Poetry Slam

I went to a poetry reading/contest last night. I didn't realize we were going to be judged. I brought along my notebook with the poem I was thinking of reading: a soul picture dark. It turns out people were preforming more than one, so I threw in I want to be famous really quickly as a kind of warm up. I'd never performed a poem before.
So, to my complete surprise given the quality of the other works, I was chosen by the judges to be in the final three (out of 15 or so). Which meant I had to read another poem. I pulled this one out, because it was the longest thing I had with me. I usually just write three or four lines.

Numbers

I once lived in a land where most live --
This earth of soil and structure.
It was a land where love grew
and blossomed
and wilted and died.
and with its brief joy came pain,
deep and wide and flowing
love is ever replaced with hurt
empty longing

But numbers -- O yes! numbers!
numbers never lie.
1 and 1 is always two, unless it is eleven.
Love grows old and dies, but
numbers remain.

You stay love grows
Love fades time slows
The rain still falls and men die.

O to live in a land where few go --
To a tale of wind and dreams
For numbers fade, and change, and
Die.
Numbers betray.
But love -- O yes! love!
love survives
Where 1 and 1 is often one
and numbers grow old and die.



I ended up in third place, and got $25 to Barnes & Noble. Really cool. So, maybe there's something to this poetry stuff after all.