Teen Angst Poetry Contest

Winner: Lucy Weiland of Seattle, WA

Bumbershoot's Teen Angst Poetry Contest was judged by Sarah Bynoe. This is her response to the hundreds of entries we received.

Thank you, everyone, for your submissions to Bumbershoot's Teen Angst Poetry contest. There were so many wonderfully angsty poems it was truly hard to judge this contest. You all had such great angst. It was both painful and joyful to read your entries.

I chose Lucy Weiland's poem because it has a strong mix of melodrama, exaggeration, heartbreak, awkwardness, awfulness and despair which capture Teen Angst Poetry perfectly.

I'd like to acknowledge the following people for their contributions to the contest especially for these really great lines:

When do you think it'll be time for you to shine?
Do you mind if I join you and combine your leaf dinner with my wine.
—Alexander Moore
(SB: WTF? This is classic pointless rambling poetry.)

Snow falls like tears that spill from my eyes
Making me shiver
Numbing my bones
Hardening my soul
Piercing it and letting it bleed red drops of blood
—Leana Clothier
(SB: Great use of Gothic imagery and obvious metaphors.)

A walking numbness
Oblivion is my destination
I hate detours!
Shut up!
—Monica Reichardt
(SB: This made me laugh out loud—especially those last two lines.)

Grim looks our fate.
Did your soul just queef all over me?
—Jesse Howard
(SB: Bonus points to Jesse for this line from another entry "Serenade me with your lisp.")

We are the afterbirth of our parents puking psychological putrid ectopical pregnancies
—Maggie Booriak
(SB: Angst alliteration with a hint of anger.)

And now……The "Winner"

Words cannot articulate
The ways
In which
YOU'RE KILLING ME
Except it's an odd sort of murder
You WON'T LET ME DIE
LET ME DIE
LET ME DIE
Never,
NEVER has any human being been the target of such
Nauseating rage from my direction.
NEVER
Because no one has loved me enough to hate me so much.
It's flattering, in a
SPLATTER MY BRAINS ON THE WALL SORT OF WAY
It's funny that you think you could've loved someone you clearly knew nothing about.
Gosh, I'm sure sorry that you DON'T OWN ME
DON'T OWN ME
DON'T OWN ME
DON'T LET ME DIE before I destroy this,
One perfect lie at a time.
'Can we please be civil?'
Man, THOSE were the days...
Two weeks ago
When I thought there was half a chance you were human.
But how I have learned since then…"
—Lucy Weiland

Lucy also got bonus points for these lines from other entries:

But it was over anyway...
So now I'll remember what it's like to hug my pillow for company
I won't be showing up tomorrow
—Lucy Weiland

Sodium lamentation without a cause hits the mahogany dinette, and its splash lands in your coffee.
You eat, sleep, breathe painless suffering.
—Lucy Weiland

Thanks to all that entered! See you at F**k Off and Die! And remember you can post your own awful Teen Angst Poetry and read lots more on my website, TeenAngstPoetry.com!

—Sara Bynoe