Welcome 2 the dream...

Have you ever dreamt of something

that was so real and vivid to your imagination? And when you woke up, you found that it was just a dream and it was not true? Have you ever dreamt in living colours whereas you could taste, smell, hear and touch everything in it and you just knew in your heart that it is real?  Have you ever had thoughts and feelings that were so strong that you just had to write them down before they went away forever?

The dream is alive!

"Sometimes the only thing standing in the way of your writing a great story or poem, is you." You may already have written a masterpiece but are afraid to show it because you wonder what everyone thinks about you. Well, I'm here to tell you that it's just not about you anymore. I mean, once your thoughts and feelings have been realized, it becomes part of something greater than yourself. That is one reason why you may feel good, as your spirit freely moves to convey the message you choose to express, through writing a story or a poem.

Show us how you dream... 

Andre L. West

DreamQuestOne.Com

The Dream Quest One Poetry Contest Winners - Winter 2009 2010 are as follows...

The Poetry Contest First Prize Winner is:
TODD A. ELLIOTT of Valparaiso, Indiana

"NEEDING TO SEE"

 

Gut-wrenched and torn I stand, my eyes pierced by this wretched reflection of a well-respected man. Their judgment tainted and twisted by the all-knowing norm, as I’m crowned a success for what I have, not who I am. I’m thick with life, swollen with pride, passion-struck, with all true my feelings set aside, rolled away and tucked up!

So many times my reckless river of hope was beaten, bruised and bound to the whipping post. They fed me control, rolled over my dreams, and somewhere in this garden of madness, mine is the future they envy most. Without their wicked sense of control they all scurry. As I kick their crystal ball, and jam a stick in their spokes, this whipping boy breaks their rhythm and feeds the fury!

Don’t try to break or mold my world. The newfound power of me is stronger than any marching army of nations with heads held high, flags unfurled. I’ll show them a clearer side of life their knowledge hasn’t allowed them to see. I’ll crawl from my straight jacket and show them an illustrious creature, never thought to roam or be. I’ll show them a person stained by society, living, when daring to be themselves and choosing to be free. Maybe a complete rendition, will allow them to hear the blind man when he says,

“who we can be, is all we need to see.”

If, and only if, my love-lined blood was wearing a frown, could I be so weak to get pummeled, tattered and thrown around. World be ready, for the wounded smile it wears emits an aggressive fog, leading my soldiers from the mountains to the ground. There’s a place earmarked for earth’s most radiant fountain. The place my soldiers and I will stand, as lightening reigns, on top this love-struck mountain!

Deep beneath our armor lies a restless, rushing flow. Reach down and loosen the gate for there are forests, rivers and skies to let go. Does being together in this world really mean being apart? Can we ever fill ourselves with enough mutual passion, to prevent an end, leading to another start? Can we ever see past our egos and reach for a time when we’re a passionate band of sisters and brothers? Will the height of our raging emotions always over shadow the width and depth of footprints in our lives, left by others? With a darkening sky, I fear these hardened footprints will disappear in the wind-blown sand. Let’s blind ourselves with optimism and remember the future, when all we needed to see, was who we can.       

# # #

"Thank you for this opportunity to share my creative writing.
As I give myself to my dream, I hope to connect with the open
minds of many others along the way."

~Todd A. Elliott

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The Poetry Contest Second Prize Winner is...
PAMELA ODUNAIYA of Sunbury on Thames, England

“Senorita where your dreams right now I ask myself”

I shook my head as I remembered in my patterned mushroomed helmet as I drove off

Of the special half – squared baked loafy ideas that had died from several bullets

I dreamt when I was just seven of being a ballerina in fiery stars in a sequined world

But all I had was a postcard decorated in marbled gold and love tokens hidden in my stockings

I dreamt when I was a strong-minded twenty of being a billionaire and superstar

But all I had was stars in my twinkling eye just swallowing the heartache of failure

I dreamt when I was thirty of being a super mum in a continuous holiday mood

But all I had was a dream squashed as my children went into social nominal care

I dreamt when I was forty of recovering my youth and spitting out the dirty wrinkly ideas

But all I had was a dream re knitted in the warmest glow of sparkling love and tender care

So when I was fifty I decided to dream of reaching out to others and fulfilling their delicious dreams

I remembered no toxic smell to draw me into a false sense of the past or vivid nightmare paintings

I remembered inspirational paintings and romantic smells that ushered me into a golden future

Such as the gorgeous sunflowers of Van Gogh and the rosy smell of the queen of the night

And now I am sixty one I dream of living in a magical island far away from the disturbing crowd

I dream of peace radiating into our inner beings and then like an automated billing machine

Bringing world love and energy in pendulum swings of political imbalance in the universe

How I dream that war on religion will disappear like a mirage does on a hot summer day

How I dream that the war on poverty will be erased from the politics of tomorrow

And so I dream one day not to live forever but for my matured dreams to come to live a life

# # #

a poem written by Pamela Odunaiya 

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The Poetry Contest Third Prize Winner is...

CLAIRE TRAINOR of Denver, Colorado

“CAMERA”

Put the camera down; give it its well-earned break,

And let your memory do its job.

Stop watching the world through that 2-inch LCD screen

You brag so much about

And let your eyes see the vivid colors the world holds.

The bright blues, and dark greens,

The gentle pinks and purples and oranges

Of the setting sun that last ever so slightly

Before fading into nothingness.

Let them watch the way a breeze can ever so slightly move a tree,

See the emotion that faces really hold,

Not those phony smiles they plaster on for the flash

Before the faces fade back to the

Heartache, love, hatred, joy, disappointment, and happiness they usually hold.

Skip freely,

Run as fast as you can,

Hold on tight,

Otherwise you’re left in the dust,

Splash in the ocean waves

And feel the salt bathe your skin

Without the worries of dropping your beloved camera,

Because I bet all it wants,

With its 2-inch LCD screen capturing every moment

Is to break and have its job be done,

So it can do you a favor and let you see the world

As it’s supposed to be seen,

Remembering what you remember, forgetting what you forget

And watching those colors of the sunset fade into nothingness

Knowing that your memory captured it all. 

# # #

About the author:

My name is Claire Trainor. I'm fourteen years old and attend Slavens School in Denver. I've been here for ten years, and those have all been amazing. Finally I'm in 8th grade, the top of the school. Most of the kids who are in my grade have been going to school with me since I was four (about 35 out of 42). Of course we fight, but that's just life. I have a sister, she's eleven. She goes to Denver School of the Arts and majors in Theatre. I also have a mom, a dad and a dog, her name is Flora. For high school, I'm seriously considering Denver School of the Arts for Creative Writing, or George Washington High School, which has the International Baccalaureate program (top seven in the country!). All my family is a huge supporter of my writing. I have won the Denver Poetry in Motion contest, and got to meet Denver Poet Laureate, Chris Ransik because of it. Writing is my passion. I love it with all my heart and that's why I am entering this contest.

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Click here to read the First Prize Winning Story @ Dare to Dream page 2...



Enter the Contest by Clicking Here!