Each day I fight because I am alive. You cannot fight, if dead—you cannot see the gleaming beetle’s silky wings display the quiet beauty of each transparent cell, crafted like the
In the silence of a gallery where colors dance and gleam, where each stroke has meaning, where reality clashes with a dream, I see emotions displayed in frames much like my own. I
We bear bundles of joy and suffer As you count our flesh and bone as worthless, Muffling our wailing ’cause it’s a bother. With hearts of sponge we soak up your stress,
Listen. Hose, hats, heels click along cement sidewalks–– The city echoes with the punctuated remark. Or is that the harmony of guns cocked in war? Germany desires to settle its score. Keys clack
God said He sees the Sparrow fall— And cares for us as well— But why would He let the Sparrow fall If He cared that the Sparrow fell? If God really saw the
You know, sister, these rooms are all haunted, Big Brother slyly said to me one day. Yes, silly, of course the ghost is dead! But he still wanders this place anyway. At night,
I’ve heard about weeds that spring up where the dirt is disturbed, so watch out, just in case. Last year, they tore out my favorite tree, churning and scarring the ground with
Heart beating fast Life flashing past Road leeching last Just breathe Uproot my roots like some old elm tree Looking for somewhere new to cast my boundary Pulling through and pushing past the
Stepping on glass—shards Scattered across—a minefield Underfoot—Times Square— Wasps nest in—your ears As muskets—and cannons boom— Fire alarms—shrieking— Your corse—a statue— Stone cold and solid—and
Dear teacher, if only you knew . . . Feet dragging, heads hanging, We can’t see what’s true. Minds spinning, hands quaking, How can you know what we’ve been through? If only you
On the stage, a plateau, overlooking a river The trees laughing nearby, the dancer quivers The bothered dancer, with needle trembling, trying to find true north Is waltzing and twirling to show its
In life’s great furnace, we’re put to the test, Our souls refined, our hearts held to the flame Yet Christian values guide us through each quest, And shape our character as
Laughter isn’t all that new— It’s been here for a while, Yet every time I’m struck by joy, I reinvent the smile. A friendly thought entreated me While lying in
Winner of the English Forum poetry division. At the overlook, bright red paint Bursts against the dull rock face, Trickling down like blood oozing from An open wound. The mountains mourn. They miss
Like a ship crashing between waves, I’m tossed far from the shore– Resisting the urge to give up, But I can’t go on anymore. Like the uncontrollable tide, My enemies gather
The arrival of something / so tender we look away and laugh. —Ralph Burns Spring arrives in tender swaths of light That brush the darkness from the sleeping trees, And drape the dogwood’s
When I rest– my mind still runs. It chases the everlasting sun. Ambitions are high. Dreams are flashing by. My heart beats fast at every thought of my past. Every mistake I made
Repose is a little child at play, Frolicking about in his yard all day. Repose is a child in bed at night, Asleep without fear until morning’s first light. Repose is a
Honorable mention of the English Forum poetry division. Carefully containing the quiet wildness of watercolors. Layering and layering to showcase acrylic’s plastic glow. Cheddar-textured oils glide tastefully across the canvas, Spreading the
Honorable mention of the English Forum poetry division. A letter Born into existence Cascades into countless more with Decadent dexterity. Every sentence echoes a Feeling. Gladness. Boredom. Heartbreak. Pain. It’s sounds, Just