary,
but nevermind the point is we are quiet
and only the box fan in the corner murmurs,
"remember the night?"

We circle titles in tandem before we nod at the choice
we pin up on the wall, him on the left me on the right.
We stand back with hands at our sides
and the box fan whispers,
"but the jasmine. the booze."

In the end, we smile weakly but do not remember
the wattage of what our true smiles once were,
and so we do not feel cold with backs turned --
shoes go by the door, pillows go on beds,
and we go opposite ways down Buena Park Blvd.
you can message me with anything: questions, review requests, rants
are you a green room knight yet?
have you read this week's Squills?




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Round two results are in! 12 amazing submissions and 6 moving to the next round. Who will be in the final 2 to win a beautiful custom badge made by yours truly?? (and bragging rights)

Well the poets advancing to the next round are:
@herb @redcarnation @LuminescentAnt @Avian @Silvern @Hannah



thank you to all who participated in this round! @herb @canopy @redcarnation @LuminescentAnt @lalalucky @Rook @Avian @Silvern @Roxanne @TheRebel2007 @Hannah @flowersforplath

The next submissions are due by April 17th! Thank you to all involved happy poeting!
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that the powerful play goes on
And you may contribute a verse


If you ever need to talk I am here for you<3

"All great change is preceded by chaos" - Deepak Chopra
Fight through the chaos, there are good things ahead<333




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Congrats everyone!! Amazing poetry <333
Good is not a thing you are. It's a thing you do.
- Ms. Marvel

LuminescentAnt ~ Lum ~ Ant
(she/her)




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Submission: on creating west coast cold cases
Democracy dies in darkness. Also at 4:30PM in Pacific Standard Time, apparently.

silver (she/her)




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Here is my submission: diagnosis
Good is not a thing you are. It's a thing you do.
- Ms. Marvel

LuminescentAnt ~ Lum ~ Ant
(she/her)




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I will go with this one!

Spoiler

God bless the God who sent
these small bent fingers to me
who taught me to hold my breath through pain
and sent me where I would learn to sacrifice
so it became second nature
for me to catch spit up bell peppers
and take swipes to the face.

I walk three times around the kitchen island
in observance of the holiness of the thuds
small bare feet spread across the tiles
like a tidal wave devouring houses
like box of Legos spilled into a living room.

Lift my hands to the blue sky on blue sky days
that watch him pick a yellow dandelion
and try to blow the leaves away.
you can message me with anything: questions, review requests, rants
are you a green room knight yet?
have you read this week's Squills?



The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.
— Fabienne Fredrickson