But, off of that. Here's the winners from dreamsinstatic's contest
Mature Content
as lie the deadautumn was a throaty rattle----2nd Place by Pailei
that swung in slowly
on summer’s back.
stars cradled
the drifting days
as they slipped
from hothouse-hazy
to apple-crisp,
and every pale sunrise
arrived wreathed in a shiver
of mist.
we shrugged into
our layers and
huddled closer,
crackling leaves the color
of brazen blond
and blood-red billowing
around our feet—
fallen soldiers
curled against the cool earth
as lie the dead.
on a wolf-howl moon
we wavered like wraiths
into the night,
walking without fear,
corn husks scraping at the sky
as the stars
pirouetted overhead.
the wind pressed
a cold kiss
to my neck,
then your lips followed,
and you whispered
you would love me beyond living.
heart leaping,
i hung your words
on the hollow hands
of hope.
but winter crept in
without notice,
a thief in white silk
and black bone branches,
and buried
our fragile dreams.
still, your voice echoed
in the silent void
and somehow
i found my way back to you.
why then, do you
tremble and turn away,
twisting your prom
