Simple competition.

Right, I don't think I've ever run a main boards contest before, so here I am, taking my turn. The rules are simple - if not easy - and the competition closes on the 5th October. I will then take pms for your top two choices (10 points for 1st, 7 for 2nd) and announce the results on the 10th October. Winner - two detailed comments from me. Runner-up - one detailed comment from me. Not overly generous, maybe, but I'm rather busy at the moment!
The subject - and this is why I said it wasn't easy - has to be about your darkest experiences. Not pleasant, and not something everyone will want to write about, but some of the best art is dark and damn right unpleasant to read, let's face it. Any form, any length, post here.
All the best.

Ben,

Well I'm certainly up for this and what a subject, really interesting, an thank you for running this darkly thread :)

Michael

I'm in Ben....

I'll try Ben, I'll try

Think I've poured out the worst of my life here. But I'll try.

Craig

I feel like this will definitely be an interesting contest, I might try to get something in, but if not I'm extremely interested in the other entries.

Count me in, Ben.

ill try ben - but no promises.

Post here means, just post here until you decide the winner.?
Or we can post that poem to our account too at the same time?

All entries posted here (you can post on your own account too if you like).

Sounds good. I missed Michael's, try not to miss this one.

Title : Only darkness knows the tale

Some say,
I was given birth by

G guardian
O of
D doom

to parallel the structure of this universe,
or
I stole something very precious from him
and locked it in my heart forever.

Well, I haven't seen his presence since I came into existence.

Some whisper,
I force them to

R roam
I into
N nostalgic
G garden

of an endless loop
where they have to live, die and reborn everyday
to repeat the same thing time and time again
until I eat their soul.

Some adore me as their

G gift
O of
D dreams

for making them immortal;
once I fill their hearts with my

L lots
O of
V vulnerable
E energy

they happily suffer everything -
from cuts to bruises to abuses and fear no pain.

Tell me, has anyone of you ever seen me?
Only I know the tale
which is I am nothing, but just an experience.

And I won't come out easily unless someone triggers me.
Thank you,
Ben!

We have our first entry and a blooming good one too. FV sets the bar pretty high with this one.

Missed-call: By Michael

An evening of a friends’ time of celebration
the venue was steeped in birthday decoration.
The atmosphere full of his special occasion
This night almost staged; my early cremation!

The night flowed-over as I fuelled my delight
slowly my mind warped as I walked up a flight.
Stairs seemed to twist from my blurry eye-sight
a few more steps to encounter my plight.

My hands slipped my mind and also my feet
I stretched out my life; to salvage this feat.
But deaths door was open; and ready to greet
I was so close to its heart; I could hear no beat!

A tumble in time; where memories were lost
unaware of the price of pleasures high cost!
A flick of a dark coin was pitched and tossed;
and ‘Here lies Michael’ already embossed!

Frantic-faint distortion; I could barely hear-
“Mikes dead, Mike dead; please-all keep clear!
Was I!? So I thought; I feel numb to the fear
But no!; my life just rested upon on left my ear!

So I cheated a notch-up; on the reapers claw
Death turned a cheek; and closed its ashen-grey door.
So I write my tale; with both feet on the floor
I still have flash backs of my earlier-missed call!

A carefully guarded place

I've got this place-
Deep within my soul
tucked away, heavily guarded.
The key weighs heavy
on my heart-
A reminder of the darkness
that lives there...
-
It's inky blackness
hides the hurt and disappointment,
the loss of my dad,
profoundly affected me
from childhood to now middle age,
of my innocence ripped from me
at the age of eleven,
setting the course
of a lot of bad choices
when it came to men...
-
I've poured my tears
into those recesses-
Two failed marriages,
my own child
turning her back on me,
disappointing job choices,
money issues,
thoughts of ending it all...
Would any of it matter?
Did I even matter?
-
I don't like to open
This Pandora box of darkness.
Too much pain
tucked away in there.
But there it is,
a silent but deadly reminder
of all the darkness
that is me....

Three wonderful, honest poems in already. Keep them coming.

The Beginning Or The End?

Take me back to my youth, I am just just 19 years old
The words drop so heavily. "I'm with child" is what I'm told.
I dissolved my path, rethought everything including my career plan
Still adolescent in some ways, yet I chose to be a man.

I worked hard to build us some kind of life
That factory from 6am until 6 o'clock at night.
Then home a little while to eat before another job
Pouring pints for idiots at night.

Not once did I complain
Because I was young and fit back then
And things kinda came together
With the help of family and friends.

They brought you into our world
When from your own you were outcast
All their trust and gestures
On you they would soon be lost.

But I put the end before the middle
Before the birth of our shared genes
Waiting for her to breath her first
My fingers crushed, ears filled with screams.

My only blood born daughter came to be
And they placed her in my arms
Wrapped up within her blanket
I quickly succumbed to her charms

It's time to go the midwife said
Mum and baby need to rest
That's when you got your first hold
As you clutched her to your breast.

I walked out of that hospital
That's now a university
4 miles from there to home
I covered it with ease and speed

Not many people know this
Not a single person seen
I wept so much when I got home
But not through misery.

Things started getting better
For I found a cracking well paid job
It involved working shifts
But I thought it worth the cost

And that is when things started to go wrong
For you simply couldn't be alone
When I was working night shift
You snuck a man into our home

I found out about it eventually
And the split was not a pleasant one
Not caring for our little one properly
She stayed with me and my mum

They gave you time to sort yourself
Then our baby came back to you
And that's when things get really bitter
You filled her head with vile untruths

All those years thinking the worst of me
And living in your horrid home
Believing the lies you told of me
Till she had a baby of her own

You see I tracked her down quite easily
And she was very shocked it's true
And I must admit I smiled a bit
For she looks like me, not you

Her and I meet from time to time
And it's not quite how it should be
For the poison seeds you sowed
Can't be forgotten so easily

Did you know before all this happened
I had a pure, dedicated and loving heart
People wonder how I got so dark and twisted

!Well I guess this was the start!

Sorry for the length, but if you start your story you gotta finish it right?

Absolutely, Craig. No problem there. Keep them coming.

I'm in Ben

I've been through some stuff in my short life
so much so I'm riddled with alot of strife
but when I heard you were missing I cried
and I screamed when I heard you'd died
but what came next was far much worse
it seemed like my life yours was cursed
because you'd been murdered left for dead
visions of your last moments run through my head
you were strangled, left like rubbish in a bin.
I don't understand how this happened to you
as you always had a smile no matter what you were going through
though life was tough you were my sweet friend
and I wish I'd seen you more towards your fateful end
these bastards showed no remorse at all
but they'll rot in hell, I'm sure, at their final call

Not anywhere near as good as the others

It is as good, Em, and is so because of its honesty. Thanks for sharing and posting.

Bog off its bloody brilliant

Craig x

Cutting to the bone

"You are ugly"
"You are fat"
"Noone will ever love you"
"Youll always be the crazy lady with the cat"

These are words I heard all through school
From bullies with nothing better to do
Even my own mother herself
And my "loving" siblings too

The shy girl in class
The teachers pet
The one who actually studied
Passing all the tests

But this shy girl held secrets close
Experienced life at a young age
Cutting herself deep
Dripping blood on each page

Those words whispered and yelled
Are still in her head
She will never be loved
She's better off dead

And so she still goes
Cutting in places you wont ever see
Scars down to the bones
But it doesnt bring glee
How do I know?
Well the shy little girl is of course me..

Damn these are awesome! Thank you everyone for sharing. It's going to be hard to choose.

Aww, Ben I'm sorry but I have not been able to write my piece. I think this is closing soon...so I guess you can go on without my entry...:-)