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Young Writers Society


April Madness 2023



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130 Reviews


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Points: 346
Reviews: 130
Wed Apr 26, 2023 12:25 am
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yoshi says...



shoooot im late i hope ur still accepting ack and i didnt even get to revise it

o-o

titled: battlefield

Spoiler! :
a storm rages right outside my window,
i press my face against the freezing glass,
it’s cold, cold, cold, but outside, i see the battlefield
a stalemate between the ice, the rain, the hail, the wind

it’s thrilling, exciting, amazing to watch,
they smash against the glass, the walls, the trees, the earth
i shiver with delight, i love the battlefield
they never stop to take breaks, they just keep fighting, fighting, fighting

it’s exciting to see them quarrel,
though i know they must be tired.
i’m sure they’re very tired of fighting all the time
but they can’t stop until the storm says so
and the storm never ends

it never ends

a storm rages inside my mind
it’s nothing like the uncontrollable, uncontained storm outside
perhaps because i’ve learned to control it, contain it.
the tempest inside me screams at me at night
it tells me that i can continue, that i can keep going,

at what point did i begin to wake up before the sun?
at what point did this horrible battle begin?
this storm of blades and blood, where i am just a mere soldier
amidst a thousand other mere soldiers

we climb up a mountain of corpses
together, hand in hand,
until our hands are no longer free,
and instead, we clutch bayonets tightly between our fingers.

but day by day they slowly disappear
they battle with each other, fist to fist, blade to blade
and collapse onto the mountain of corpses
each of them washed away by the storm

now it’s me and only me
i continue trudging forward,
pushing myself up the slope,
clutching a bloody bayonet in my hands

perhaps this bayonet is my only friend
soaked in the blood of each of my companions
and the tears of every battle
and the debris of the never-ending storm

finally, the summit is near
is the battle finally over, the storm finally ending?
i reach the top of the mountain,
and look down at my feet


and i cry
and its cold
and it hurts
and im alone

im sure someone has noticed
i hope they pity me
i hope they’re sad for me
but i know that isn’t true

perhaps they’ve been watching, they’ve been watching all along
this battlefield, this storm of thousands upon thousands of soldiers
they watch this storm excitedly, laughing at the thrill of the fight
they’re just pressing their faces against the window
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap




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226 Reviews
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Points: 200
Reviews: 226
Sun Apr 30, 2023 11:40 pm
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dissonance says...



APRIL MADNESS FINALS

Image

We are down to our final two! Please wish them good luck!

Please have the submissions in by ! Reminder that you can reuse poems from previous rounds now. Good job so far, and good luck now! I can't wait to see what you have in store!

"If I saw you every day forever, I would remember this time."
― Thomas Harris




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130 Reviews


Gender: Male
Points: 346
Reviews: 130
Mon May 01, 2023 1:43 pm
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yoshi says...



good luck to spark and niteowl!!!!!!! <3
they told me to never give up on my dreams.

so i took another nap




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357 Reviews


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Points: 2474
Reviews: 357
Mon May 01, 2023 6:50 pm
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LadySpark says...



Wow, this is crazy.

i am my own worst enemy (our own worst enemy)
hush, my sweet
these tornadoes are for you


-Richard Siken


Formerly SparkToFlame




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Tue May 02, 2023 4:39 am
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niteowl says...



The past is not clay, but the future is not stone
"You do ill if you praise, but worse if you censure, what you do not understand." Leonardo Da Vinci

<YWS><R1>




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Tue May 02, 2023 10:14 pm
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alliyah says...



(Good luck nite & Spark! A face-off of two amazing YWS poets! Stiff competition this year!)
you should know i am a time traveler &
there is no season as achingly temporary as now
but i have promised to return




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Fri May 05, 2023 11:10 pm
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Euphory says...



(Good luck both of you!!!!! so happy to see you two fantastic poets on the metaphorical frontlines - beautiful work, you guys <333)
Viola Tricolor also known as wild pansy, Johnny Jump up, heartsease, heart's ease, heart's delight, tickle-my-fancy, Jack-jump-up-and-kiss-me, come-and-cuddle-me, three faces in a hood, love-in-idleness, and pink of my john-




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226 Reviews
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Points: 200
Reviews: 226
Wed May 10, 2023 10:16 pm
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dissonance says...



AND THE WINNER IS...


This April Madness has been lovely! So many brilliant poets clearly showed their talent this year, and I am so thankful I was able to run this event. Every single entry was excellent! Both finalists submitted fabulous poems, but congratulations to nite!

I'd like to thank everyone for participating! Without all of you, this competition would be nothing. I hope you all enjoyed it because I know I did!
"If I saw you every day forever, I would remember this time."
― Thomas Harris




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357 Reviews


Gender: Female
Points: 2474
Reviews: 357
Wed May 10, 2023 10:37 pm
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LadySpark says...



Congratulations, nite!! A well-deserved victory!
hush, my sweet
these tornadoes are for you


-Richard Siken


Formerly SparkToFlame




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1249 Reviews


Gender: Female
Points: 145925
Reviews: 1249
Wed May 10, 2023 11:29 pm
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alliyah says...



Congratulations everyone! Terrific final poems especially! <3
you should know i am a time traveler &
there is no season as achingly temporary as now
but i have promised to return




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1276 Reviews
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Gender: Female
Points: 36349
Reviews: 1276
Sat May 13, 2023 4:06 am
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niteowl says...



Totally thought I’d posted a response, but ironically enough I didn’t know what to say. Still don’t lol. I’m honestly stunned that I won, especially given the amazing competition I was up against. Thank you so much to the judges and the poetry crew for putting this together. It means so much to hear that other people get something out of my work. Congrats to all who participated!
"You do ill if you praise, but worse if you censure, what you do not understand." Leonardo Da Vinci

<YWS><R1>







To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.
— Tony Dorsett