A big thank you to poet Kimberley Murphy for selecting the winning poems and congratulations to Pauline, Susan and Clinton!

Enjoy!

1st Place- Pauline Gauthier 

Spring

shaking off the rain 

a raindrop glistens 

on my cat’s pink nose 

 

grackles in my garden

fling soggy leaves in the air

excavate for insects 

 

Summer

deer watching at sunrise 

three on the highway

long legs wobbling 

 

Stratton Lake 

water lilies and 

the drone of bees 

 

Fall

on my deck 

sudden gust of wind

yellow leaf in my teacup 

 

movement in the hedge

cardinal settles in 

slash of red at dusk 

 

Winter

winter solstice 

spillage under bird feeder 

small rabbit nibbles 

 

after the snowstorm

black squirrels emerge

snow covered whiskers

 

2nd Place- Susan Macaulay

small joys

small joys
like children’s toys
hide up on the shelf

take them down
play the clown
free your inner self

find your soul
amidst the toll
drain the pain from life

wield the blade
that clears the glade
of hurt, and stress, and strife

tap strength within
peel back the skin
of bruises black and blue

you are found
put on your crown
to thine own heart be true

 

3rd Place- Clinton Kennedy 

What does joy mean to me?

Playing sports on my special Olympics team
Winning the tournament and hearing the crowd scream