Shenkuu Haiku
By Natasha_nguyen

High mountains looming
Swirling clouds, hidden secrets
A mystic city.

Endless azure sky
A sheet of falling water
Tiny bonsai tree.

Peaceful rock garden
Tranquility resides here
Find yourself within.

Cast away, ascend
Following the wind currents
Blue sails billowing.

Twisting mountain paths
Graceful buildings clinging to
Moss-covered rock face.

Walking climbing trails
Know that everywhere we go
Is our home. Shenkuu.

A Woeful Tale
By Lestatishot

"Gather 'round, young Neopians
And I shall tell thee a story
Full of bittersweet nonsense
And moments of glory...

It sits on a hill, its residents in gloom
No happiness dwells, no flowers abloom

A tombstone or two both covered in moss
Enveloped by fog; a Neopet's loss

But on Halloween Day, the spirits will rise
And the moon will engulf the dark, bitter skies

Still, the ghosts are not free, just trapped to the land
A spell they despise and truly reprimand

In the midst of it all comes a large Elephante
With a jolly old mustache and nothing to taunt

He eases his way in and slowly sits down
Among the dark beings of the empty, quaint town

Starting a fire and cooking some food
The ghosts watch in awe of their guest's cheerful mood

'Who is he? What is he?' they ask frantically
With their questions unanswered, many just flee

'Maybe he can break the spell on us all?'
'Maybe I can tell you a story for fall.'

And with that, the Elephante pulls out a book
And reads with such life, they're instantly hooked

For hours he describes and laughs and reacts
And the ghosts soon realize what exactly they lacked

Cursed to rise up only one time a year
The spirits are angry, but it's life that they fear

They hide so ashamed they forget about joy
And Neopia's pleasures and stories and toys

But since that one night, the spirits now understand
And as Kreludor rises, they dance and hold hands

For it is better to cherish that one single day
Than to simply ignore it and throw it all away...

Now, although that concludes my story right here
Don't worry just yet; I'll be back next year
I hope you young Neopets have a good night."
And with that, the Elephante turns off the light.

A Wanderer's Dream
By Cats9723

Let me listen, here on grass
To the world as it spins round
Through the sky soars a flash
Listen to that sweet sound!

Let me watch, in the tree
The Eyrie in the sky
As it lands, let me be
"Wander," the wind sighs.

Let me touch, here by side,
The ruffling, soft, violet fur
Here, by you, let me find
When sleep begins to slur.

Let me sing, in your ear,
A sweet Neopian lullaby
Lay down head, now right here,
"For house and home," I cry.

Let me sleep, dream my dream
Of faerie painted coats
Of magic wild, bound so free
Of musical earsweet notes.

Let me dream, of heroes bold
Of Meridell, of knights that roam
Of countless tales I've been told.
Of house, of home sweet home.

The Brain Tree's Woods
By Deathmonger888

Creeping through the darkness, I
Go searching for that tree.
The one that seeks the who, what, why
To solve its mystery.

I pass a house of broken glass
Where shadowed faces grin.
I look around for one to ask.
I'm answered just by wind.

Moving slowly through the mist
O'er brambles, sharp as spears.
Ancient limbs and branches twist,
Wizened by their years.

A castle rises through the gloom,
A flame alight within.
Beside it sits an ancient tomb,
My courage wearing thin.

At last I see for what I came
The smartest plant there is.
As I approach, its giant brain
whirs to work. It says,

"Now find me this and you shall find
a prize beyond your dreams.
'Tis but a date but keep in mind
that nothing's as it seems."

And so with quest in hand I could
Go back to whence I came.
And yet I wander through the Wood
And play the tree's cruel game.

Sand Thieves
By Peanut02395

Accustomed to the harshest heat,
Of scarlet skies and sand,
They shroud themselves in golden grains,
With cloth they weave by hand.

They say it's faerie magic there,
How they melt into the dunes,
But the capes and robes that they adorn,
Are made with dirt, not runes.

Their eyes are lined with blackest kohl,
They wield daggers of stone,
And even when in fiercest pain,
You'll never hear them groan.

They live where elements dwell in flesh,
Where stone towers touch the skies,
There water marks the richest pet,
The wisest: careful eyes.

They follow each other in careful lines,
As they move across the land,
Never leave footsteps back,
Emulate the ways of the sand.