One thing consistent with all writers/readers on this site, is 

”The One By My Side”.

See, is important to you. You've loved them, hated them, fucked them, killed them, wanted to kill them, wanted them to love you, wanted them to fuck you. People from your pasts, people from your present and people you would like and hope will be a part of your future. 

You've built lives with them, you've watched them build lives from afar, they’ve affected you for better, for worse, or not at all. You’ve written about their tiny, almost invisible flaws and perfections, the way they do certain things, their mannerisms, that only you, can notice, analyse and document.

So, maybe, some of you have that someone.

The "The One By My Side” challenge is designed for to create words about someone  that is/once was Important in your life.

How do you remember them? What perfections would they admire, covet and lust after? What imperfections you notice and set aside, or become enraged by? What would you say about the things you’ve done to them? What would they say about the feelings you’ve given them? 

Does your “The One By My Side” love you? Do they despise you? Do they misunderstand you? Do they loathe your insecurities and the way you treated them? Are you the one that got away for them? What would you write about them if they saw you in the street?

This challenge is all about honesty, there’s no prize for participating, only gaining further knowledge of how you appreciate others. If that someone has hated you, I want to know why, from your own perspective. If they’ve loved you, I want to know how you try to capture and describe what they feel/felt, what they loved about you and what you love about them the most. I want you to create/tell me “your” stories about "them".

There’s only two conditions of this challenge.

The first is honesty. I want to feel what you write while viewing that person through your eyes. If it makes you smile, I want to smile, if it tears you up, I want to be torn up. I want accountability, if you’ve broken someone’s heart, I want you to tell me what you did. If someone has loved you, I want you to tell me about it. I want you to tell me what they’re like as a person.

The second condition, it must be told in the first person. I feel first person will make us squirm more, whether the piece is positive or negative.

These tales can be poetry in any form, prose or whatever you want to call whatever it is you do. Long or short. They can be hilarious, they can be sweet, they can be dark, they can be unforgiving.

It is my hope that this challenge will continue to be used after the it is done, much like the reveries peices. 

I will post of the top five of my favourite poetry and top five prose. 
The challenge is valid until the end of January 2012. 

Email me your piece and if you have any questions, please direct them here.

Good luck guys, I am really excited to see what you all come up with, there should be some amazingly beautiful and raw pieces that come from this challenge. Looking forward to reading them.

Silly Monkey



UPDATE II:   Perhaps some of you are very private about your writing. This challenge is my own personal love affair, I really want to read what you guys come up with. So, if you feel that you would like to participate, please feel free to email me a message that you have contributed and it will be our little secret, or perhaps post your piece as an anonymous.