POETRY CONTEST WINNERS!
September, 2003

Here we have it again! Furtopia's Poetry Contest and I was, as always, REALLY impressed with the creativity and heartfelt poems submitted!

With that said lets get onto the awards and comments we have all been anxious to hear. Each staff was allowed to choose three (3) poems. Scoring a poem on a scale from 1 - 10. It was not easy with so many great poems and my sincere thanks go to everyone who posted their poetry to be read and shared with the Furry community once again!


First Place: 26 points is:
"Shared Soul" by River Ceed

Dreams bleeding into reality,
Fairy tales come alive,
But in a most frightening manner.

In the silver glass, your eyes trace the profile,
Knowing the shapes and silhouette,
Though you are confused and frightened.

Logic and societal rules try to take root
Yet a foothold for them is not to be found.
You gaze at the secret within yourself
Vowing to guard it forever.


Returning to the world of humans,
You meander down the street,
Trying to make sense of what you saw.

Perking your ears, you listen to passers-by
Jabbering about simplistic ‘troubles’,
Oblivious to true internal conflict

Trying to conform and not to stand out
You strive to be ‘normal’.
But the feelings resurface time and time again,
The being in the mirror yearning for freedom.


Time winds on and your soul twists,
Oozing through your walls and barriers,
Containment no longer an issue as sanity is threatened.

Gazing more often at that hidden one,

Present now in every frame of your vision.
Your eyes are wild and ancient, set in a baby face.

Coming to terms with yourself,
Facing the nightmares, the fears,
Learning to accept what was once unimaginable,
Standing free, unbound, living as a shared soul.

COMMENTS:

Benjamin - Very nice portrayal of what it feels like to be a furry... for some furs. I'm sure some folks can relate to this poem. Good stuff!

Son of Earth - This intense poem allows the reader to know that not everyone is the same and that we all don't have to fit in to someone else's ideal.

WhiteShepherd - This poem though expressed words of feeling caries the reader to help understand the conflict of being different and the contrasts to social acceptance in what is shown. Nicely expressed.


Second Place: 25 points is:
"Discovery" by JonaWolf

I remember a dream I once had
It was a strange dream
A dream of choice, of possible future
And of feelings buried deep within

Alone I walked through darkness
My heart in my throat
Hearing whispers flitter around me
Until I found myself bathed in a shaft of light

An ancient voice echoed out from the black
Carrying with it the lore of the ages
Tugging, pulling at my very soul
And calling out my name

A window was flung open in the dark
And a harsh light came pouring in
The ground shook beneath my feet
And the voice commanded me in harsh words

"Go forth among men, and seek that which you may find"
And I did so, searching high and low
Ranging far and wide
And finding nought but an old man

Bent forward with the weight of the years
Gnarled hands of experience clutching his old cane
His face lined with the branching paths of time
He walked aimlessly amongst a sea of faces

Lost
Ignored
Forgotten
And desperately alone

The darkness swept over me once more
And the world faded from view
The voice swirled around me
questioning, probing

A porthole was cracked open in the black
A gentle gold glow playing through it
The voice commanded me once more
"Go forth unto the wilds, and seek that which you may find"

And I did so
I flew out over the landscape
Arms spread wide
Gliding through a cool blue sky

I searched among the jagged mountains and the towering trees
I explored the foaming rivers and the calm blue lakes
I searched high and low, far and wide
And found that which had sought me

It was on a forested summit
Calm beneath the endless sky and diamond sun
That my search came to an end
And a seed of understanding was planted

Six of them there were
Timber wolves, noble, proud, beautiful
Wraithlike they moved through the trees
To form a circle around me

They sat in shafts of light that filtered through the trees
The leader, the Alpha
Sat apart from the rest
His eyes of gold locked upon mine

I saw something there
Questions, judgements, decisions
One by one his pack got up and faded into the forest
Until only he remained

At long last he too stood up
His gaze never leaving mine
I felt a power within him
The power of all that is untouched by Man

He turned to leave but paused at the edge of the forest
He looked back at me, tail waving gently
A half smile on his muzzle
Then he turned and faded away

I jerked awake into the cool of a September morning
The sun filtering through the branches of the trees
As I sat up and stretched
I heard the faintest of howls in the distance

And a smile grew on my face
At last I understood
Why I had always felt that I didn’t belong
It was all so clear to me now

For a long while I sat, deep in thought
Until at last I came to a decision
I packed up what few things I had with me
And put them where they would be found by others

I left it all behind me
And went to search for that distant howl
Knowing in my heart
That is where I truly belonged

COMMENTS:

Benjamin - The sense of description in this poem is quite wonderful. The choice of words for describing things was poetic in and of itself.

Kada-Ru - For me, it says everything I have felt since finding the fandom and WhiteShepherd.

WhiteShepherd - I like the use of colorful abstract images to give feeling to his events. Nice poem of self exploration.


Third Place: 22 points is:
"The Furry Spirit" by BabyTiger

The drive inside each of us
Is deep within our souls
We have to fight to uncover it
and give strength to achieve our goals.

With each battle we face
the strength inside us grows
to slowly reach the point in life
Where our furry spirit shows.

Everyone can reach the point
but not with fate alone
We have to strive, take right and fall
We have to hold our own.

There are no answers written in ink
or secrets waiting to be told
We have to find out on our own
as the story of our life unfolds.

And as we look back over our lives
and the struggles we have overcome
we will feel that drive deep inside
That helps us to be what we have become

COMMENTS:

Chaz - Fun and well written.

Son of Earth - I enjoyed how this piece symbolized the furry lifestyle as a voyage.


Other poems that were submitted.

"Without Furry" by Bear Paw

Warmth without regret
Understanding without boundres
Fun without fear
Friendship without cost
Peace without end
Accpetance without judgment
Freedom Without walls
Thought without ingnorance
Help Without condition
Joined but without chain
To be us without scorn
expression without repercussion
To be without furry
Is to be without ALL

COMMENTS:

Chaz - Stong imagdry and good word use

Son of Earth - I like how the author conveyed the positive feeling that being furry somehow completes one on the inside.


"A Bear Who Cares" by Kuga

For my brother'

Who cares when in this world a leaf falls from off a tree?
Who looks and follows it as it leaves for its bed to be?
Who bows their head when life is dead?
When all is done and said?

Who cares?

Who stays up late just to see the stars
And uses their glasses to look for Mars?
Who watches the sky whilst eating pie
And watches a sun explode and die?

Who does?

Whose heart is pricked by the lust for blood?
Who cares if their soul is stained with mud?
Who cherishes life in this world of strife
Amidst loyalties no longer rife?

Who cares?

Who wants to get up and do something bold?
When you can sit at home and turn in to mould?
Why go give aid and remain unpaid
Especially when you've not been bade?
vWhy care?

Who thinks to stop and help another
When your own life's about to divide asunder?
Who encourages you to try something new
And gives you credit where it's due?

Who does?

Who judges a furson on what they see?
Rather than who they are or where they be?
Who bows their head to the living dead
For all they have done and said?

Who cares?

Who will stop and think of you
No matter where you are or what you do?
Who's never cried when they've smacked your hide
Because of something bad you tried?

Why care?

Who will love for what you are?
Or just for having their dream car?
Who seeks a chance to make a stance
And upon your toes gleefully dance?

Who cares?

Why do it the right way?
Why not be cheap and refuse to pay?
Who takes the time to stop a crime
Or obey the rules and pay a fine?

Who cares?

Who will take me as I am?
I'm as in innocent as Mary's little white lamb,
Who will rise to the challenge and dare to care
And forever and always have some love to share?

Who cares?

He cares.

He holds the opinion you should always respect,
And be grateful for whatever you get.
He's always giving and loves thanksgiving
And will always notice if you're missing.

He'll think about you when you are gone,
Whether in Europe, Asia or in the Somme.
He'll hold you tight throughout the night
And forever keep you in his sight.

He'll think of ways to make you smile,
He'll be willing to go the extra mile.
He'll always be willing to cuddle and snuggle
Whenever you get yourself in to a muddle.

He's proud of you when you do some good,
Like forgiving someone you misunderstood.
And then you'll see him smile for miles
When upon him your own love you pile.

He has no wings but is like a dove,
Who goes about and spreads his love.
He loves to see you full of glee
And in your company forever be.


I have often on occasion his wisdom sought,
And while listening to his words I thought:
"He looks and is as majestic as a great king,
Though he needs no books or magic ring."

He will never put you down you trying,
And will often for joy be happily crying,
I know he'll always for me respect and protect
For that which I'm willing to stick out my neck.

When his piercing eyes look at me
I see exactly who I want to be.
I'll give it my all to see him stand tall
When I answer the challenge and rise to the call!

He is as fat as he is kind,
Despite being rejected by human kind,
He will never pout when I rub his snout
Or present him with his favourite trout.

When he holds me tight I feel so much tougher
As lovingly rocks me in his safe furry blubber,
He slurps my face and loves my taste
And is strangely proud of my expanding waist!

Because he cares and because he shares,
He has shown to me what friendship should be,
He's my special brother and cares like a mother
So he'll always be Tolstoy, my fat-furry-loving big bear brother.

Tolstoy cares.

COMMENTS:

Kada-Ru - It shows a lot of sensitivity and what friends should be like to one another. Just touched my heart and soul.


"The Snare" by Bear Paw

Upon my walk though the hillsn feilds,
I came upon a hare caught
Its leg locked tigh within a snare.
I felt such pity for it sufferd so.
I held on to the small beast,
and with penknife cut it free.

Now I held it against my chest.
Its heart I felt qwick and fast
I could feel the fear it felt.
I let it go and watched,
it raced away within a flash.
I sat to watch it happly flee.

Suddenly it stopped and turned
It looked at me as if straight through.
My soul I felt as if it read.
I could only close my eyes.
But when I opend it was to strange.
Not my eyes I saw through but the hare from inside.

I felt my heart beat fast the urge to run.
I turned and spead down the feild.
Through gate and hedge across wood.
Till I felt a pull towards a darken hole
A warmth and comfort seemed to rise.
It was mine i knew I felt it through.

Inside I found all wrapped in each other ,
to small n fragile to live on there own.
6 little ones all this hares children.
I moved down to lay by there side.
they moved in to share my warmth.
I felt so happy warm and content.

I fell asleep but as I awoke,
I opend my old eyes ,I was sat still
The hare still befor me looking into me.
I felt so odd at peace with all.
The hare then just up and left.
I made my way home to think and rest.

Long now has that day past but still I remeber to go
I climb to the place the broken snare lies rusting .
I see the young hares run now.
But never forget there mother
And her strange gift her "Thank you"
She gave me freedom just for a while from my old snare

COMMENTS:

WhiteShepherd - I really liked this poem. It had a feling of senserity while putting the reader int he eyes of another. A very nice poem.


"What is Fur" by Manethran

Many have been heard to ask,
Not to sound like a cur,
But to answer is quite a task,

We have community,
We stand by one another,
Our group is one of wide diversity,
loving and caring for each other,
Forever showing the world our unity,
As we watch over our group as a big brother,

We have a lot of talent,
Many songs and forms of music,
Poems of happiness and lament,
Stories that we know shall see a fair critic,
Varied ways to rant and vent,
Our many ideas forming a great epic,

By far the greatest treasure,
Is our ability for acceptance,
Many stumble towards us and their eyes fill with pleasure,
We take one an all without forcing pentance,
We do not force and allow others to speak at their leasure,
Giving open reign for those that wish to frolic and prance,

This is a small part of what makes up Fur,
Sharing ourselves and what we are,
Speaking no racial or ethical slur,
We are one both near and far,
Hopefully reading this has made something stir,
We are Fur and we are here and there is nothing better by far

COMMENTS:

Chaz - good flow and word use. strong ideas.


"Axis" by Zeiros

A mirror
A light
A reflection of blight
Skyscrapers and smokestacks
Big trucks and train tracks
The smog and the noise
So much it annoys
I clench my ears
I wince my eyes
I scream out loud
The pain in my cries

For how long I have wished
The final desire
To spin upon my axis
And find inner fire
The lion within
Demands his release
Be free from his bonds
All pain to be ceased

A lake
The sun
Rippling of sanctum
Forests and mountains
Big plains and fountains
The sky and the earth
So much it asserts
Relax my ears
Open my eyes
I bellow a roar
Of supreme delight

For how long have I wished
The final desire
Thrust upon my axis
Within burns my fire
The lion is free
The chains are undone
Freedom unhindered
Running to the sun

But then, it all fades
And dream becoms bane
Mountains to buildings
Sunlight into rain
But all is not lost
For the lion inside
Waits upon the axis
For the rising light.

COMMENTS:

Benjamin - A poem that I think a lot of furs can relate to... and a lot of people beyond the fandom, too. We all feel cooped up and feel the need to enjoy life and this world. Good stuff.


"The Rave" by Drake BlackPaw

Throbbing beats
And hypnotic dancing
Swirling lights
Revealing fur
Stalking cats with
Backbeat Rhythm
Circling
The dancehall floor

Graceful moves
Inscribing patterns
Lovingly
Outlining runes
Swaying tails with
Syncopation
Accentuate
The rhythmic feel

Crouching down
And then spinning round
Pairs of furs
Begin to meet
Shadow movements
Locked together
Signaling
Their shared intent

Slowly they
Begin to disengage
Music plays
Its final beats
They creep away
The trance broken
Vanishing
Into the night


"An Ode to My Tail" by Drake BlackPaw

An ode to my tail
Nice and bushy and long
It makes a good blanket
And can be a pillow too

It lets me wave hi
When my hands are full
Or mischievously tickle
An unsuspecting fur

I can wrap it around a lover
Or play peek-a-boo with a kit
It can show off my emotions
As it sways to and thro

Some tails are floofly
And some are short and thin
Mines, black, white, long, wide and bushy
And I think it's the best tail there is


"Twilights Love" by Mousira

Far upon the planes of time,
There is the cry of a priceless chime.
Upon the cliff sets patterned feet,
Of where two souls can longly meet.

They reached forth paws of love,
Crying about to ears above.
Their once held feelings now adrift,
As the parting was cruel and swift.

He pulled her close and held her near,
Whispering his thoughts upon her ear.
She curled in upon him wanting no more,
Knowing that never her heart shall soar.

He gave her up as she turned and fled,
Approaching her quick and final bed.
He raised his voice and howled to the moon,
Wondering how it could take her so soon.

Finally he turned and left that place,
Leaving only the stars and moon in space.
Her crying echo bounced upon the waves,
Heard only by underwater caves.


"The Day the Heavens Fell" by Mousira

The skies blacken and rain falls down.
In the distance, thunder is heard.
The heavens light up as lightning crackles.
And the people of the town utter not one word.
As one lonely figure steps forward and reaches,
Reaches for the dark, windswept sky.
The clouds do then part and with a howl,
Black riders fall, and their mounts cry.
Fire is seen on the horizon, dancing and swaying.
The figure gestures, a chant is in the air.
"Don cree saw-tu. Mon ma drak. Kee ra floe.
All those who dare to oppose me, beware!"
The figure dost cry out to the town.
All in the town huddle in fear of him.
Unseen to anyone, a voice carries out.
It is bold and striking, a light in the dim.
A man all in white rides upon a pegasi's wings.
His armor flashes bright, as his sword is pulled.
He points at the dark figure and shouts at him.
"You will renounce your evil, or consider yourself nulled!"
The figure dost laugh at him, arching his hand over his head.
The black riders switch direction and went for the knight.
A battle broke out, and many riders died.
But at the end the knight stood, his sword in flight.
The figure was furious and drew a sword of dark.
Calling his steed, Nightmare, he did then join the fight.
Forces of Fire, Air, Water and Earth were used.
The figure then fell and left the man of light.
The war had been won, the evil driven back.
The riders flew away, like the flutter of a bat.
The knight then smiled and flew his steed away.
And this is our story, and that is that.


"The Taste of Flesh" by Rikimaru

Walking around the desert plains
On all fours, tail swaying in the gentle breeze
Searching for the taste of flesh

Looking through the scrub I see
A member of the pride
A young female also searching for the taste of flesh

We join and search the plains together
Searching for the taste of flesh
We are hungry and continuously searching

We both saw another animal
It appeared to be the taste of flesh
We chased it and didnt give up

We finally caught the taste of flesh
We sat down to feast
And just before i taste the flesh i wake up

I lay asleep in bed
Forever wanting to return to that life
Of the search for the taste of flesh

I've never returned to that life
I never found out what the flesh tasted like
And i still long to taste it

I have now returned to my human guise vThe outer shell that contains my need for the taste of flesh
The outer shell hiding the lion within
Wanting to taste the taste of flesh


"Some Wisdom from a Furry" (not titled) by Terastas

You can't tell me what I'm supposed to be

And shouldn't trust everything you see
I'll have you know there's much more to me
So here's some wisdom from a furry

You agree with what your bosses say
And go to work five out of seven days
And at the top floor you think you'll be okay
When you forget what its like to play

So maybe fur is not normality
But your uniform's mandatory
But mine lets me be who I want to be
What better way to be worry free?

You can't tell me what I'm supposed to be
And shouldn't trust everything you see
I'll have you know there's much more to me
So there's some wisdom from a furry


Poetry submitted by our staff! (Not eligible for contest.)

"A Wolf's Dream" by Son of Earth

Mountains!
Reaching for Western skies,
In summer, colored green by sunny grass and purple Columbine.
In winter, kissed white by the cool lips of Lady North Wind.

Little Town!
Surrounded by mountains,
A wolf finds a haven for his art.
A wolf finds tasty food for his belly.

Dreaming!
Of my furry forest princess
Seeing her lovely tail and fur blown by the Rockies' breezes.
Taking her paw in mine and walking her through deep woods.

Taos!
Here, I shall find home and hearth.
By day, my easel shall face Grandfather Sun.
By night, I will see love in my mate's amber eyes.


You can see all the great poems in this contest in Poetry Corner in the Furtopia Forums.