I'm going to apply for a $1500 poetry scholarship. The poems have to be 20 lines or less blah blah blah, so I had to edit two of my poems. The scholarship description says, and I quote, "Grand Prize will be a $1500 college scholarship. There will also be numerous other prizes including 5 Second Prizes and 10 Third Prizes, plus hundreds of regional winners. Entries will be judged on creativity, originality, imagery, and artistic quality. Form and rhyme are not required or encouraged, unless able to do so artistically."

So let's cut to the chase...here are the two poems I am debating over. Most of you have seen versions of these already. I need opinions on which one I submit. Thank you. :)

"Spiritual Rain"
The moon illuminates the dark stillness, feebly shining upon a field of flowers withering in the dry night
Hushed whispering in the reeds speaks of the sun's failed harvest
Direct rays scorched the soil, robbing the riches of the spring
Color is draining from delicate buds, but where does this color go
Lightning-shaped cracks mar the earth
Even the crows left this desolation
The decayed tree with arms outreached, crying out for a spiritual rain
The life-saving water will take this wasted prairie dust and sculpt it into beautiful
What will it take to save this place and to weave a song into the wind
How long until the saving rain kisses the earth and makes life reborn
The seeds within the barren ground need a mighty force to embrace them
A force to breathe life into what was nearly dead, so that the lost and frozen may see the light

"Living China Doll"
Shiny black enamel covering your acrylic face
You hide from the surface you can't see
You scratch at your reflected self to see if there's really anyone in there
You can't even recall your true colors
Hidden behind the barriers you lock yourself in
The eyes can't see what's written underneath
Is it so hard to believe goodness lies in wait
Don't pull your mind's plug yet; it's not too late
So what if you can't go back in time
Who are you trying to impress anyway
With your dolled-up superficiality
You always keep a fine line between acceptance and denial
Etched with the finest of chalk-like dust
One careless mistake and you could fall either way
Your fragile ceramic exterior crumbling so slow
Clinging to the misty ropes; fearing the plummet
Who are you behind that encasing
Is it really that bad being the you within
Chip away your outer falseness
So I may see the beauty beneath the lies

+++++END OF POEMS+++++

My personal opinion is "Spiritual Rain," but I need more input.

~Den-"gracias"Kara