George Bishop: Meditation by an Old Bridge
Sharp images and skillful diction pull this poem forward in a well-crafted metaphor of trains and time.
“The sky still poles the coppery water, / the water darkens the sky”
A succinct poem packed with just enough nostalgia to make it charming, along with a skillful combination of interesting narration and lyricism.
“Because the body is a rigged mast, / and any wind can fill it–”
A gardening poem on the surface, there’s layered meaning in its soil. Expert diction and phrasing lead to an ending that delivers in one of the best literary love poems around.
“. . . living again in the root of an onion / that never knew my name."
The
mystique of the inkblot unfolding will lead you, masterful image by
masterful image, through the subtle tilt of this poem. Carefully
crafted work that you’ll want to mine more than once.
David Rowell Workman: Having Sun Garden Tea with Raffles
Arthur J. Raffles – antithesis of Sherlock Holmes – makes his appearance among well-crafted, charmed lines. Clever composition, “filling your head with fantastical lies.”
James Martin Spears: A Kind of Prison
This poem speaks eloquently of those rejected for their essential birthrights. Image-rich metaphors reliably drive this poem to a powerful conclusion.
“He
smoked on the bleachers behind home plate, / called me Narc ...”
Scott T. Hutchison: Eating Glass
And now for something completely different! An engaging tale of a talk show where the guest laughs last, and the last lines present an unexpectedly sharp edge. A skillful narrative delight.
“. . . he was more than willing / to take his ten-gallon hat off and do the dance with Dave.”
Mike Alexander: Vegetal Christ
An intriguing scenario with crisp writing, careful diction, and the juxtaposition of the sacred with the mundane.
“we counted its sins / blind in the broom closet”
Joey Connelly: Self-Portrait as the Holy Family
An honest and absorbing look at family structure and “negative capability,” this poem is tightly knit with undercurrent sound and fury.
“third generation napalm, a rape in an alley, a little / person shot from a cannon.”
Peggy Aylsworth: As the Bird Flies and No Want for an Answer
The depth and maturity of these poems comes through powerfully in every carefully wrought line and perfect word choice. All the fine mechanics of poetry are in place, along with the slippery magic that can’t be taught.
“What I hold refuses / to be / mine, the way jazz flies off without / the melody.”
A caustic jab at the way we distance ourselves from death (and from the death of children in particular). The subtle horror of this poem is pervasive and disturbing. Fine diction and imagery.
“And you, fingering the toes, / Smearing the blush out of severed / Arms . . .”
James Norcliffe: An excellent poem about a monkey
Whimsical but carefully built, this poem plays masterfully with sound and language. Its quick weaving of the passage of time leads the reader on an energetic adventure in words, images, and meaning.
“This remembered mahogany monkery full / of mimicry, mockery full . . .”
Corey Mesler: Irritable Vowel Syndrome
In a similar vein, this poet creates wordplay in three parts. What poet can’t relate to the diction disorder we all share? Clever word choices with layered meanings and innuendoes.
“. . . I want to lie down by / your recto. I want to sleep / in your bed of soft consonants . . .”
A unique portrayal of the nightlife of an insomniac written in expertly crafted lines. This poem is flush with brilliant imagery.
“His fingers ply the night’s elastic skin . . .”
Bruce Majors: Thanksgiving Day: A Surreal Look at Death
Skillful, brave writing that is multi-layered in sound and meaning. An unusual and thought-provoking manipulation of the theme of death.
“A stronghold of snakes. / There, the floor moves, / rears up into night.”
An exquisite prose poem leads us through the bloom and fade of love and chemistry. A divinely purposeful arrangement of words.
“.
. . a
process of chemistry how the dark inks of their mystery wrote a
story”
Kevin Oberlin: An Awkward Apology to Almost Friends
This dynamic work employs superb diction, sound, and imagery. A compelling first line delivers us to a poem body and ending that remain equally powerful.
“Infused with praise, your flair for drama / simmers to paste in the humid nights”
M. Clara White: Yellow Convertible Volkswagen
A creative, well-sustained metaphor underpinned with pleasing musical phrasing. This excellent poem offers a poignant vignette of how a backseat daughter just might view her mother.
“. . . away from the city before she slid in / a Cassette / with her one free middle finger and spun . . .”
Embark upon a wonderful prose poem journey with true rhythm and steady metaphor–beautifully crafted and convincing, biking spins through every nuance.
“She rode through the Ozarks and their weary bluffs, through sands and cacti and clouds, Dusk and its rum-glow of light.”
A short but delightful language excursion containing expert diction, imagery, and sound. Enjoy this rare poetic appetizer that begs for more.
(No, we’re not giving away a single word here!)
This poem casts a strong visual image and a probing social question with precise diction and phrasing. Like a perfect photograph, it tells much in concise stanzas and, best of all, makes us look and think beyond it.
“. . . although I spoke the language / I could not make out / what she said . . .”
Katie Longofono: Holidays in Massachusetts
An adeptly constructed view of free-spirited children on a holiday, this poem shifts, by the second stanza, to a fresh surprise. Superb use of resonant sound throughout.
“. . . the blue sluice / of saliva that washes at the lips / of the shore . ..”
John C. Mannone: Hunter’s Moon
Beautiful imagery and liquid sounds twine through the lines of this poem, offering a marked focus on the stark beauty of a tragic event. Intriguing diction and skillful composition.
“...splatters curls with mists / of light until all glow drowns...”
Sometimes less really is more, especially in poetry. Exquisite sound and rhythm abound in a small space, and every word is worth its weight in . . . a pot of gold.
(Read it immediately – your day will slide toward wonderful.)