Out of 30 poems I’ve written in April, these are my personal Top 10. My task is to narrow them down to the Top 5. So please help a poetess out and tell me which THREE you like the best!

1. Prompt: Hold that ____

“hold that ghost”

a presence that lingers only in your dreams
but eventually you must open your eyes
and realize you’ve been forced to say goodbye

a phantom that appears only in your memories
you once believed you had forever to create new ones
now the past is all you have with the coming of each morning sun

a voice you wish to hear just once more…and once more
but the phone never rings
the warm greeting you absentmindedly expect to receive at the door
yet you’re met with nothing

they tell you time heals all and you’ll move on
you want to tell them all to get lost
because you don’t want the pain to be gone
and you can’t let go of that ghost

so you hold that ghost and try to never let go

2. Prompt: light

“city of lights”

the city sighs with the sound of silence
though its citizens move in a flurry of motion
sparkling lights illuminate their busy footsteps
as they glow in the spotlight of daily ennui
i sit atop the highest mountain
watching those flickering lights
breathe in the scent of solitude
and wonder where he is
among the dancing radiance

3. Prompt: mechanical

“life of a human”

boredom falls with the setting sun
only to rise again the next morning
no sign of spontaneity on the horizon
just more of the same old, same old

drowning in caffeine, they ride in boxes down the street
in tight rows stuffed like canned sardines
get to the office, stare into a screen
programmed to forget how to dream

after work they stare into a different screen
checking pictures, messages, hypnotized
by moving people playing out scenes
and they forget about real conversation

and on weekends they hit the snooze
a reflex learned from years of weariness
at night they party it up, get drunk on booze
because they’re told they can

4. Prompt: casting

“spellbound”

that moment I step into the room
(he is there)
it’s a force beckoning like a siren’s croon
(magnetic)
for me to look away is
(impossible)
those deep dark eyes of his
(bewitching)
I feel a spark of recognition
(improbable)
a wave of premonition
(fills the air)
he walks over, and now he’s standing here
(he’s beaming)
what’s reflected in his eyes is like looking into a mirror
(can it be?)
it’s as though he can only see me
(this moment)
his wit, his manner, different from anyone I’ve met
(he charms me)
and the more we talk, we instantly connect
(like magic) for once, I’ve found someone truly interested in what I have to say
(genuine)
unlike other men, his focused gaze never wanders from my face
(attentive)

and then I know he is just as enchanted by me as I am of him
(I’ve captivated him!)
the fairies have waved their magic over us on some fanciful whim
(we’re both spellbound)

5. Prompt: Broke poem

“shattered glass”

as a girl, she used to dream
of mysterious castles and enchantments
of talking animals and a handsome prince
of a happy ever after
but the invitation to the ball never came
no fairy godmother came to save her
and the glass slipper never fit

as a girl, she used to sing
of rainbows and colorful ponies
of mermaids and fairies
of courageous, shining knights
but she pricked her finger on the spindle
and fell into a dangerous sleep
no prince came to wake her

as a woman, her eyes lost their naïve gleam
after realizing fairy tales rarely come true
after becoming a zombie of the corporate world
after being devoured by ogres and dragons
and the poison of the apple lingers ever after
developing a tumor of bitterness in her soul

as a woman, her innocence fell apart at the seams
the wide-eyed princess became a wicked stepmother
the crooning mermaid became a roaring sea witch
the book-loving belle became an arrogant sadist
she stands in front of the mirror, admiring her form
the beautiful purity that once was there is gone
and the glass shatters, broken on the floor

6. Prompt: hunted/hunter poem

“a warning to the hunted”

he sniffs the air and sneers
teeth glistening with sadistic pleasure
he can smell Her
the scent of human weakness
a feeble soul with no defenses

his tactics are subtle, but he’s a strategy master
he stalks
her
slowly
studies her vulnerabilities
learns her deSI…
…res
tracks her Every
fear

then he approaches her gently, wearing the grin of a Charming Angel
polite and gorgeous, a MiRRoR image of the sun
he casts his bait
lures her in with Pretty Words
whispers Promises
of Delight
into her ear

she has no shield, no sword, no armor
little by little
her Blood Begins to Burn and he
changes his Form
Stokes her insecurities
Fills her with doubt

his Knife digs
deeper…Deeper
until he Devours her soul
leaving
nothing but an empty shell

the hunter Prowls again this very Night
in search of his next prey
his Bloodthirsty eyes turn
to you

we’re all among the Hunted

7. Prompt: instructional poem

“how to be successful”

how do I become successful like you?
travel the world and marry a prince,
land a dream job and raise seven kids?

her mother smiled and slowly replied

how do you measure success, my dear?
by red carpet fashions and three PhDs?
by high paying pensions and the man of your dreams?

to the world, that may count as success, it is true

but what of a poor man who works hard all his life?
who stays true to his wife and provides for his kids
who will never be famous or have a book about what he did

and what of an autistic child who strives to overcome?
who smiles and tries and constantly believes though he is teased
who will never be President or be summoned for his scientific expertise

so my child, don’t try to be me…just be you
and keep doing the wonderful little things that you do

8. Prompt: beyond poem

“Beyond the Door”

She is afraid of what may lie
beyond that daunting front door
How can she possibly reach
for such an unpredictable more?

She is afraid of what may lie
beyond the horizon so blue
Is it even conceivable to believe
a fleeting dream might ever come true?

Her fearful, cynical nature
says she’s better off inside
tells her to cast away that hope
and lay her crazy fancies aside

And practically, she should
The beyond is really quite scary
Since it’s impossible to see the future
It would be best to just stay wary

But Rapunzel was so lonely
Up in that dreary, locked tower
And it was only when she took that daring leap
That she won her shining hour

So she shoves away reason
And opens that damned front door
Tells her doubts to go to hell
And searches for her unpredictable more

9. Prompt: in case of ___

“in case of our untimely goodbye”

dark night descends and he finally leaves
delirious, dreary, drained
a boy letting go of a bright, yellow balloon
he knows he’ll never see again
he walks to the bus stop from the hospital
watches an empty bus pass, dark and alone
only two indifferent strangers aboard
absorbed in their music and technology
the doctor says he’ll outlive them all
a long life he doesn’t wish for
she isn’t dead but he wonders
if it’s better if she were
the kids let go much sooner
they never visit anymore

the nurse gave him a letter she wrote
last week when she came back for awhile
he opens it now on the lonely bench and reads:

in case of our untimely goodbye
know that our love is forever true
in case i forget our precious memories
i’ll just have to remember them through you

in case i never come back to you
know that i wish that i could
in case you forget to take care of yourself
this is me telling you that you should

in case i never tell you “I LOVE YOU” again
know that i’m shouting it repeatedly within my soul
in case of our untimely goodbye
never forget i love you more than you’ll ever know

10. Prompt: Sonnet

“Recessive Princess”

The lady hides in dark obscurity
A modern day princess who longs for more She lurks inside a beach house by the sea
And yearns to bask in sunlight on the shore

But she was born with fragile, snow white skin
Exposure to the sun will burn and scald
Because of the recessive genes within
And scaly patches make her face look mauled

She emerges to dance and sing at night
For in the day she shrouds herself in robes
She knows the prince will run away in fright
If ever he should see her scars up close

She casts aside all hopes of true romance
And so she must continue this lone dance