Do I really need to hear

This lesson once again

I know what is inside

This wretched fear and pride

Oh when will you Stop!

I can not truly bear

Your musings of what I should, could or would

I don't really care

Please send me to the depths of the sea

Please Stop!

Don't keep reminding me

I can't take one more second

This is what must be

A stranger in my heart

Yes, I know it's ME

You won’t believe me when I say this, but you’re breaking all the rules.

At least, all the ones that matter to me.

Despite the name “motherhood,” it’s not supposed to be about you,

But about me

And all of the lessons you didn’t teach me,

That you couldn’t teach me if you tried.

It’s supposed to be about me

Learning to tie my shoes by watching you tie yours a million times over,

Though you didn’t notice because you were too busy with yourself

To see me seeing you.

If I said this to your face, you would tell me that I was wrong

And that I don’t love you.

And I would wish that at least one of those things were true.

Excuses, for me, is to block what I don't want to say.

Excuses give me reasons to change a perfect day.

Excuses are not an option to do right or wrong.

Excuses are what we use to change a written song.

Using my mind to change a situation,

knowing I could crash with any revelation.

If I tell you a reason why it doesn't have to be a lie.

Just a sugar-coated reason to give me an alibi.

Yes, I am going to explain,

how an answer could drive you insane.

Yet, I maintain, the reason I have to restain.

I have no excuse of why I couldn't see,

where I suppose to be.

With you constantly asking me,

I know an excuse will set me free.

Thank you to everyone for participating in this Challenge (: posting, reading, reposting, hearting :) I thoroughly enjoyed each and every entry! All the writes submitted added interesting variations of perspective on the theme of Play--which is such a vital aspect of Life. (I do intend to post something of my own on this... naturally I missed my own deadline! lol!) But on this beautiful Halloween Night I'm pleased to announce the winner's and to post the corresponding readings that were promised. I hope you enjoy! I tried to experiment with layers of sound... it impeded a bit on smoothness of recitation, and I hope you won't be displeased with the unusual variations of rhythm... would have liked to try a few more takes... but alas the Midnight hour is upon us... and So:

The Winners are...

lowercasemmmmmm, "play"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3DAyue702_wdEFUejNBdFV4V28/view?usp=sharing

Mnezz, " Play | > "

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3DAyue702_wV0owMVVkczNxUHc/view?usp=sharing

JMS, "Your Own: Throne or Cyclone"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3DAyue702_wQkRYNGE5c0JKWEE/view?usp=sharing

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*Credits: sound clips borrowed as follows...

play by lowercasemmmmmm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot4Hjje5oDM Creepy Circus Music - Twisted Carousel

Play by Mnezz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbiVlkQBYFk Beach with children Sound Effect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQeUxDg-dE0 Spinning Prize Wheel Sound Effect used by Jake Paul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7otwzO2C0o Small Child Giggling Sound Effect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65jOCvCSyUY Coin Drop Sound Effect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJC2nk3K3aU Door Bell sound Effect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KimhBT0t8Dc Footsteps Heels Marble Walk

JMS

(ambient sound from my classroom... the sculpture studio at Mt. Olive high school)

It was such a mundane thing, a group assignment. Not anyones favorite thing but we were college students and we could figure it out. I was never much of a team player but we divided up the jobs according to skill and I jumped on editing as well as my part of the paper. We had two days until it was time to submit and I was sick, very sick. I'd even dropped one of my two classes so I could concentrate on the one I had a chance of finishing. Still I told all of them I would get it done and I did. I took that jumbled mess, that collection of random papers and turned it into one cohesive report. A very hard two days of work repairing glaring problems with grammar, spelling and redundencies. In the end it was something to be proud of. I even finished with hours to spare. Then I went to turn in my (our) masterpiece. That's when I found out our group leader had submitted it already, the previous day. I spent two days working on getting a good grade and she couldn't be bothered to send me an e-mail that it wasn't necessary. To top it all off her editing was awful, she left in all the mistakes I had so painstakingly fixed. I think that was the exact moment I lost all faith in humanity. Realizing the fact that I could work hard while powering through a terrible illness and my effort was meaningless because of who my leader was.

Big and plump

They all fall down

Transparent and clear

Originated from a frown

From a blue, sad song

Formed a little raindrop

That glided on my nose

Onto the floor it dropped

A smile that formed

From a little remembering

Of memories once burned

Forgotten for centuries

Some small,

Some big,

Some came running faster than lightning

Some fell inches apart

As I fell on my knees, sobbing

Drip,

Drip,

Drop

The rain had stopped

Out of my window

As I stare at the treetop

But my sobs won’t stop

And my tears fall down

Big and plump

They all fall down

"Do you want to be a kind person and lock the door for me?"

"No, I don't really want to be a kind person."

"Okay, can you do it anyway?"

"Do what?"

"lock the door."

"Is that an order?"

"Can you lock the door on my way out!?"

"I am physically capable of such a task, yes."

"For heaven's sake, would you just lock the door!"

"I don't see how heaven would benefit from me turning a latch on-"

"Jeezus kuraist."

"My name's not Jeezus, it's Ven"

-sobbing noises-

"What's wrong?"

"You won't lock the door for meeee~"

"You didn't ask me to."

"VEN! MAY YOU PLEASE, MOVE YOUR DERRIÈRE OFF THE COUCH, FOLLOW ME TO THE DOOR, AND TURN THE LITTLE GOLDEN LATCH INTO ITS DOOR-FRAME SOCKET ONCE I STEP OUT OF THE HOUSE!?"

"There's no need to yell."

-footstep noises-

-door opening-

-door closing-

-silence-

-DOOR OPENS VIOLENTLY-

"VEN WHY HAVE YOU NOT LOCKED THE DOOR YET!!!!!"

"I got confused."

"HOW!? HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY GET CONFUSED AT THIS POINT!?!"

"You said to turn the little golden latch."

"Yes! the golden latch rriiiggghhtttt there!"

"But that's more of a sunset bronze, we don't have a golden latch."

(ಠ___ಠ)

Boredom is a virus, one that mutates every moment, for it does not want to be killed. Most come into boredom when the sun is shining the brightest and you’re stuck indoors. No one is immune to it because boredom is the only disease created by your very own mind and it knows your weak spots. Boredom can be seen in the dead eye stare of a person's whose phone has just given way to a crappy battery life. This disease can be spread through lack-luster and mono-tone speeches. Classrooms, doctors offices, cubicles at four o'clock are all feeding grounds for this wild virus. But look on the bright side of thi-, oh wait there isn't one.

Boredom is a mental superpower giving you the all-mighty ability to slow down time whenever there seems to be nothing to do. The ability to look at any clock and crush every bit of hope you had left in your body. It provides the strength to carve any funny word or picture your tired imagination can think of into a desk. Boredom is the ability to flunk any pop quiz because you spaced out right and forgot you were on Earth. Boredom is the ability to fill any page no matter how big with doodles of stick figures, cubes and those weird S things.

When you are bored you discover new things in your surroundings. Like how there are 67 ceiling tiles in the classroom. Or how there is three pieces of gum stuck to the bottom of my desk, one red piece and two blue pieces. Boredom is counting how many students there are in your class and then recounting four times because you keep forgetting that weird kid in the back. Boredom is figuring out that the teacher has ten pictures of his family throughout his desk and back wall, three of which are of his dogs. Boredom is realizing that those pictures are some of the only things that allow him to get through each day with a purpose, because even he gets bored of this job.

Boredom is realizing that you are not the only bored on in your class. Boredom is something that everyone gets and no one knows why we only have the attention span of an ant because the guys researching that crap got bored. Boredom is looking around in your class and seeing that everyone is looking off into space and knowing that none of them realize how funny they look with their mouths wide open. Boredom does not kill; boredom does not consume your entire life just the moments that are not interesting and unfortunatly no one can avoid getting bored. Boredom is funny and boredom is annoying but best of all boredom can force you to take a moment of your boredom to appreciate how beautiful the world is right outside your window.

Sleep illudes this fragile shell,

I toss and turn in a slow torment

silent utterances begging for rest,

followed by infuriated groans,

until finally the sheath is cracked,

and there is nothing keeping me in,

no rest to be had for the unglued,

nay or joyful waking,

nor peaceful company kept,

for nights long bereft of sleep,

make a dreadful being.

This strawberry rage

a lioness set free

from her cage.

This hunger

set from within

a blazing fire

burning her skin.

This furry

grazing her heart

her soul,

body and mind.

Beware of this anger

she keeps inside

because if you let it out

it will burn you alive.

This lusciously red

and sugary sweet,

burning you heavily

and setting your world in flames

This gorgeously scented

strawberry rage.