January 2011 Winning Poems
Judged by Ron Rosoff
First Place:
FLOWER POWER
by Charles Scheitler
Bromeliads
Protect my house
From every negative thought-
Whenever the danger rises
To crisis
They attack with blossoms-
I would say
The danger is not extreme
But look
How many blossoms die
In my defense--
Second Place:
Across the isle
by Natalie Freed
at the coffee shop
alone in a booth,
I sit near the back door
a mother texts
her toddler son in a stroller
next to her naps
she’s left him three times
for more coffee, maybe the rest room
something needed from her car
but I’m on guard
although we haven’t spoken
she trusts me ·
her trust swells my heart
Three times I could have pushed him
quickly out the door
lifted him from the stroller to my car
Because she trusts me
Honorable Mention:
Grave
by Diana L. Fazio
crow lies dead in the road
a warrior on the battlefield
of rubber and steel
car tires bump over the body
lying in a grave of asphalt
no one notices
Honorable
Mention:
Keys
by Blake Valin
She stomped along,
tiny hand clinging
to a gnarled linger.
Keys gripped in
the other hand
flashed in the
sunlight
With no clue to
her lofty position,
her royal highness
clutched the means
to open a crusty
old heart and
souring soul.
Special Contest Winner: ABC Poem:
ABC Poem
by Blake Valin
A wedding veil snow falls soft and quiet as a winged owl
Bedding the crusted fields for winter under a bridal gown
Cows huddle tight to the fence, steam rising off their backs all spirit like
Dogs dig in deep under the porch looking to warm their skinny hides
Eliza and me tuck into the goose-down quilt with burning kisses to light our tire.