Winners of the July
Forest/Fire and Summer Contests

=============
Sol Magazine (C) 1998
============
Our judge for July was Tom Padgett.  Thanks, Tom, for your careful reading and judging.  We appreciate your fine work.
============
WINNERS OF THE FOREST/FIRE AND SUMMER CONTESTS
============
HONORABLE MENTIONS
============
Solar Gift

A seed falls and the sun
lights its way to life.
A tree falls and a fire
lights a family's night.

Ron Blanton, Salt Lake City, UT
Judge's Comments:  this poem seems proverbial.  It says that man's basic needs include shelter and warmth, reminding us that our lives are dependent on natural order, with the sun as the basis of that order.
============
Dinner Date

Katydid sings unceasingly
In the top of the tallest trees
Inviting his Lady Katy
To dine on tender leaves

Don Castiglioni, Austin, TX
Judge's Comments:  Seeing the forest from this insect's perspective reminds us to not always take ourselves seriously, that life has light as well as dark.  The off-rhyme of leaves/trees makes the poem seem very natural.
============
The Chase

The glow of summer twilight fades
Memories stir like fireflies
Flashing, darting, disappearing
Vainly attempting to capture the past

Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
Judge's Comments:  In this poem, the comparison of memories to fireflies is aptly delineated, lines three and four given over to the comparison.  The "glow" that "fades" is the day's failing, of course, but more importantly, it is the mind's failing to hold flighty feelings from the past.
============
Take Care

Civilization on Earth was begun
When Prometheus brought fire from the Sun.
While the bounty of this act still lingers,
Man must take care or burn his fingers.

Milton Earnest, Smyrna, GA
Judge's Comments:  This poem expresses the paradox that fire is necessary, yet dangerous.  The danger may be understated as "burn his fingers," but we understand the implication of destruction.  The word "bounty" is well-chosen.  Fire is indeed a valued gift.
============
Summertime Memories

Lawns mowed, yards cleaned, tables set, everything ready
Charcoal burning, children laughing, horseshoes clanking
Burning heat, sweltering bodies, cool relief in a pool
The sounds, the smells, the wonder of summertime.

Cathy Keating, Smyrna, TN
Judge's Comments:  This is a sort of grocery list poem, that either works well or does not work at all.  The assonance of the last phrase "wonder of summertime" lifts it from a simple list.  The point is, that more than the sound and smells of summer, it is good to be alive, and summer shows you why,
============
Pastel Pleasures

Berry picking by a placid ocean
Amid the Rose of Sharon,
I marvel as the dragonflies
Whiz by on iridescent wings.

Patricia Tabella, Providence, RI
Judge's Comments:  The economy of this poem is its strength:  it reduces summer dragonflies whizzing by, reminding us that pleasures flee, summer flees, life flees so fast, it is cause to marvel.  It is not a negative poem lamenting swiftly passing time...the iridescent-winged dragonflies...(are) the poet's expression of joy.
============
IN THIRD PLACE
============
Eternal Tongue

Licking voraciously at the sky
Reds and yellows tip the flames
Deep in the violent heart and soul
White hot madness consumes and claims.

Marsha Rose Steed, Citrus Heights, CA
Judge's Comments:  This is a moving poem, moving in effect, but also about moving, the change that fire, a metaphor for the madness (a destructive force more dangerous than fire) brings.
============
Hot Suffering

Baking inside a darkened concrete block oven
She tries not to move, vainly hoping to stay cool.
Pounding in waves, her migraine continues,
And she weakly curses the summer sun.

Jade Walker, Lake Worth, FL
Judge's Comments:  Strong words carry the pain from this woman to us.   The ending of the poem is effective, for the cause of her suffering is spelled out, the criminal revealed, this torturer introduced by "hot" in the title, now named, "the summer sun."
============
IN SECOND PLACE
============
Woodland Wisdom

Roots ground our feet in dark humus
Branches lift our arms to the sky
Integrating our souls
Wise woodlands showing us how to dance and fly

Lynette Bowen-Post, League City, TX
Judge's Comments:  The trees describe themselves, revealing the dichotomy of mankind, creatures of the soil and the air, with common sense and dreams as natural to mankind as humus and sky are to the trees.
============
Season's Sensation

The kiss of summer...
Sweet as a ripe melon,
Cool as swimming in spring water,
Explosive as July fireworks.

Don Castiglioni, Austin, TX
Judge's Comments:  This poem achieves success with three striking similes with increasing strength, building to explosive fireworks.  Describing summer as a lover with all the senses, taste, smell, touch, sight, hearing, is grand indeed.
============
IN FIRST PLACE
============
Talking Leaves

An alphabet conceived
On forest leaves
Gave the Cherokee Nation
Written communication.

Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
Poet's Note:  Sequoyah (Goerge Guess, 1760-1843) developed the Cherokee alphabet on leaves, according to tradition.  He taught his friends to read and published a newspaper in their language at the Cherokee Capitol, New Echota, in Georgia.
Judge's Comments:  Smoothly written, flows naturally.  Capsulizes its truth in memorable fashion.
============
Seduction in the Park

Sprawling carelessly along the dark rail fence
Roses flounce, pale pink, and delicately perfumed,
Luring me away from my determined pace
Around the track this early evening in July.

Jean McAllister, Bellevue, WA
Judge's Comments:  Superb imagery, well-chosen words, like "sprawling," "carelessly," "flounce," "luring," adding up to temptation.
============
Send comments, questions, advice to:  DMHT67B@Prodigy.com
Snail mail:  Sol Magazine, P.O. Box 580037, Houston, TX  77258-0037
Phone number:  (281) 333-3741
Website:  http://pages.prodigy.com/sol_magazine
============
All poetry remains the property of the poet, except Sol Magazine reserves the right to publish all poems (once) at a future date, or to post them to a web page.  NONE may be reproduced without permission of Sol Magazine.  Electronic forwarding is permitted as long as no portion of this magazine is changed and all credits are given.
============
See August contest website for current guidelines.
============
Neat writing/art websites to explore:
====
Check out the Arts Cafe, from Bonnie Williams and Steve Cox at:
http://pages.prodigy.com/artscafe
====
Steve Cox also has a website of his own.  Look him up at:
http://www.mectek.com
====
Join the Barreras at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~thebarreras
====
Betty Ann Whitney has a page at:
http://pages.prodigy.com/dandelionsoup
====
Leisa West Pierce may be found at:
http://www.hpnc.com/~leisa
====
And for those interested, we've been told that Writer's Digest can now be found on the internet at
http://www.writersdigest.com
====
We are happy to list any poetry contributor's web site here if it's a personal poetry page.  Remind us each month by our last contest deadline if you wish us to list you.

We accept no commercial advertising unless at least half of the services you provide are specifically designed to help writers.  Bookstores, Agents, Editors, Poetry or Writing Magazines, and Publishers are all welcome to list their site here.
============
Sol Magazine (C) 1998
============



Back to index: http://pages.prodigy.com/sol_magazine