Sorry about the delay but relative to Poetry Soup, "Life" is an extracurricular. Now I'd like to mention the 10 winners of which all can be proud and I thought that all entries were worthy of praise - thank you. There was one poem, that no matter how much I rearranged the entries, kept rising to the top. (First)Trina, you're a gifted writer, if this were a movie trailer, the anticipation would be palpable and as a poem the seeds of thought are infinite - great writing! (Second) Inky, You have a wonderful meld of professional knowledge, intuitive perception and creative presentation - love your ending query and, isn't it ironic that glass is made from sand, that the Rugosa rose grows in it and so did your inspiration. (Third) Nette, your wrting is always refreshing and new. What most of us can only daydream of, you are able to capture before it escapes and few writers are able to frame in 20 lines. (Fourth) Jaymee, I kept going back to this little gem of complex brevity. Life, and its vignettes of experiences from which we cannot escape - like your thoughs here - so real, that I almost pity the beetle who escaped the wilderness to die in a soiled latrine...or, is the wilderness a better fate for us as well? (Fifth) Billie, enlightening perceptions as I journeyed through this many times and never been able (gladly) to vanish from its images. (Sixth) Aaliyah, Every line here presented a new vision, a new experience - another creative perception from which we cannot escape. (Seventh) Sara, This starts like an old black and white movie in which the fog never clears until we realize it's a fire within us - powerful images! (Eighth) Lise, I was wondering if anyone would enter a funhouse and you did it perfectly and with beautiful truths that rest peacefully. (Ninth) Shane, You took us where that wilderness has a silver lining and a spring of hope - the smile within it all. (Tenth) Subimal, You're always thoughtful with artistic perceptions to share - this is no exception, and why it's a winner among winners.....Thanks to everyone again!