posted October 28, 2001 01:03 AM

Sara

Alright people...it's gotten WAY too slow in our forum as of late. Time to liven things up a bit.

The challenge: One person begins a poem, leaving it incomplete so that the next Ficter can pick up where they left off and keep it going, you can contribute endless times, there's no restriction on what kinda poetry style or if it rhymes or what, however you usually write is what we wanna see.

The purpose: Well...you'll just have to wait for that.

GOOD LUCK!!!

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eyezoom

this is the beginnings of something that's been grinding around in my brain for a while--i cast it before the collective creative power of the forum...

on an aimless quest for an unknown goal,
certain only of my emptiness,
i found the grail of my soul's searching
but lost my religion--lost my pride.

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bard4sharks

The two things I held onto,
in my darkest times,
have slipped past me.
I'm lost in a new place.
So lost i cannot see.

----------------------------------------

Grand Poobah Seraphin

I don't know how
I could've slipped so low
fallen so hard
left on my side
cold and alone
how am I supposed to survive?

----------------------------------------

Nanzar

I turned from my reckless searching
for a balm to soothe my sorrow.
In Gilead I heard of something true
I will go there on the morrow

----------------------------------------

Argeaux

Guided by Fate's hand
Restless yet still
I forge on against my will
Peace eludes me
Until I find
That which rages in my mind

----------------------------------------

Sara

But I ask myself
Do I deserve peace?
After all that I've said and done
The price I've paid
The things I've sacrificed...
Will I ever regain that tranquilty again?

----------------------------------------

Rellik

good writing you guys!
(I cant do this stuff)
keep on!

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eyezoom

elusive peace will not be my prize.
the object of my quest is no haven,
but the wild and savage knowledge
that it exists, just not for me.

----------------------------------------

bard4sharks

this knowledge is comforting.
like a map to a treasure from long ago,
a treasure without a key.
But where do I look from here?

----------------------------------------

Argeaux

At night I hunger for it
Tossing in restless slumber
Churning dreams without number
Through day I push forward
Reaching out for a sign
That it alone is mine, all mine

----------------------------------------

mons

and with a heavy heart
and a guided hand
i follow the steps
of no other man
through blinding darkness
and troubled lands
this endless turmoil
racks endless demands

----------------------------------------

Nanzar

If not peace
then what is my reward?
Will knowing that I am willing to die
make a difference in me?

Do I love life more than truth?
Do I shrink from pain?

I fear knowing these things
will be my demise.

----------------------------------------

eyezoom

quote:

---

Originally posted by Nanzar:
I fear knowing these things
will be my demise.

---

very nice.

----------------------------------------

bard4sharks

I still have to ask,
I need the answers.
The answers lead me on my way.

I've lost much
and gained even more.
Why is there still a doubt?
A yearning? A desire?

----------------------------------------

Argeaux

I embrace the fear
Poisonous beast of my own making
Grasp it tightly, sweating, shaking
I thrust myself out
In it's view
Finding my soul grazed by you

----------------------------------------

bard4sharks

The fear disappears.
Suddenly I realize where I am
The answers are all there.
As long as you are here.

It's when you leave,
that the darkness comes back.
You are my sun, my moon, and my stars.

----------------------------------------

Argeaux

And my nightmare
My foreboding, dreadful dream
You who fills my head with scream
I want you out
Try to forget
Still memories will haunt me yet

----------------------------------------

eyezoom

with or without you, in darkness or light,
the search is over, my aimless crusade done.
and though the prize i sought and found is real,
the emptiness remains.

so what do you guys think--done?

i'm really blown back by this little exercise. we all have such diverse styles, yet so often what was said was very much on course with what i was thinking when i wrote the opening lines--things that the opening lines didn't even contain (the "sun, moon, stars" in one of bard4sharks stanzas comes to mind).

i love collaboration...

----------------------------------------

Nanzar

Done!

But it's so sad to be over now

Can we start another one???

How about a new rule for it. We only write one line each. wadaya think?

----------------------------------------

bard4sharks

Yup, tis done.
So sad, I loved doing this.

Should start another one, but only one line??? That's gonna be tough, but fun.

I'm new here, so forgive this Q if it seems well, stupid...
I saw a thread for a collection of poetry and fic. Why dont we do a few of these collaborations for a section or something. Or, maybe just make a collection for the scrollers, or just those that collaborated.

----------------------------------------

Argeaux

bard4sharks - a couple of us have been floating the idea of a Ficters book (more people need to reply in the thread, if this is to go ahead).

We could include "Ficter Challenges" in this book, if people want to.

Hey Nanzar, why don't you start up the next challenge suggesting one line each?

Make sure you call it "Ficters Challenge 5", though.

Well done, everyone! This one was fun.

----------------------------------------

Gabber

I'm a wimp and couldn't grab ahold of this one when it was going on...I was always one stanza too late from something I thought of saying.

But I did want to say that I think ya'll did a wonderful job! I really loved reading it and going on the journey with you guys as you discovered what the poem was about. Great collaboration.

~Gabber

----------------------------------------

Argeaux

OK, I compiled our stanzas so we could see the finished product in its entirety.

I grabbed the title from some of the lines used in the poem, which I thought best reflected the overall theme.

Endless Crusade

on an aimless quest for an unknown goal,
certain only of my emptiness,
i found the grail of my soul's searching
but lost my religion--lost my pride.

The two things I held onto,
in my darkest times,
have slipped past me.
I'm lost in a new place.
So lost i cannot see.

I don't know how
I could've slipped so low
fallen so hard
left on my side
cold and alone
how am I supposed to survive?

I turned from my reckless searching
for a balm to soothe my sorrow.
In Gilead I heard of something true
I will go there on the morrow

Guided by Fate's hand
Restless yet still
I forge on against my will
Peace eludes me
Until I find
That which rages in my mind

But I ask myself
Do I deserve peace?
After all that I've said and done
The price I've paid
The things I've sacrificed...
Will I ever regain that tranquilty again?

elusive peace will not be my prize.
the object of my quest is no haven,
but the wild and savage knowledge
that it exists, just not for me.

this knowledge is comforting.
like a map to a treasure from long ago,
a treasure without a key.
But where do I look from here?

At night I hunger for it
Tossing in restless slumber
Churning dreams without number
Through day I push forward
Reaching out for a sign
That it alone is mine, all mine

and with a heavy heart
and a guided hand
i follow the steps
of no other man
through blinding darkness
and troubled lands
this endless turmoil
racks endless demands

If not peace
then what is my reward?
Will knowing that I am willing to die
make a difference in me?

Do I love life more than truth?
Do I shrink from pain?

I fear knowing these things
will be my demise.

I still have to ask,
I need the answers.
The answers lead me on my way.

I've lost much
and gained even more.
Why is there still a doubt?
A yearning? A desire?

I embrace the fear
Poisonous beast of my own making
Grasp it tightly, sweating, shaking
I thrust myself out
In it's view
Finding my soul grazed by you

The fear disappears.
Suddenly I realize where I am
The answers are all there.
As long as you are here.

It's when you leave,
that the darkness comes back.
You are my sun, my moon, and my stars.

And my nightmare
My foreboding, dreadful dream
You who fills my head with scream
I want you out
Try to forget
Still memories will haunt me yet

with or without you, in darkness or light,
the search is over, my aimless crusade done.
and though the prize i sought and found is real,
the emptiness remains.

2001 Ficters