Poem by: J.R. Geiger
Genre: Editorial and Opinion
1st Place
Free Verse Poem Contest Entry, November 14, 2025
Please write a free verse poem. Any topic. No rhyming patterns.
A dark street, wet pavement reflecting
the harsh light of a nearby broken lamp.
They move.
ANTAGONISTIC, yes, a friction sought in the crowded square,
a confrontation built from bone and fear,
a challenge hurled across a widening gulf.
NEEDY, for what, exactly?
A validation caught in the camera flash,
a purpose worn like a thin, black uniform,
a constant hunger for the stage.
TERRORISTIC, in the sharp smash of glass,
the shouted, breath-fueled promise of consequence,
a chaos meant to paralyze
the simple flow of day-to-day.
INFANTILE, a tantrum clothed in masks and heavy boots,
kicking at the world’s complexity,
demanding simple lines drawn
between good and utterly wrong.
FACELESS, lost beneath the shroud of anonymity,
the collective shadow,
a name erased in the action.
Black masks drawn tight across the mouth and nose,
leaving only the blunt force of the many.
ASSHOLES, to those who watch the aftermath—
the scattered flyers, the police tape,
the cold, hard cost of belief
spilled onto the curb.
© Copyright 2025 J.R. Geiger. All rights reserved.
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You write poetry so well. This is a powerful statement from an observational point of view. I've never got the hang of poetry so cudos to you for writing it to this high standard. I think it's harder to do without rhyme, you have to keep the flow and cadence without the sing-song feel. Great work.
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It was REALLY hard to write a non-rhyming poem.
In my head, poems should rhyme. Without the rhyme, they're just essays in my opinion.
Morag Higgins