Winter 2022/2023 Poetry Contest has begun. We only have fivepoems and you only get ONE vote, so read these carefully before voting. They are fairly short so I recommend multiple readings. For me personally, I think it helps to read them quietly to yourself and then read them out loud. Spoiler: Poem 1: Skin to Bone Skin to bone I thought I found a way out, I evaded capture up to now. But I don’t know how I can’t keep running flat out I hope someday I make it out of here Even if it takes all night or a hundred years Need a place to hide, but I can’t find one near Want to stay alive, but all that drives me is fear Running through the Jungle Looking for a better place Fighting an internal struggle A voice in my headspace ‘We will tear you skin to bone, If you do not return our sacred stone!’ Spoiler: Poem 2: "What's This, Nightmare Before Sotek" “WHAT’S THIS? – Nightmare Before Sotek” What's this? What's this? There's blood everywhere What's this? There's ashes in the air What's this? I can't believe my eyes I must be dreaming Wake up, Kweek, this isn't fair What's this? There's something very wrong What's this? There's lizards singing songs What's this? Everybody seems so happy Why am I tied so stiffy? What's this? What's this? There are lizards throwing heads taken from the piles of dead There's a glyph on every window Oh, I can't believe my eyes And in my bones I feel the warmth That's coming from inside the offering altar What's this? They're hanging rats’ furs While Tehenhauin tells a story Roasting skavens on a fire What's this? What's this? There's nothing underneath No bells here to scream and scare them Or ensnare them, only little lizard things Secure inside their land What's this? Oh my, what now? The scent of fear is missing Good feeling all around Instead of screams, I swear I can hear music in the air The smell of burned flesh Is absolutely everywhere This fire is filling me I want it, oh, I want it for my own I'm going to know I'm going to know What is this Sotek that I will meet. Spoiler: Poem 3: The Sentinel in the South "The Sentinel in the South" Beneath shattered gate of ancient make Stands a statue cursed by the world’s fate Frost rimes its scarred scaled hide Slow heartbeat thumps in time to bide It has stood since the polar gates fell In the South against a daemonic hell A final command from masters now lost Patient and loyal caring not of cost Beastmen with fur glittering white Used to come here to glorious fight The statue would move, and slay, and crush ‘Til ground was turned to bloody slush No more do they come for war And the statue waits ever more For one day the green moon shall fall A horde of darkness shall come to maul The world will be lost in shadow and flames But for the ancient Saurus, it’s duty remains Frozen muscles will warm and fangs will bare And slay what emerges from the Chaotic tear Spoiler: Poem 4: "Unyielding" "Unyielding" The jungle is filled with trees old and strong Their roots thick and branches long They have seen and withstood it all Heard the Saurian roar and Skinks call Time has passed, yet here it stood still Cities obscured, overgrown by vegetation Ancient artifacts, slumbering in the heart of a nation Protected by Slann and there unbending will A calling from days gone, a plan they will not stray from, dedicated to a single purpose: Rooting out every piece of Chaos. Spoiler: Poem 5: Song of the Old Ones, Kroxigor Chapter "Song of the Old Ones, Kroxigor Chapter" Praise be the Old Ones and all that they form Fourth of the First, stand mighty Kroxigor Tall as a mountain, as strong as a storm Industrious, loyal and strong and so much more In peacetime the burdens of labor, their shoulders will bear Spawned among Skinks, Kroxigor protect the small In wartime, the flesh of their enemies, their claws will tear. Among all First, Kroxigor stand mighty and tall Simple of mind, they completely focus on every task Enduring and strong, eager to work In peace or war, they do what the Skinks ask No deed is too great or small, their duty they never shirk Against their foes, a Kroxigor never yields For their friends, Kroxigor are living shields
Poem 1 "Skin to Bone" by @Imrahil Poem 2 “WHAT’S THIS? – Nightmare Before Sotek” by @Killer Angel Poem 3 "Sentinel in the South" by @Y'ttar Scaletail WINNER! Poem 4 "Unyielding by @Imrahil Poem 5 "Song of the Old Ones, Kroxigor Chapter" by Scalenex
These are all great. Only one vote, so will have to think carefully, though unfair advantage goes to What's This- as I had started a draft called the Nightmare Before Khornemas when I first had ideas to enter.
Agreed, this is a very difficult one. Some very differing styles but not a duff one at all. This could be a close one.
activity on this thread is winding down but the vote spread is narrow enough that last minute voting can theoretically change the outcome. I enjoyed all the poems, I do not know enough about poetry to feel confident making deep criticisms of any of these.
The winner is @Y'ttar Scaletail. Appropriately he only won by a nose. Thank you to everyone who entered. Time for some shameless self-promotion because if I don't want shamelessly promote myself, who will? I am pleasantly surprised my poem almost won. Anyway, I've written a lot of poems with that formula. Here is the Song of the Old Ones as it stands now. I have chapters for Slann, Sauri, Skinks, Kroxigor, dwarves, and ogres/halflings. Eventually, I want to add chapters for elves and humans. Maybe chapters for the actual Old Ones and anything else I think of.
Well you had my vote. It reminded me a lot of Treebeard's account of all the peoples and creatures of Middle Earth.
Congratulations @Y'ttar Scaletail with the win. You had my vote, I loved how you described the unmoving character performing the task he was set to do. Grrr, !mrahil
Congrats to @Y'ttar Scaletail for the win! Curiously, it wasn't among my favorites... my vote went to @Imrahil 's poem, and i was torned between that and @Scalenex's.
I should note that my vote went to "What's This" and I'm mildly surprised it didn't sweep the contest. Maybe the entire world isn't much of a sycophantic ueber fan of Nightmare Before Christmas as I am.