What if you could have one day with Michael Jackson?

One of the most beautiful songs Michael ever recorded was the one he dedicated to the memory of Ryan White, "Gone Too Soon." Yet, this song has taken on a special meaning for all of us now, as it has come to represent how we feel about him.

When a death is expected, although it doesn’t make the heartache any easier, at least you have the opportunity to say goodbye before they leave. You have the chance to let them know how much they mean to you, how their love has affected you and how they have changed your life for the better. As is the case with anyone who passes away unexpectedly, Michael’s death left us feeling lost and incomplete because we never got to do any of that.

Recently, I read a book by Mitch Albom called For One More Day. This book, as the author explains it, "explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?" That got me thinking about what I would do if I was given the chance to have one day with Michael. What would I want to say to him? How would I want to spend that day? What things would I want to talk about? What would I want to know from him?

I spent a few minutes imagining what that day would be like; it inspired me to write a poem, and I set it to the video below. Rather than go into detail about what I would want my day to be like, I thought it would be fun to turn this into a creative writing contest and see what you would want your day to be like.

Contest Details:

Submit a creative writing piece that answers this question: If you were given an opportunity to have one day with Michael Jackson, what would that day be like? What would you say to him? What would you want to know? What would you want to experience, etc?

You can submit this through any form of creative writing. Write it as a letter to Michael, write it as a poem, or simply write it as a short story. You can include artwork if you wish too. Use your imagination.

Prizes:

One lucky winner in this contest will be selected from a committee of tribute team members who will be judging the contest. You will receive:

• A free download of: The Beat of Our Hearts – A Musical Tribute to Michael. This is an exclusive CD of original songs written and performed by Michael’s friends and fans; produced by the Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait.

And

• The most coveted prize ever - a dot in the heart area of Michael’s portrait!

 Contest Guidelines:

• Must be your own original writing – no plagiarism of another person’s work.
• Although we all wish we could have prevented his death and are upset at anyone who may have contributed to it, please don’t write about that. This is not about changing the past, it is about how you would spend one day with him if you were given the chance.
• Last but not least – Please keep it G-Rated!

Note: All submissions not adhering to these standards will be disqualified.

This is the video I created – hopefully it will spark your imagination about your One Day with MJ.

 Submit Your Piece

Submit your piece about your One Day with MJ to Linda Higgins at linda@michaeljacksontributeportrait.com. Deadline for submissions is November 9, 2010. Please put your MJTP username and Dot # on your submission.

The winning entry will be posted here.

Update:

The contest is now officially closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted a piece. Members of the Tribute Team will now begin reading all the entries and start the judging process. I hope to be able to announce the winner on November 24, 2010.

Update: Winner Announced!

The winner of the One Day with MJ Contest has been selected. We received so many wonderful submissions, each one of them a testament to your love for Michael.  It was a very difficult decision; each one was unique in its own way.  Some of them made us laugh, some of them made us cry, and all of them touched our hearts.  Members of our Tribute Team were assembled to conduct the judging. After narrowing down the submissions to twenty finalists, the judges determined the winner to be Emily!  She will receive a free download of The Beat of Our Hearts: A Musical Tribute to Michael, and a dot in the heart area of the portrait. Here is her winning submission:

One  More Day

 If I could have just one more day with Michael, I think I would like to go to Africa, or some other place less fortunate than most. Technically though, that would be cheating, because it takes so long to get to Africa, and it would put it over a day! Okay then, maybe somewhere in the US. We’d go to an orphanage and spend some time talking and hanging out with the kids there.

After that, we’d climb a tree and just spend some time talking. I’m so much younger than him, (13) but from what I can tell, we run on much the same brainwaves. We’d talk about the environment, and how something needs to be done. And although we’d only have one day together, we’d brainstorm ideas, for songs and for charities.

And because I can’t keep a good thing to myself, I’d invite my friends, and he’d invite his kids to have a water balloon fight. I’d be on a team with my friends and he’d be on a team with his kids. His team would win though, because Michael was and still is the Michael Jordan of water balloon fights! I wouldn’t feel bad, I’d be with him, and that’s all that would matter to me.

Eventually, his kids and my friends would leave, and it’d just be us again. I’d ask (beg) him to dance for me, and he’d relent, on the condition that I would dance first. I’d do this jazz dance I’m learning in my class, and he’d pretend to be impressed. He’d dance, and I would forget how to breathe and where I was, because he’d be dancing like he did at the top of his game. In a bout of complete bravado, I’d start to sing one of his songs, (Earth Song, my favorite) and after awhile, he’d join me, which would again make me forget I had lungs and what they were for.

Like all good things, this day would come to an end. I’d wrap my arms around his waist and hug him so tightly; it would appear that I had no intentions of ever letting go. I’d whisper in his ear, "I wish you could stay. The world isn’t the same without you." He’d whisper back, "I know, I wish I could stay, too. But that’s not what God put in His plan for me, and it’s impossible to deny that plan." He’d hug me again, and I’d blink the tears from my eyes. When I’d open them, he’d be gone. I wouldn’t feel sad though. I’d feel at peace, because a part of his spirit would reside in mine, as it does in all that truly love him.

I love you Michael, I wish this could become reality. Oh, I can just hear him laughing at me right now.

emlovesmj Dot# 257871

Congratulations Emily!