Poem of the Week: ‘Hawaiian Hue’ by Ray Fields

It’s an understatement to say that we’ve been overwhelmed with responses to calls for submissions for our very first Poem of the Week. Dozens of entrants have been sifted through and we’ve managed to pick one that we connected to most. Before we show you the winning poem, we have a couple of fantastic runners up for you to pore over first.

 

3rd Place

‘To This Silent’ by Jessica Shev

My name is not important
Or my life
Nor my story
Not how I got to come here
My appearance
Or for glory
All I ask of you
Is to listen very closely
And maybe, just maybe
Your eyes will open mostly
And you will see a new something
A something very new
And maybe, just maybe, you’ll see what I say is true
Her Joy, her laughter, ringing through the air
Music, pounding, she sings without care…
Silence
Chattering insistantly
Living inconsistantly…
Silence
A careful smile hides her pain
Nothing really more to gain…
Silence
She runs from her monsters,
and hides from her past,
So when will this all end?
I’m here…
To break the silence.
Forget your past and listen close
Forget mistakes, your highs, your lows
And don’t you judge your friend or foe
Don’t you judge of those below.
So get off!
Get off your high throne
And be kind to those unknown.
She sat in the back of the class
Made fun of for her silence
she dared not speak
Yet NO ONE took the effort to see
The bruises inflicted by a father unrestricted
That every day she went home to an angry fight
A father drunk over a dead wife…
And a mute girl.
He hid his face at school
Called a sissy and a fool
Teachers thought him dumb and useless because he could pass a class
Yet every day, this coward, this failure got up every morning WITHOUT fail
To support a paralysed mother…and an ailing girl
Worked three jobs to get food on the table
While his teachers told him he would always fail
He was a scarred burnt mess
His face, indistinguishable
As he passed, people jeered and gagged
Parents hid their children in his wake
Kids thought him fun to prank
Wounded and sightless, compassion he sought
He went home later and there he thought
This is NOT for what i have fought
This brave soldier risked his life
For those mocking voices, that cut like a knife
So this is out from me to you
If you are lost or lonely too
If you have depression
You hurt or face aggression
Thank you for waking up today
Good job for whatever you have to say
You can do it…I know you can
And I encourage you to take a stand.                     

 

2nd Place

‘Axis’ by Joshua Mackle

We rotate on concrete,
Awaiting the fall,
The loss of our conscience,
The echoing call.

We wait for emotions
To gain their own minds,
Release them to oceans
To see what they’ll find.

We cross every border,
We overstep lines,
Our eyes meet with distance
And we transcend time.

We touch every tear
With our fingertips
We feel every membrane
As they taste our lips.

We count every freckle
And every eyelash,
Until our hearts ignite
And burn into ash.

We take every moment
To frame in our laughter,
To fulfil every dream
Of our ever after.

We feel every breath
And we count every word
To weave our own stories
So they can be heard.

We shout it from rooftops,
We tell the whole world,
And every syllable
From our tongues unfurled.

…

We rotate on concrete,
We pray for the fall,
And every cell of our heart
Is on call,

Until we find someone
To spin the Earth round,
Until this true romance
Is no longer bound,

And time is reversed
With this love so intense
That it blazes and burns
All your heart’s self-defence

And the Earth loses balances
And falls into space,
And your logic and reason
Is gone without trace.
And the stars and the moon
And the night doesn’t matter.
Because you are in love.
And love doesn’t shatter.

…

We rotate on concrete.
The world keeps on turning.
Time is still ticking.

The flames are still burning.

 

1st Place

‘Hawaaian Hue’ by Ray Fields

Right hand into left chest
Squeeze your heart & allow
Hot lava to flow in your veins
Warming a phoenix heating ashes
we give thanks to such creatures
such hope in flames ambushed by
Bright oranges & stale blues
streaming I see the shine pulse
through your skin & exhibits
Arrive on the surfaces that illuminate
the dancing shadows on body
Shadows now on wall appalled
by such beauty not betrayed
Pasts infest only used as catalysts
For growth we now only smell
the flowers figuratively
Even your hatred for these cause
Love to be that initial warmth
Now settled in the palms of your
Feet each step on my back soft
Firm realigning tilted vertebrae
A new definition of pain & pleasure
This love manufactured through heart &
Soul flesh aligned imbalances
Measured on the arch of a kiss

Ray Fields has written poetry for almost 15 years. He has recently submitted his manuscript for publication, which contains 100 poems broken down into ten chapters. The book is titled, “I <3 My Muse(s)”. He enjoys infusing his poetry with different mediums and formats such as visual art, music and community based efforts. He only wishes for his words to inspire all that hear and for all to find their muse.

Want to take part in next week’s jam? Be sure to check out the Poem of the Week page here and send any poems to info@culturedvultures.com before the 10th of January to take part.

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