Folklore Contest

Jordan and I (Kim) would like to challenge any talented poets out there to a folklore competition. By that I mean you have to write a poem about or pertaining to a folk tradition, or story of your culture. Or you can tell a folk tale that you've invented yourself. Rhyming is optional.

Rules:
1. Must be your own work!!!!
2. Must be written recently (within last month)
3. No profanity or internet slang
4. No longer than 40 lines
5. One poem per poet
6. Contest is over with 20 poems, or Saturday June 10th.

Prizes!!!
1st place - 3 comments/votes (3 from Jordan, 3 from Kim)
2nd place - 2 comments/votes (2 from Jordan, 2 from Kim)
3rd place - 1 comment/vote (1 from Jordan, 1 from Kim)

Good luck and have fun!!!!

Well, I'll give it try, not sure if this is folklore.

Wanderers

Here's a tale of women in gold
Dressed in purple veils
Dancing barefooted in the rain
Hoping to make some sales

A tamborine shimmers in their hands
Bangles flash upon their arms
Crystal balls draw in curiosity
Warning travelers of any harm

These are the gypsies of my time
Radiant like the early stars
They wander around with their horse
Telling dew-dropping stories from afar

Be cautious or you may lose something
They are clever in many ways
Their words are like sweet roses
Leading your mind astray

That's fabulous!

Come on people, use your creativity and spin me a folk tale!

The loveless princess
by Silhouette, of something unimaginable

Let me take you,
to a far away land
where there once
was a princess
very spoiled and vain
one day her father the king
said, Sophie you must wed
But father no one is good enough
you said so yourself.
Out there somewhere is a prince
waiting for you
when i find him you will wed
But i don't like him father
what will you do
Sophie you must give him
a chance to prove himself worthy
at the dawn of the next day
the king set out
searching for Sophie's Mr. Right
on the dawn of the second day
he found a boy at the right age
and said young boy would
you like to go on an adventure
to see the future Queen
Yes, sir, absolutely
but who is the new king
if you listen it will be you
the boy looked dumbstruck
but why me
I'm not a prince
i don't have money
I'm no one
Sophie doesn't know this
you will dress in my old things
every night you must sing a song
and tomorrow morning she will be your's
the next day the princess woke
she happily wed that day
and every night her princes sings to her
and they lived happily ever after

*hope you like it, it was hard to fit it all into 40 lines*

Not bad, not bad at all! Thanks for posting...Now why can't other people be like you?

Come one people! We're trying to motivate beautiful poetry here, so show us what you've got!

Come on people! Test your abilities!!

The Dance of Life

The floor is moist and damp
as the ceremony is prepared
paint is placed on cheeks
flowers dress up the hair

children grow more excited
with each beating of the drum
patiently waiting their turn
to be part of the dance called life

the fire crackles and stars glimmer
illuminating the path
for the next performer to enter
exhbiting the fire dance

one which requires strength and courage
it is seen in his face
the determination to stay alive
never to give up, creating a better future

the night wears on
the show comes to an end
soon the work will begin again
tomorrow will become yesterday
but nobody will ever forget
the dances of our lives

Not really sure if this is the sort of thing that you are looking for, but I tried!

Look what I started after I posted my poem. lol

Hee hee hee...good job guys!

You and the Moon

Won't you sit by my side?
Let's silently pray
that these trees forever remain
where they stand today;
as the cool breeze
carries the blossoms away,
as the night falls,
gather and sway!

Sway and sing your heart out
for all that you're worth;
smile for the orb
and her lunar rebirth--
loosen your heartstrings,
fill them with mirth--
stand up, and take my hand.

Take my hand so we may dance;
the dance of the ancients,
a dance of romance.
My soul asks a question
you answer with a glance:
tonight belongs to the moon.

"This is a folktale from my village, my lovely little village"
My cousin looked into my eyes,
"Long ago my neighbor had a passenger sit with his child
In a little carriage connected to a bike, an attitude so mild

My neighbor asked her where she needed to go
She said,"To a certain tree"
That tree was a home to magical creatures
Bad luck going, whoever went could not be seen

As the three: passenger, driver, and his little boy
Passed a bus in the dark street
The headlights soared and the car roared
The lady's head, the boy couldn't see

He whispered, pulling on his daddy's sleeve,
"Daddy, do you see what I see?"
His dad was scared, but he kept driving
The three to the magic tree

The lady promised much more money
Than ever did have he
So he and his son, with the lady
Finally stopped at the tree

The lady gave him money: hard, solid, money
Never that much had he ever seen
She thanked him and she disappeared
Into the magic tree

Man and son fled for dear life
Pedaling as hard was they could
Till at last, they were safe at home
And all was well and good."

To this day, her neighbor
Sits with his son inside their house
Rich as fools they plunder
On fake money, never having doubt
_____________________________________

This folktale was from my Filipina cousin (pinoy pinsan). She lives on a mysterious island where it's dark at night and you can hear sounds.

(I changed the ending a little ;) )

These are great poems everyone!

!! Today is the last day for the challenge !! Submit a poem everyone!

Unless anyone thinks we should extend the deadline.

One more WOULD be nice. :D

thanx azel. which part did u live in?

my mommy lived in initao (witch village, lol) for her life. My cousin freaked me out with what kind of witches they were.

and poor me... born in the U.S. with no form of ocean a walk away... lol ;) but i love visiting the philippines.

+++++++++++++++++++++++=

WOOOOOT! cmon people. You have a poem, you turn in a poem. Wanna read a poem? Here's some poems. Come on ;) if u really don't know what you want, you can always use a traditional folk tale/folklore story.

~The River That Divides Us~

I am going to paint a picture,
of what all of you would see,
if you spent a day adventuring,
with all my friends and me.

Preparation is half the battle,
for our adventures are not tame.
You better come prepared,
for you'll find we're less than sane.

In the deadest heat of summer,
our bikes will breach the street,
for temperature is just a factor,
in all the obstacles we'll beat.

When the heat is hard to bare,
and sweat wells up on our wrists,
all we do is take a detour,
and drown in a sprinkler's mists.

As soon as we're refreshed,
we leave for where we're destined.
Water drips from all our clothes,
looking back at what we danced in.

Our laughs are heard for miles,
while we ride into the sunset,
but our adventure doesn't end here,
there are stories left to tell yet.

As we near our destination,
the wind blows through the trees.
We can hear the water echoing,
through the dense forest leaves.

We enter the woods silently,
for we are not there to disturb.
We come to find our family,
within the forest herbs.

Once we've found our spot,
we make ourselves at home.
The river flows beside us,
we're all glad to be alone.

A tree drapes across the river,
it had fallen from a storm.
It is our only way to cross it,
we must escape from the norm.

For this river is what divides us,
from the gangsters and the preps.
We are the pot smokin' hippies,
and this river divides us best.

~Sean Dohr~

Deleted. See next message.

p.s. BOLOGNA!!

Alright, I haven't checked with Kim on this one, but I'm gonna go ahead and say that due to the fact that this week is going to be a busy one, the deadline is now friday June 16th. So if anyone else wants to post, here's your chance!

(keep in mind, though, the contest also ends if we reach 20 poems)

Just bumping. Come one guys! I'm sure you have a crafty writing mind. Let me see some folklore! Anything at all.

heh I already made my contribution =P

urg.. too difficult :P

Please judge!!

His body and mind from battle weary
He was a knight, young, brave and true
On his journey home he paused
By a tree lined lake of blue

His horse was lagging with fatigue
So by the water he did lie
The knight bent to quench his thirst
When he straightened with a cry

A maiden stood in the lakes center
Her skin turquoise and clear
Her body clad in sea-weed green
Her blue hair caressed by a veil sheer

Her eyes were bright, as green as grass
Though there was no wind, her hair stirred
Her lips, a deep-sea coral pink
And deep inside, the knight's heart burned

A fair arm towards him stretched
Over the waters surface her feet did tread
Her lips were parted in a smile
The knight did not notice his steed's dread

Her dress trailing smoothly in her wake
She daintily stepped out onto the ground
Like lightning she grasped the knight's trembling hand
Pulling him towards water without making a sound

The knight followed without out a thought
Towards the lake's unknown depths
And he slipped beneath the lakes surface
The nymph's kiss draining his breath

Her arms entwined with his own
They sank beneath the waves
Then she entangled him in sea grass
And left the brave knight to his grave

Beware eyes of green and hair of blue
For thought her beauty is great
She lives on the breath of love-struck men
Avoid her home, or suffer this fate

Done yet?

Yes sorry, they'll be judged tonight ^_^ I was busy but now its all good, good luck all

yay ^^

Please be patient, people....the results are coming soon.

Okie dokie guys! Here are the winners, you have 3 days to tell us what poems you want critiqued or we'll just pick them ourselves ^_^ All the poems were fun to read.

1st Place - Ruby - Untitled
2nd Place - Sean Allen - You and the Moon
3rd Place - *colorsofmylife* - The Dance of Life

Honorable Mention - ~*ForbiddenEyes*~ - Wanderers

Congrats all ^_^

Yay, good job everyone

Yesh, good job I say!

Woo, good job to all

yay! good job everyone!!!...and I don't have certain ones, just pick whichever you want to comment on

eek...sorry I didn't comment or rate any!

It totally slipped my mind!

Sorry once again...I'll go do it now.