600TH POETRY CONTEST

Glade Sanctuary
By Laurelinden

Though far-off clouds
May roil, may hiss,
Though evil brews
In distant mist;
Here, in your green
Garden, is bliss.

Tiny buds burst
From fecund earth,
Air through the leaves
Whispers in mirth;
Put out of mind
Twin of your birth.

Give her the sky,
Vast for her greed;
Infinite blankness
Pretty indeed--
Though ne'er so lovely
As sprout or as seed.

A Sister's Tears
By Really_awesome_d00d

Sapphire waters of the ocean gleam.
Within the waves, the secrets teem.
Of pirates, Maraquans, curses, and treasure,
Of sisterly bonds distance cannot measure.

Perched solemnly on the forgotten rocks
Sits a sobbing seeress with ashen locks,
Unwanted, alone, exiled, and despised,
Watching the kingdom where she was exorcised.

She knows no love, no compassion, no light,
And in her mind is a twisted sight
Of nightmarish ruin and unbridled fear,
That is all that can be seen by this dark seer.

She once was wanted, long ago,
In a nautical metropolis of ebb and flow,
Where she had a sister, a family, a friend.
And with that, her troubles seemed to end.

But she had a talent, one of darkness and fright,
One that made for a terrible night.
Of chaos, uncertainty, and nightmares,
Of dreams that melted superfluous cares.

It was this curse for which she was banned,
From paradise, from her sister's hand.
For her, there is no love, no light.
For her, she remembers every night.

But far away, her sister cries,
Sending up despairing sighs.
She cares for her sister, that is true.
But does her twin sister miss her, too?

Journey to Krawk Island
By Songful

A drafty morning peeks upon
The fog-strewn sea below;
The sea is bare, and yet afar
A tiny craft still flows.

Though gales torment its ragged sails,
And salt encrusts the deck,
The ship weaves on across all storms
To reach its far-flung trek.

Yet ever on its crew will plough
Through dusk unto the day;
For dreams of riches still afar
Light up their murky way.

And yet a morning there will come--
A dawn for all to view;
Bells will ring and laughter sound
Throughout the weary crew.

Krawk Island sprawls ahead at length,
Its shores alight with sand;
Through crashing waves and blazing storms
The ship has reached its land.

Darigan Fallen
By Waifine_1

A monarch, a ruler,
A king at his best,
Yet when he was destined,
He failed the test.

One day it was stolen,
The Orb of great power,
His lands ceased to flourish,
No longer in flower.

Lord, after the thieves
Of his Orb he did ride,
To replenish his homeland,
And mend his rent pride.

Thus came on much havoc
And waste to the land.
The battle was won,
The Orb in his hand.

But after such torment
And war to destroy,
The Orb could no longer
Bring back fallen joy.

A tyrant, a villain,
A fiend to crush all,
Destroyed by the Orb,
He came to his fall.

Meerca Chase Maze
By Foolses_coolses

I stride forth, brave and bold,
I conquer nooks and crannies.
Around me, hedges unfold,
So straight that it's uncanny.

I take the place by storm,
Flitting after Neggs,
Dodging in good form,
Tail tripling the size of legs.

The pursuit is ongoing,
But I never slow.
My burden ever growing;
Straining is my tow.

Wait!

My Meerca sense feels an evil air.
What lurks around the bend?
Approach it, that I do not dare,
It will surely mean my end.

Alas, it is a Negg of red;
A poisoned, crimson wraith.
Consume it and the chase is dead,
In these rogues I have no faith.

Away I quickly back,
But I crash into an edge.
The Negg had me sidetracked;
I forgot about the hedge!

Kanrik the Thief
By Battlesunn

A Gelert of such mystery,
A Neopet of great mystique,
Clad in sweeping cloaks of dark,
Kanrik is a thief.

His eyes are always shifting,
His gaze is never still;
When plundering or stealing,
Kanrik always takes his fill.

Cunning and ruthless,
A danger to the core,
His daring, dangerous exploits
Will live on in Neopian lore.

He's a force to be reckoned with,
A Gelert with a tough outer crust.
He can be an ally or an enemy,
Just don't give him your trust.

He schemes and lies and cheats his way
To the very top.
He's done so many evil things,
But he never has been caught.

So if you find yourself
A victim of this thief,
Look no further than Terror Mountain...
But beware of whom you seek.

Loved, Lost and Forgotten
By Sparkly_fairy_dust

Once upon a time I was loved dearly,
I had an owner -? she did care for me.
She showed her feelings very clearly,
A happy life was in the guarantee.

The Discarded Magical Blue
Grundo Plushie was loved.

Then one day I was taken on a trip
To the magical place called Faerieland.
It was there my owner lost her grip,
I flew away out of the loving hand.

The Discarded Magical Blue
Grundo Plushie was lost.

And there I lay on a sad lonely cloud,
My presence missed only for a while.
Judged and scorned by a watching crowd,
I couldn't even manage a measly smile.

The Discarded Magical Blue
Grundo Plushie was forgotten.

And there you have it -- the story of my life!
Loved, lost and then sadly forgotten.
I exist in a world of sadness and strife,
A lumpy piece of deserted cotton.

Maraquan Paradise
By Elvin28

Bubbles escape the broad muzzle,
The faint ripple of azure air,
Floating in this strange abyss,
So heavenly, so fair.

Sunlight dances on long, winding weeds,
Reaching toward the sun,
Stalks of trailing, wind-swept reeds,
Paradise has begun.

Round spheres of clearness,
Floating up to the skies,
Gently fogging the endless lands,
Clouding soft brown eyes.

Whiskers quiver in the flowing breeze,
Emerald stands brushing at its belly,
No longing 'mongst the swaying trees,
No hunger,
Nor thirst,
Just a floating, pleasing joy.

A pang hits deep within its lungs,
And bubbles rise above,
Kicking off the sandy earth,
Soaring upward,
Like a dove.

Sun rippling just ahead,
The world becoming strangely warm,
Sleek was this creature's head,
Breaking the writhing surface,
Floating with its head just above the ocean's rim.
A grimace on its face...

Then without a sound the creature disappeared,
Beneath the surface it soared,
Free once more in its paradise,
To soar, forever, never bored...

The Ghost Koi
By Kitokat_mh

Floating through deserted seas,
A swimming terror in the night.
Appearing with red, glowing eyes,
Then disappearing out of sight.

It strikes fear into the hearts
Of both Pirates and Maraquans.
Will it steal souls or sacred scrolls?
No one knows its plans.

In complete silence it does drift,
Amongst the rippling waves.
Into the Maraquan graveyard
Where it weaves between the graves.

A sinister being up to no good,
But no one knows from whence it came.
It roams throughout the seven seas,
A wandering spirit with no name.

This ghostly being says no words,
But it's something everyone fears.
You may spot it in the murky darkness
Before it slowly disappears.

So keep an eye out whilst in Maraqua,
Or you will have an awful fright!
As a curse is said to dwell on those
Who behold this ghostly sight!