The following poems are by Carl Sandburg:
Masses
AMONG the mountains I wandered and saw blue haze and
red crag and was amazed;
On the beach where the long push under the endless tide
maneuvers, I stood silent;
Under the stars on the prairie watching the Dipper slant
over the horizon's grass, I was full of thoughts.
Great men, pageants of war and labor, soldiers and workers,
mothers lifting their children--these all I
touched, and felt the solemn thrill of them.
And then one day I got a true look at the Poor, millions
of the Poor, patient and toiling; more patient than
crags, tides, and stars; innumerable, patient as the
darkness of night--and all broken, humble ruins of nations.
Crimson
CRIMSON is the slow smolder of the cigar end I hold,
Gray is the ash that stiffens and covers all silent the fire.
(A great man I know is dead and while he lies in his
coffin a gone flame I sit here in cumbering shadows
and smoke and watch my thoughts come and go.)
Haze
(an excerpt)
My love is a yellow hammer spinning circles in Ohio, Indiana. My love is a redbird shooting flights in straight lines in Kentucky and Tennessee. My love is an early robin flaming an ember of copper on her shoulders in March and April. My love is a graybird living in the eaves of a Michigan house all winter. Why is my love always a crying thing of wings?
On the Indiana dunes, in the Mississippi marshes, I have asked: Is it only a fishbone on the beach?
Is it only a dog’s jaw or a horse’s skull whitening in the sun? Is the red heart of man only ashes? Is the flame of it all a white light switched off and the power house wires cut?
Why do the prairie roses answer every summer? Why do the changing repeating rains come back out of the salt sea wind-blown? Why do the stars keep their tracks? Why do the cradles of the sky rock new babies?
Anything inspired by him or his style... anything really.
-Free verse or prose
-Left align
-There damn well better be some good imagery
-Any subject
If you want to read more of his works, here are two good links:
http://www.bartleby.com/people/Sandburg.html
http://carl-sandburg.com/index.htm
Masses
AMONG the mountains I wandered and saw blue haze and
red crag and was amazed;
On the beach where the long push under the endless tide
maneuvers, I stood silent;
Under the stars on the prairie watching the Dipper slant
over the horizon's grass, I was full of thoughts.
Great men, pageants of war and labor, soldiers and workers,
mothers lifting their children--these all I
touched, and felt the solemn thrill of them.
And then one day I got a true look at the Poor, millions
of the Poor, patient and toiling; more patient than
crags, tides, and stars; innumerable, patient as the
darkness of night--and all broken, humble ruins of nations.
Crimson
CRIMSON is the slow smolder of the cigar end I hold,
Gray is the ash that stiffens and covers all silent the fire.
(A great man I know is dead and while he lies in his
coffin a gone flame I sit here in cumbering shadows
and smoke and watch my thoughts come and go.)
Haze
(an excerpt)
My love is a yellow hammer spinning circles in Ohio, Indiana. My love is a redbird shooting flights in straight lines in Kentucky and Tennessee. My love is an early robin flaming an ember of copper on her shoulders in March and April. My love is a graybird living in the eaves of a Michigan house all winter. Why is my love always a crying thing of wings?
On the Indiana dunes, in the Mississippi marshes, I have asked: Is it only a fishbone on the beach?
Is it only a dog’s jaw or a horse’s skull whitening in the sun? Is the red heart of man only ashes? Is the flame of it all a white light switched off and the power house wires cut?
Why do the prairie roses answer every summer? Why do the changing repeating rains come back out of the salt sea wind-blown? Why do the stars keep their tracks? Why do the cradles of the sky rock new babies?
Anything inspired by him or his style... anything really.
-Free verse or prose
-Left align
-There damn well better be some good imagery
-Any subject
If you want to read more of his works, here are two good links:
http://www.bartleby.com/people/Sandburg.html
http://carl-sandburg.com/index.htm
Contest is Over
- Contest was judged on March 15
- Rewards: Gold: 400
- Final notes: I had such trouble judging this one... seriously, this was probably the highest-quality contest with under 10 entries I have ever had. There were at least 4 or 5 pieces that deserved a gold.
I decided to only give gold because I couldn't decide who else should get on the finalist list :/ I would feel awful trying to decide the next best two.
Thank you all, I really hope my future contests go like this
-cassidy
Contest Winners
Entries [8]
1 - 8 of 8
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• Commented on by judge.
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Water divides;
shredded ribbon gracesby A. Lee S. 31 lines, 3 comments, on Feb 26 3:49 PM• Commented on by judge. -
I have heard the muted cry of insatiable voices. They beg for understanding and to tell their tale. They are the dead and they speak througby dabpunx 6 lines, 24 comments, on Mar 1 12:36 AM• Commented on by judge.
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by And Hyetal 26 lines, 5 comments, on Mar 1 4:50 PM. In whatever• Commented on by judge.
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• Commented on by judge.
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Comments
1 - 12 of 12
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YES! Sandburg is in my top 5
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i'm pretty sure he's in my top 1 lol
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you has good taste.
but seriously... sandburg over whitman? youre an odd one. -
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to be completely honest i haven't read enough whitman to make a decision about him, but i should
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to be honest i pretend to have read more sandburg than i really have
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i want to enter this... but matt will win this one.. so :'( snifsniffsnifflezz
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pshh matt is beatable (do you hear that matt? ) so enter!!
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why you tempts me?
you love him more than you love me! so... umm.. we'll see... -
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lies! i love both of you!
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*smile slowly widens and face slowly glows with rapture*
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*grumble*
tis true, but youre not supposed to let the bengal know
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human!
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