July 2010
Featured Reader and Judge: Ray Neubert
First Place:
The Skate Key
by Beth SK Morris
My skates were my sails,
the courtyard, my sea; the
noise of my troubled house
forgotten, I closed the door
on rancor, opened joy
with a metal key.
So easy to be free of
walls, of hurt, of "not
good enough--" skating faster
and faster, round and round, no
longer bound to words, to land,
atop my cobblestone stream.
Now it's dark; the world is
shouting, "Come on in!"
My compass has unwound;
I cannot get my bearings, and
my skate key is no
where to be found.
Second Place:
Talking to My Mother
by Stephanie Goldstein
I had a terrific time talking
To my mother
I brought her a corned beef sandwich,
Knishes and cashew nuts
She said, "Nothing beats a Jewish sandwich!"
I said, "Hard to imagine a sandwich being Jewish,"
Trying to make her laugh—
She said, "I'm going to be 93 in April!"
I imitated my son Marc, mimicking her—
"Oy! Am I getting old," I said.
She said, "Marc makes fun of the Jews," and laughed.
"We are lucky we can laugh at ourselves," I said.
We talked about the people we knew in the past
I told her stories about what the children said
I told her that Justin is nine and knows
How to say "Feinkochen"
I emphasized the guttural sound of, kochen.
She laughed again
And I experienced the joy of making her laugh.
Honorable Mention:
THE MORE THINGS ARE THE SAME
by Charles Scheitler
A mockingbird sings a song
From a chimney top—
The same mockingbird sings
The same song
From a telephone wire
Sings the same song
From a flagpole
From a palm frond-
It is not the same mockingbird
Singing the same song
From anywhere—
It is not the same stream
I've stepped into
It is not the same world
It is not the same me—
Honorable Mention:
SUNRISE OVER THE OCEAN
By Diana L. Fazio
Again, the break of day
Filaments of light
Dust the horizon
with yearning arms,
white ices bum away to mist
Clouds move to the strange rhythm
of heartbeats in the sky
Suddenly—
The sun is crowned with liquid fire
presents fantastic glitter
melting in the coolest blue of waves
then protrudes triumphant whole—
a million jewels of creation
air chills slight
as blue dawn
turns to blazing bright
Special Contest: Tanka
Tanka II
by Blake Valin
Thunder booms echo
Off the drum skin of black sky.
The cold breath of God
Speaks in ancient tongues.
I run in fear for shelter.