Honorable mentions of the Contest

Here are some really good works that I wanted to include as well. It is kind of a long list but they are all really good.

By Meekha S

Dreams

Come to me tonight
Scarlet dreams
Violet skies
Silvery plumes
of biting cold

As I stand
bathed in moon,
will you crave for
a taste of heaven?
Tell me my wolf,
am I your moon?

Am I spawned
in the gold dust
of your desires?
A burst of crimson
from the smoulder
of your gaze?

Come to me tonight
in painted hues of love
My love, endless dreams
of violet skies, silver golds,
scarlet kisses, rainbow stains
You and I

© Meekha

 

The Following two are both by Lynn  White

Sunrise, Sunset

 

Here we are

face to face.

Perhaps angry.

Perhaps sad.

Perhaps

you will look me in the eye.

I

will meet your gaze, but

you still won’t find

me.

The mask is firmly in place

and you’ll only see what I choose,

the response I want to show you,

the planned

or the superficial pose,

the pretence of

me.

If you look me in the eye

I

will never know

what you see.

Your mask is firmly in place

to show me what

you

want

me to see

and no more.

So how can we begin

to see each other

any more.

 

…..

The Chase

 

Table chatter.

Laughter, quirky smiles.

And then

our glances held,

suddenly.

Moments passed.

She spread her hands,

arms outstretched.

A helpless gesture

of excuse me,

what can I do?

So

up to me.

Too complicated.

But.

I want to know

more.

Look this way

again.

I want to know

you.

So, look.

Look this way.

But no,

no luck.

Talking now,

head turned away.

Then,

smiles all round.

Mouth upturned,

eyes dead,

leave taking smiles.

Walking away.

Turn!

Turn!

No turn.

No backward glance.

Not for me,

it seems..

But I know..

so turn,

turn.

No turn.

So clumsy.

Chair upturned.

Excuse me.

Apologies.

Due haste.

Well,

never a gain

without a chase,

I know.

 

Linda Imbler

 

Isaac’s Robot

 

Third grader Isaac was different; smaller, quieter.  He smiled a lot, but he never spoke.  He listened carefully to his teacher, Mrs. Kendrick, and did his best, but he learned slowly and he read even more slowly. Choosing books from the library was a challenge and book reports in front of the class were all but impossible.

 

He watched other kids play at recess, but he never joined, even when asked. No one made fun of Isaac. They would just smile at him and he would always smile back.

 

On one particular library visit, a picture on the front of a book caught his eye. He chose this book, although he could not really read it. It was a book about how to build a robot. Isaac wanted to build a friend. He worked on his robot after school every day and on the weekends. He made some progress, but not much. It takes a long time for only one person to build a robot, especially when they can’t read the instructions. But he never gave up and he kept at it. When it was time for the next round of book reports, Isaac raised his hand to let Mrs. Kendrick know he was ready.  She got tears in her eyes as he stood up with the book, pointed to the cover, and smiled.  The class smiled back and ,wow, did they clap!

 

In February, Isaac was not at school one day, nor the next day, nor the day after that. That night, the teacher called Isaac’s mother. Isaac was in the hospital and the prognosis was not good. Mrs. Kendrick shared the news with the kids. They didn’t say a word. However, at recess, she noticed the kids in a tight huddle.

 

Saturday morning, the doorbell rang at Isaac’s house. His mother was at the hospital, but his dad was home. After talking to the kids, Isaac’s dad took them to the garage. They were there all day that Saturday and again on Sunday, and the next weekend and the next. After six weeks, they had built Isaac a robot.

 

Mrs. Kendrick took the robot to the hospital to show it to Isaac. He was very weak, but he managed to smile. His mother asked her to thank the kids.

 

The next morning Isaac’s mother came to the class with the robot. Isaac had wanted to share his new friend with the class because they were the best kids in the whole world. That’s the last thing he told his mom.

 

The robot sits in Isaac’s seat at his desk. It reminds the kids that they once had a classmate, a little boy who never spoke but always smiled. Just like Isaac’s robot.

 

Sravani Singampalli

 

The rain brings love

I see the trees swaying

in the nostalgic wind.

I can smell the perfume

of contentment as it

rains heavily outside.

I see water everywhere.

The rain reminds me

how the romance in his

mesmerizing words vaporize

and diffuse through my room.