Blackwater Park -contest

Villain

Doctor BenQuillity
May 7, 2001
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The official contest is over and the winners are announced. But, does anyone know, where to get their entries? I'd like to read "what does Opeth mean" to those guys, who did write it better than I (not bitter, but...) :)

And how about people posting their entries here? I know some of us would enjoy reading them.

-Villain (np: Benighted)
 
this is zarsel7,i won the blackwater park contest and Anna from opeth.com emailed me for the o.k to post my winning entry on the official site.so look for it soon
 
Prologue:

There was a man, there was a woman. They had some things in common and some things not so. They shared their time with each other and both enjoyed it. However, very few good things last forever...

What does Opeth mean to me?

I can't say if I loved her; I hardly even know what the word "love" means. Still, I know I enjoyed her presence, her mere being. I never gave her any flowers. I guess I should have. An orchid, mayhaps?

She was a woman with karma, a strong will to aid the lesser ones and the kindest heart to give room for others. I was one of those privileged, one to gain her caress. I had been benighted, lost in the dark of my own despair. Like a white cluster among blackest shades she gleamed before me. And I got lost again, even deeper than before. Now it all was just so different.

Thrice we met and thrice we departed. After each time I bid her farewell, a long, hollow advent began. In my dreams I saw her, standing in the mist, often a bare silhouette - yet I never had any doubt it was her. Of serenity was she painted, that was for sure. But of death - who could have known?

And when the time came for us to meet again, I fought against the urge to beg her, to pray her to stay. I knew it couldn't change anything - her mind was set, firm like an apostle in triumph. And I was to hide my thoughts, my emotions. My desire for her.

Then came the last morningrise, our final moment on each others arms - and I swear I heard the sound of the hearse drawing nigh. For a second all was still, a life without changes, without gains, without forfeits. She took a step back and when I saw her face, I couldn't speak her name aloud.

The harvest came closer, slowly but unevitably. After she was gone, I often found myself walking by the moors at night, listening to the sound of the silent water. My steps drew me closer to the park of black water, and the only thing I could wait for was the drapery to fall.

Epilogue:

There is a man, alone. He has no-one near him, but he has music to soothe his wounds. Mighty sounds from the eerie city of the moon, thundering roars and gentle whispers, all made to lessen his pain. Never can the woman be replaced in his heart, yet something is there, at her very place. And nothing will take Opeth away from him.


Written in April ethereal, 2001 by Villain Mankinen
 
I liked that. I almost want to get up and applaud. :) Did the band members get to read it? Are they, in fact, the ones that [BOLD]chose[/BOLD] it? Well, that's awfully cleaver how you worked track titles into the lines. Just goes to show how much Opeth can touch some people.

LYNN
 
WOW!
you mean THAT didn't win? my entry seems so poor next to that. i should've known that Opeth fans will probably spawn some magnificent entries and that i do not stand a chance.

NP: My girlfriend's voice over the telephone ;)
 
I thought about that competition for 2 months...and STILL could not even begin to answer a question like that!!!!! ha ha
I mean where do you start and from what angle before you go into it way to deep and start writing a book! ha ha:D
 
Thank you for your kind words. I was rather satisfied with it myself; and that's the reason I'd like to read the winning entries - they must have been great.

Zarsel, could you post your entry here? Not to be impatient, but waiting for the winning entries to appear on the official site kinda sucks...

-Villain
 
Thanks again...

But I must say I'm a bit disappointed with the way the winning entries are. Not that they are _bad_, but they just seem to lack some originality and inspiration. Sure, the method I used was not very original either, as it has been used many times on various occasions, but AFAIK never about Opeth. So, seeing that there weren't any better texts of similar kind (unless the unreleased entry is one), I am a bit disappointed. Perhaps my entry was just too long and unprecise; perhaps they wanted strong, tight and short answers to the question (as all the winning entries seem to be), instead of wide use of language and endless playing with images (as my entry tried to be). But considering the way the Opeth-songs tend to be, I'm confused...

-Villain (not too bitter, but looking for an explanation)
 
Hey,
I have one word for your answer to the contest - DEEP. Of course I didn't mind being one of the 5 winners, and I wasn't sure what the competition was like. One thing I do know - I believe all Opeth fans think alike. It's a new realm of musical artistry that sends me off to places that nothing else can. I would only venture to guess that your entry wasn't chosen due to its length, as it certainly hits the mark for the spirit of Opeth's music.