Writing Contest Winning Entries
Congratulations to the winners of our 3rd Annual "Love What's Real" Writing Contest!! Our apologies for the delay in publishing these--it can be pretty chaotic around here. With no further ado, here are the winning entries.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER: KAYLA BARSTOW, ALTON HIGH SCHOOL
TITLE: ALL THE CLUES BUT NO SIGNS
She didn't want this to happen at all
All she wanted was the fall
Just a dream.
The knight in shining armor you couldn't see through the gleam.
All she wanted was the rush from just a brush of skin
She didn't stop to think to let him in.
Prince Charming with a mask
It was gone in a flash.
Yelling, screaming
Tears streaming.
At first it was just fighting
And then the apologies.
Then she started hiding
Lying. To her parents, friends, teachers, and her boss
Putting on makeup to cover their loss.
Bruises where we couldn't see them. Then where we could.
Building up. Overflowing.
Tired of none of us knowing.
But she wasn't telling.
Then just as quick as the beginning it was ending.
He could see she was about to break.
He vanished like a shadow in the dark.
He broke her bones, her soul, and her heart.
Just like her hope from her body leaving
Came from her wrists, bleeding.
Her life fading away
We didn't hear her say
She was sorry.
A lesson learned for us involved
All the clues and the crime could have been solved.
Don't delude yourself to include yourself
In someone else's life.
Time brings the seal.
Wait to feel what is real.
FIRST PRIZE WINNER: LOGAN WAKE, WILLOW SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL
TITLE: REAL LOVE
You're such a man for hitting your girlfriend,
Oh yes, it will all come back to get you in the end.
I hope you feel strong for hitting a girl,
See how far that will get you in the real world.
Abuse can go either which way,
it can be physical or just the words people say.
That one special person may be sweet at first,
But when things don't go smooth is when you see the worst.
Scared to tell anyone what really goes on,
Even though you aren't the one in the wrong.
Now it happens so often you can hardly feel,
All you ever wanted was to love something that was real.
SECOND PRIZE WINNER: TARA CLINTON, WILLOW SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL
TITLE: BITTERSWEET NOTATIONS
Love, one of the most powerful feelings. It's based upon a few factors, and sometimes it's not what you expected it to be. Vision, it's a blur, last time you promised no more. Maybe, I thought, because I trusted in you. Respect, is what you say it gives you. Neglect, is all I feel. Lift me off the ground, you're no king-you've got no crown. I may hit the floor and ask for no more but here you come again. These tears, they are my silent screams' only escape. I try to tell them you didn't mean it, because when you do it I try to seek refuge. I refuse to believe that it's not meant to be this way.
Expressing, how I feel. Deep down you've shattered my heart, you say I'm not pretty, and I believed it. You say you're the only one who understands me. You've pushed me too far away from the world, I don't even know who I am anymore. Depressing, this is how I feel. When I walk down the sidewalk, my shadow is my only friend. When I look in the mirror, all I see is a face...that I don't recognize. I have no friends, they all left when I stuck with you. Probably got tired of trying to make me grin, asking me why I look so grim. Just, I got tired of acting okay, saying I'm fine, when I'm slowly dying inside. You always say you're going to change, and you do--but only for a little while. All I've ever wanted was a special bond, a friend, a best friend. I thought you were...I don't even feel safe coming home. I'd rather be away...I see a wilted flower...funny that's how I feel, dying, when I haven't even lived. Every time you do it, I wish you would finish me, so maybe you could see the monster you really are.
But, when we first met, you were everything you're not. I thought I felt alone before you...now I don't even feel alive. Back, before you, everything was fine...except one thing...Yeah, I felt like a nobody, but that wasn't it. My old life was ripped from me...but I was doing okay, but okay wasn't good enough. Yeah, I had friends. I could tell them anything, but I always felt distant, and alone...especially at home...always alone...no one ever home. Something was missing, and I thought it was love. Now I know better...all I wanted was a friend. To feel special, cared for...loved! Everybody at home had somebody, and was always away...I just wanted...a friend. Then you came along and turned my frown upside down...until you shattered my teeth.
Everyone has something wrong in their life...but some have it worse than others. I've never felt important, or pretty, or even loved. And that's all I want. Maybe, someone to notice me when I walk down the hall. I've always been different...but even tough I don't look or dress like you...do you ever wonder if I feel like you? Black clouds cloud my mind. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger...that's true if you can live through it...My body may be alive but the old me has died inside...I left her far behind the first time I let you crush me. Maybe someday she will get off the ground and onto her feet and find me...or maybe I need to find her...I just don't know if I can do it...without you...What would I be? Where would I be? WHO would I be? I just don't see any way out of this...I became obsessed with you, obsessed with the pain, obsessed with torture, obsessed with this madness you have brought upon and to me...the pain...it's too much to bear anymore...All this pain...all these tears...I'm drowning in my own sorrow...How much longer until I go mad? Am I still sane? Am I too close to the edge to grab a hold...won't anyone save me? Where is my savior? I thought you were him...only a fool would be where I am...but I'm worse than a fool...I guess I always have been...Maybe it's better this way...
Love, one of the most powerful feelings. It's based upon a few factors, and sometimes, it's not what you expected it to be. If it's not what you want it to be, or doesn't feel right, then it's not love. Love is supposed to be a cherished bond, and that bond is built with trust, equality, respect, understanding, and you should always, no matter what, always feel safe. And as it turns out in the end, there is always someone there for you, even if you don't realize that. Someone, somewhere out there, knows how you feel, you're not alone, but you can't always expect them to know something's wrong, especially if you're covering it up. You know you've got the one when they are always there for you...you both should have an equal trust in each other, but it takes awhile to build that trust. Respect each other's feelings, you should never put each other down...And always, no matter what, remind them how you feel. Love, one of the most powerful feelings. It's based upon a few factors, and sometimes it's not what you expected it to be...but sometimes it is, and that's what keeps us going.
THIRD PLACE WINNER: REBA HOPE CARSWELL, ALTON HIGH SCHOOL
TITLE: TRUE POWER
Bam.
Pow.
She needs to leave, but does not know how.
Run.
Fast.
Away from the conflict,
Away from their past.
Forgive.
Forget.
It will never happen again,
For everything he does, it's one more regret.
She continues to take,
Plays along with the fake.
That everything is okay,
Like there's nothing left for him to break.
He screams,
She speaks.
He flames,
She's weak.
She always takes,
Never wavers or breaks.
For she knows his rage,
Will soon cease to quake.
She still feels his love,
After every time they hit a wall.
Always loves her again,
Soon after he makes her fall.
Always picks her up,
Brushes off the dirt.
She's ready to forgive,
No matter how much the hurt.
You'd think she would leave him,
And no one can see why.
She sits and takes it,
When he swats her like a fly.
Young and foolish,
Fragile and meek.
She's shaken and broken,
So deathly afraid to speak.
She's slipping,
Losing all control.
Reaching, she's gripping,
Begging for someone to come patrol.
She's through with faking,
One more hit was all it took.
With help now she's the queen,
And finally he's the rook.
"It's over," she's told,
This she does believe.
She's safe and no longer alone,
Embraced in her family's relief.
His false power depleted,
In his cell, he's so weak.
He realizes what he's taken for granted,
And feels long deserved defeat.
Been given the needed tools,
To put her own life back in the lead.
With their help, now she's free,
From his rage and violent deeds.
It could have ended much sooner,
With less heartache and pain.
If only she had seen her true power,
This was the strength she had left to gain.
No more bam.
No more pow.
It all had to come to an end,
The only way she knew how.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER: KAYLA BARSTOW, ALTON HIGH SCHOOL
TITLE: ALL THE CLUES BUT NO SIGNS
She didn't want this to happen at all
All she wanted was the fall
Just a dream.
The knight in shining armor you couldn't see through the gleam.
All she wanted was the rush from just a brush of skin
She didn't stop to think to let him in.
Prince Charming with a mask
It was gone in a flash.
Yelling, screaming
Tears streaming.
At first it was just fighting
And then the apologies.
Then she started hiding
Lying. To her parents, friends, teachers, and her boss
Putting on makeup to cover their loss.
Bruises where we couldn't see them. Then where we could.
Building up. Overflowing.
Tired of none of us knowing.
But she wasn't telling.
Then just as quick as the beginning it was ending.
He could see she was about to break.
He vanished like a shadow in the dark.
He broke her bones, her soul, and her heart.
Just like her hope from her body leaving
Came from her wrists, bleeding.
Her life fading away
We didn't hear her say
She was sorry.
A lesson learned for us involved
All the clues and the crime could have been solved.
Don't delude yourself to include yourself
In someone else's life.
Time brings the seal.
Wait to feel what is real.
FIRST PRIZE WINNER: LOGAN WAKE, WILLOW SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL
TITLE: REAL LOVE
You're such a man for hitting your girlfriend,
Oh yes, it will all come back to get you in the end.
I hope you feel strong for hitting a girl,
See how far that will get you in the real world.
Abuse can go either which way,
it can be physical or just the words people say.
That one special person may be sweet at first,
But when things don't go smooth is when you see the worst.
Scared to tell anyone what really goes on,
Even though you aren't the one in the wrong.
Now it happens so often you can hardly feel,
All you ever wanted was to love something that was real.
SECOND PRIZE WINNER: TARA CLINTON, WILLOW SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL
TITLE: BITTERSWEET NOTATIONS
Love, one of the most powerful feelings. It's based upon a few factors, and sometimes it's not what you expected it to be. Vision, it's a blur, last time you promised no more. Maybe, I thought, because I trusted in you. Respect, is what you say it gives you. Neglect, is all I feel. Lift me off the ground, you're no king-you've got no crown. I may hit the floor and ask for no more but here you come again. These tears, they are my silent screams' only escape. I try to tell them you didn't mean it, because when you do it I try to seek refuge. I refuse to believe that it's not meant to be this way.
Expressing, how I feel. Deep down you've shattered my heart, you say I'm not pretty, and I believed it. You say you're the only one who understands me. You've pushed me too far away from the world, I don't even know who I am anymore. Depressing, this is how I feel. When I walk down the sidewalk, my shadow is my only friend. When I look in the mirror, all I see is a face...that I don't recognize. I have no friends, they all left when I stuck with you. Probably got tired of trying to make me grin, asking me why I look so grim. Just, I got tired of acting okay, saying I'm fine, when I'm slowly dying inside. You always say you're going to change, and you do--but only for a little while. All I've ever wanted was a special bond, a friend, a best friend. I thought you were...I don't even feel safe coming home. I'd rather be away...I see a wilted flower...funny that's how I feel, dying, when I haven't even lived. Every time you do it, I wish you would finish me, so maybe you could see the monster you really are.
But, when we first met, you were everything you're not. I thought I felt alone before you...now I don't even feel alive. Back, before you, everything was fine...except one thing...Yeah, I felt like a nobody, but that wasn't it. My old life was ripped from me...but I was doing okay, but okay wasn't good enough. Yeah, I had friends. I could tell them anything, but I always felt distant, and alone...especially at home...always alone...no one ever home. Something was missing, and I thought it was love. Now I know better...all I wanted was a friend. To feel special, cared for...loved! Everybody at home had somebody, and was always away...I just wanted...a friend. Then you came along and turned my frown upside down...until you shattered my teeth.
Everyone has something wrong in their life...but some have it worse than others. I've never felt important, or pretty, or even loved. And that's all I want. Maybe, someone to notice me when I walk down the hall. I've always been different...but even tough I don't look or dress like you...do you ever wonder if I feel like you? Black clouds cloud my mind. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger...that's true if you can live through it...My body may be alive but the old me has died inside...I left her far behind the first time I let you crush me. Maybe someday she will get off the ground and onto her feet and find me...or maybe I need to find her...I just don't know if I can do it...without you...What would I be? Where would I be? WHO would I be? I just don't see any way out of this...I became obsessed with you, obsessed with the pain, obsessed with torture, obsessed with this madness you have brought upon and to me...the pain...it's too much to bear anymore...All this pain...all these tears...I'm drowning in my own sorrow...How much longer until I go mad? Am I still sane? Am I too close to the edge to grab a hold...won't anyone save me? Where is my savior? I thought you were him...only a fool would be where I am...but I'm worse than a fool...I guess I always have been...Maybe it's better this way...
Love, one of the most powerful feelings. It's based upon a few factors, and sometimes, it's not what you expected it to be. If it's not what you want it to be, or doesn't feel right, then it's not love. Love is supposed to be a cherished bond, and that bond is built with trust, equality, respect, understanding, and you should always, no matter what, always feel safe. And as it turns out in the end, there is always someone there for you, even if you don't realize that. Someone, somewhere out there, knows how you feel, you're not alone, but you can't always expect them to know something's wrong, especially if you're covering it up. You know you've got the one when they are always there for you...you both should have an equal trust in each other, but it takes awhile to build that trust. Respect each other's feelings, you should never put each other down...And always, no matter what, remind them how you feel. Love, one of the most powerful feelings. It's based upon a few factors, and sometimes it's not what you expected it to be...but sometimes it is, and that's what keeps us going.
THIRD PLACE WINNER: REBA HOPE CARSWELL, ALTON HIGH SCHOOL
TITLE: TRUE POWER
Bam.
Pow.
She needs to leave, but does not know how.
Run.
Fast.
Away from the conflict,
Away from their past.
Forgive.
Forget.
It will never happen again,
For everything he does, it's one more regret.
She continues to take,
Plays along with the fake.
That everything is okay,
Like there's nothing left for him to break.
He screams,
She speaks.
He flames,
She's weak.
She always takes,
Never wavers or breaks.
For she knows his rage,
Will soon cease to quake.
She still feels his love,
After every time they hit a wall.
Always loves her again,
Soon after he makes her fall.
Always picks her up,
Brushes off the dirt.
She's ready to forgive,
No matter how much the hurt.
You'd think she would leave him,
And no one can see why.
She sits and takes it,
When he swats her like a fly.
Young and foolish,
Fragile and meek.
She's shaken and broken,
So deathly afraid to speak.
She's slipping,
Losing all control.
Reaching, she's gripping,
Begging for someone to come patrol.
She's through with faking,
One more hit was all it took.
With help now she's the queen,
And finally he's the rook.
"It's over," she's told,
This she does believe.
She's safe and no longer alone,
Embraced in her family's relief.
His false power depleted,
In his cell, he's so weak.
He realizes what he's taken for granted,
And feels long deserved defeat.
Been given the needed tools,
To put her own life back in the lead.
With their help, now she's free,
From his rage and violent deeds.
It could have ended much sooner,
With less heartache and pain.
If only she had seen her true power,
This was the strength she had left to gain.
No more bam.
No more pow.
It all had to come to an end,
The only way she knew how.
Four Candles--Author Unkown
The four candles burned slowly. Their ambiance was so soft you could hear them speak...
The first candle said, "I am Peace, but these days nobody wants to keep me lit." Then, Peace's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.
The second candle says, "I am Faith, but these days I am no longer indispensable." Then, Faith's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.
Sadly, the third candle spoke, "I am Love and I haven't the strength to stay lit any longer. People put me aside and don't understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them." And, waiting no longer, Love goes out completely.
Suddenly, a child enters the room and sees the three candles no longer burning. The child begins to cry. "Why are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit until the end."
Then, the fourth candle spoke gently to the little boy. "Don't be afraid, for I am Hope. While I still burn, we can relight the other candles."
With shining eyes, the child took the candle of Hope and lit the other three candles--Peace, Faith, and Love.
With the candle of Hope, we can bring Peace, Faith, and Love back in our lives.
The first candle said, "I am Peace, but these days nobody wants to keep me lit." Then, Peace's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.
The second candle says, "I am Faith, but these days I am no longer indispensable." Then, Faith's flame slowly diminishes and goes out completely.
Sadly, the third candle spoke, "I am Love and I haven't the strength to stay lit any longer. People put me aside and don't understand my importance. They even forget to love those who are nearest to them." And, waiting no longer, Love goes out completely.
Suddenly, a child enters the room and sees the three candles no longer burning. The child begins to cry. "Why are you not burning? You are supposed to stay lit until the end."
Then, the fourth candle spoke gently to the little boy. "Don't be afraid, for I am Hope. While I still burn, we can relight the other candles."
With shining eyes, the child took the candle of Hope and lit the other three candles--Peace, Faith, and Love.
With the candle of Hope, we can bring Peace, Faith, and Love back in our lives.
Adopt-A-Room Campaign
Do you love to decorate? Love transforming a room by adding a few splashes of paint, pictures, or new throws? Have we got the thing for you!
Women and children come to our doorstep with the clothes on their backs, maybe a few personal items, and a lot of fear. Because of domestic violence...the CHOICE of someone they trusted and loved to abuse them...they have lost their safety, their security, their homes. Our shelter provides a safe place for women and children affected by violence at home to escape where they can heal and recover. We help them transform their lives...we do so with our communities' support and encouragement.
Our Adopt-A-Room campaign is an opportunity for the decorators in our communities to help transform lives by transforming their rooms. Feel free to give us a call to look at the rooms available to adopt and let your creativity soar! From furniture to curtains, rugs to painting, pictures to lighting...whatever you would be willing to do to transform a room will help transform lives. We want our shelter to be as close to home as we can possibly make it so women and children feel comfortable. Individuals, groups, organizations, and businesses are welcome to adopt a room. Give us a call at 417-469-1190, send us an email, or send a message through Facebook for more information! We look forward to your call and working together with you to be the difference in many lives.