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Bonus: Poetry - Sonnet 2: Autumn

Shall I compare thee to an autumn's day?

Contest ended 1 year ago 10/24/2010 12:00:00 AM EDT

Contest Info

Cost: 10 credits
Jackpot: 80 credits

Contest Options

7 Contest Entries

# 1

Autumn Reverie

By zannahb (Score: 8.099)

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I dream of leaves the color of bordeaux,
Of maple trees with helicopter seeds,
Of birds in vees, anticipating snow,
Of woolen coats, of fluff from cattail reeds.

I dream of bonfires' acrid woody smoke,
Of jack-o'-lanterns' shifting candlelight,
Of frosty morning windows that evoke
The tales that were my childhood delight.

My memories of autumn must preserve
That season's spice and pleasure for me now,
For here fall's glory's held in fierce reserve
By temperatures that bend but never bow.

Imported leaves must serve for fall decor;
The autumn I remember is no more.

Word count: 95

The one thing I regret about moving to Florida.

# 2

Autumnal Equinox

By jujudg1031 (Score: 7.1)

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The bed is made, the laundry's put away,
Some lunch is ready, dishes washed. I sighed...
The curtain's drawn, the walls stand bare and gray.
I throw the shades wide open, peer outside...
First rain! from heavens mighty, softly falls
The droplets, racing down the window glass
The tears of Notus, bouncing off the walls
The water, quenching thirsty leaves of grass;
The agèd leaves, outlived their greener days
Now fill the path and branches with their hue;
And through them hangs a mystic, misty haze
Obscures the atmosphere's and spirit's blue.
I greet the season's coming, whose fine arts
Illuminate the grayest, bleakest hearts.

Word count: 105

Please do not critique my entry.

written October 16, 2010

# 3

Northern Fall

By celticfrog (Score: 6.93)

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Laid bare now by fall's tempetuous winds
Landscape revealed in all her lovely bones
All dark spruce and naked aspen while spins
The river through curvaceous glinting stones.

Frost dances from sere grass to withered leaf
Hoary crystals in complex brilliance cloak
All in morning shade 'til sun's light relief
of cold's grip sends dark ravens to fly and croak.

That winter comes its arctic blast is nigh,
Snow will come to whirl and soften with white
Rock and tree, while clouds grey the once blue sky
Both bleak and cold now will be all in sight.

Yet I will bask in the heat of your fire,
Kept warm in the light of all you inspire

Word count: 116

For The Foliage

By PernesePhoenix (Score: 6.413)

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The masses gather in preparation,
As the dark chill of death pervades the air.
Shriveled you still maintain your formation,
With taut skin and veins parched beyond repair.

What once was smooth is now blistered and broken.
Your perfect visage has been marred with specks.
And as if upon a breath last spoken,
Your kin fall with you to pay their respects.

You meet your end fanciful and carefree,
Knowing that this death is just a rebirth.
You will never know what you mean to me,
Because your time is near to join the earth.

And so I pounce like a hungry jackal,
Hearing you break with a hearty crackle.

Word count: 110

Summer's Last Dance

By akhenatenator (Score: 6.401)

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The autumn leaves fall dancing from the trees
Like ballerinas wearing red and gold.
Although the sun is shining bright, the cold
October frost does chill the summer breeze.
It won’t be long before the ground shall freeze
And creatures from their nests and lairs once bold
Will settle safe and warm away. And Old
Father Time will turn the page with ease.

Yet hark the evensong is now begun,
The dancers twirl around in one last show;
A symphony to hail the setting sun
Like all in nature seasons come and go
Tis time now winter calls and day is done
The autumn leaves now froze beneath the snow.

Word count: 110

Please do not critique my entry.

A Petrarchan sonnet.

Autumn's Dance

By PernesePhoenix (Score: 6.389)

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Standing her ground resembling a sentry,
Glittering golden like the setting sun.
All the others ever green with envy
Over the changes that she has begun.

Alabaster limbs splayed every which way
She sheds her cover with a slight tremble.
Bit by bit she continues her display,
Each movement labeling her a rebel.

Left standing in the cold exposed and bare,
She had reached the end of her spectacle.
All that remained of this torrid affair
Was her frame, both slender and skeletal.

There she stood a silent memorial,
Both deciduous and arboreal.

Word count: 93

Leaves The Color Of . . .

By MsRAS1980 (Score: 5.048)

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Red, like luminous rubies adorning the willowy wrist;
Red as bee-stung crimson lips; beauty that is heaven sent.
Yellow, like the luminescent moon shining in the mist:
Yellow as an egg yolk, suspended like a planet in the firmament.

Gold, like shimmering coins discovered on Christmas day;
Gold as autumn leaves glistening in the embrace of twilight.
Green, like emeralds beautifying the fluted neck, I say;
Green as the color of the tempestuous seas in all their might.

Orange, like the hue of the colossal pumpkins children etched;
Orange, as the succulent grapefruits one devours with flourish.
Russet, like the color of cloud-filled coffee with milk that I fetched;
Russet, as the crunchy apples that are keen to nourish.

Leaves the color of aged chocolate that crunched underneath my feet
Wizened, weathered, and wrinkled with footsteps, but ready to greet
(the first snowfall)

Word count: 143

Please do not critique my entry.