gren

The judges are once again deadlocked in deciding the December POTM winner, so for one time only, I'm going to open it up to member votes. But to keep this fair, I must ask that when you vote you also post valid reasons for your choice in this thread, beyond just "I like it". Any votes cast without coherent, substantial comments on the work chosen will be disregarded in the final count. The poll will be open until Thursday, 1/17, and the winner will be announced on Friday, 1/18.

Here are the two finalists:

A Christmas Lesson From A Misfit Toy - divine_punishment

I, alas, am a misfit toy,
Cast to the workshop floor.
Not for me, a girl or boy,
My quality’s too poor.

No elf would claim he made me,
There’s too much shame in that.
Rudolph even MAIMED me . . .
He ate my little hat.

I’m uglier than sin itself:
I’m limp and much too tall.
If they find me, they’ll hide me on the top shelf.
I’m an ugly, ugly doll.

A dust bunny is my only friend.
Real ones are hard to find . . . .
What’s this? A hand? Is this the end?!
Not what I had in mind!

I’m being smuggled in a vest.
What’s happening to me?
Is the gesture just a jest?
. . . . . I’m underneath a tree.

Night rolls by like a molasses train.
Christmas Eve slips by without cares.
I try to hide but all in vain
As footsteps come down the stairs.

It’s a little elf-girl of six years old,
But crippled like seventy-two.
Her misshapen features are frighteningly bold
But her smile, at least, is true.

With disbelief, she says, “A toy!”
She holds me tight with glee.
“Oh, Papa,” she cries with unbridled joy,
“God made him just like me.”

And now it has occurred to me:
I’m really not that bad.
Inside you find the real beauty.
Now, really, aren’t you glad?

So, forget the tree, forget the lights.
For Santa don’t you shout.
This love, this joy, this silent night
Is what Christmas is all about.

.................................................. ....

Phantom Wings - KimiFemi

I feel the pull of the sky.
It calls out my name.
Like a sweet whisper on the wind,
It lures me away.

First my gaze slips.
Then my thoughts stray.
A smile crosses my face,
As the breeze turns my way.

Though the air is cool
The sun warms me,
Like a lovers embrace.
Soon every thing else fades away.

Feet at the edge,
I can almost feel it.
Just out of reach,
The uncontrolable joy
Brought on by letting go
And leaving your fate in the hands of the sky.

Reaching out,
I feel the ready tug of the wind grip my fingers.
I jump.
Unburdend and free,
I let the breeze guide me.
The simple joy of it all wraps around me,
Like Phantom Wings,
Drawing me deeper into the sky.

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Gren's Music