Spring Poetry Contest
End date: March 31, 2012.
1st Prize: $100
2nd Prize: $60
3rd Prize: $40
THANKS TO ALL OUR PARTICIPANTS!
First Place:
"Ghosts and Whipers"
by Meredith Nussbaum, Farmingville, New York
We are but shadows, spectres drifting in and out of each other's lives.
Ghosts and whispers, faces witnessed in dreams.
We are but shades, mute and waiting, wanting
To murmur, mumble to say something, anything
To be heard by someone, by anyone.
Spirits, souls, simple shapes, sifting, shifting, sliding through spaces,
Unseen, unheard, unheeded, untouched, untainted.
We linger in silence, in the sounds of dust settling,
of clouds forming, of frost melting, of falling snow.
We are creatures of smoke.
We are in the rests between heartbeats,
In that pause between breaths,
In the space that hangs in open air after every spoken word.
We are always there.
The air in your lungs, the light in your eyes, the blood in your veins.
We travel at the speed of thought
And for a moment you feel us, brushing against your hand, bumping your arm...
But we're gone as soon as we came,
Out the door, down the aisle, off the elevator.
We are the people you met, but never know,
The people you see, but can't recall.
We are the best friends you never had,
the lovers you never held, the enemies you never made.
Unacquainted acquaintances, forgotten, unfamiliar,
But never known except for a moment, shared in quiet silence,
in line for the bank, or grocery store,
Waiting for the bus, or train, or taxi.
Maybe we try, our voices shaking, nervous.
Hands reaching out, desperate for a moment, for a connection.
How about this weather?
Ignored, Shrugged off, Forgotten, Rejected, Alone, Silent.
We drift back into shadows, Just, Ghosts and Whispers.
Second Place:
"Remember"
by Jason Guzman, Woodside,New York
The worst that can befall man is not to be remembered,
To make a splash in a cosmic pool yet have loneliness as tender
Like wistful leaves that dread the approach of winter
The light that once nurtured them so robust
Now hovers over the equator ever so luminous.
As a requiem sounds for the honorably fallen,
It connects the path of dreams that have driven through the forest;
Over hills and valleys, farms and factories, through city lights ands streets.
Can we hear the distance calling?
Collages of seemingly divergent shapes and colors
Revel in the playful way they complement each other.
Fear not sweet leaf, for even in September
When the season renders you so vivid in its splendour,
Your final swaying gentle bow in November will not go in vain,
And even in December when the silent trees have gone so slender,
Oblivion does not exist, so therefore remember...
Third Place:
"The Cardinal"
by
Markie Lee Hurd, Canton Ohio
Poor little bird, o'er there he lies,
Who in his prime was stricken down;
No longer free to roam the skies,
He must now lie dead on the ground.
His beauty has outlived his life
For as I there was passing by,
I heard no heartsong from his mouth,
But bright red feathers caught my eye.
Oh little bird,sad is this day,
When beauties true are took away.
I thank you for your songs and strife-
Not all in vain was lost your life.
Honorable mention:
"Unforgettable"
by Marcella Galindo, Elk Grove, Calif.
"Relevance "
by Niko Apostolidis, Philadelphia, Penn.
"Connect with the Stars"
by Jocelyn Rodarte, Humble, Texas
"Unfolding"
by Travis Woodruff, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
"Birds on a Wire"
by Jeff Severling, Lititz, Penn.
"Lament"
by Mike Takieddine, Dunwoody, Georgia
"A Letter to God"
by Adrienne Bowling, Goodlettsville, Tenn.
"To My Mind"
by
Matthew Haubert, Columbus, Ohio
"The Attic"
by
Dylan Galvin, Annapolis, Maryland
"Anti-Love Letter"
by
Rani Duke, Federal Way, Washington
"Pool of Confusion"
by
Patricia C. Diaz, Babylon New York
"Three Birds"
by
Chase Willett, Washington, D.C.
