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Sol Magazine (C) 1999
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Twice a month, Sol Magazine sponsors poetry contests, and from the
results, produces an electronic poetry magazine, published on the last
day of each month. The winners are posted to our website at:
http://pages.prodigy.com/sol_magazine
Our topics are on a variety of subjects about nature and the nature
of humanity. Our purpose: to foster the reading and writing of short
poetry, and the education of poets.
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Welcome: Joyce Badger, Joe Blanda, Debra Cochran, David E. Cowen, Nico
Crisafulli, Renee K. Driscoll, Lisa Grable, Danielle Lovell, Neils Overgarr,
April Ritz, Cynthia Saxon, Brett Shifflett, Kathleen M. Walker.
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We are proud to announce that "Metaphor and Simile: Night and
Day," by Craig Tigerman and Betty Ann Whitney, Assistant Editors of Sol
Magazine, has been accepted for publication in the May Issue of The Amateur
Poetry Journal. APJ is edited by Judy Gripton. See this well
researched article at
http://amateurpoetry.virtualave.net
Send email to jude@sanasys.com for submission guidelines.
Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston
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HONORABLE MENTION
"The Marriage of Fig Newton," snackers opera (refreshments incl.)
"The Marriage of Figaro", by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Nico Crisafulli, Seattle, WA
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HONORABLE MENTION
"Barber of Amazons", Comic Opera (Barber Chooses Bad Location.)
"Barber of Seville", by Gioachino Rossini
Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
Poet's Note: "The female black widow spider consumes her mate."
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SECOND PLACE - WINNER OF A BOOKMARK
"A Farewell to Arms", The Venus de Milo Story.
Title of book by Ernest Hemingway
Milton S. Earnest, Smyrna, GA
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HONORABLE MENTION
"Missed My Rate," the comic opera of Sister Kate's investments.
"Kiss Me Kate" by Cole Porter (which was based on "The Taming of the
Shrew" by Shakespeare)
James W. Lay, Calhoun, GA
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Honorable Mention
"La Poem", girl's comedic struggle in high school Composition
"La Boheme", by Puccini
Danielle Lovell, Houston, TX
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THIRD PLACE - WINNER OF A BOOKMARK
"Silence", Avant garde, minimalist opera with very short libretto
John E. Rice, Houston, Texas
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HONORABLE MENTION
"The Hangman's Loose", former executioner escapes from asylum
Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
A large motorcycle roars to life, shifts up, and moves off down the highway. This evocative sound perfectly ushers in the country baritone of the narrator/poet Mark Edmonds, whose almost hypnotic voice leads you down the highway of his motorcycle odysseys.
Edmonds tells about rides he's taken, ticking off place names from border to border and coast to coast, flickering by like telephone poles. He breaks rhythm now and then to chronicle the weather; he battled a storm: wind, cold and rain springing "eye-high" off the pavement as he strove to keep going until night. The poet articulates a brand of American individualism where a person just does what he needs, and doesn't bother to explain, perhaps because he doesn't know why himself.
Ernie Williams provides guitar and banjo accompaniment through the four "epic" ballads, a backdrop which emerges at times to create a change of mood or pace. Poems and music are a co-creation. The laid-back "roadspeak" narration combines with the haunting folk instruments weaving in and around the words, yielding plaintive, bluesy, and even deeply spiritual effects.
These are not quite romance ballads, but are a sort of cross between the ballad of Simon McGee and Jack Kerouac's On the Road. As the soul of the rider is not to arrive, but to ride, so the atmosphere of these poems is like simply moving on down the road.
Edmonds has also written a book of short stories, "Longrider".
Unspoken
My friend reads my thoughts like pages from a book
Tom sends me his opinions with one unspoken look.
Don Castiglioni, Austin, TX
Editor's Comment: This succinctly speaks of a long-standing friendship,
where communication no longer completely relies on spoken words.
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Health - HONORABLE MENTION -
When, like a fern, I wither and bend,
Yours is a hand to quench and amend.
Nico Crisafulli, Seattle, WA
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: This excellent example of "couplet" is true
to form in both meter and rhyme. Well worded.
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TOLERANCE - HONORABLE MENTION
Far beyond skin and flesh and bone,
Accepting all. We're not alone.
John Rice, Houston, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Interesting how the meter moves this along.
Social and spiritual commentary.
Haiku
1) almost all involve nature
2) words and expressions are simple
3) relate to things directly
4) no metaphors or similes
5) with almost no adjectives
Some say Haiku must have 17 syllables arranged 5/7/5 in lines 1, 2,
and 3. The fact is that traditional Japanese Haiku poets count "sounds,"
not syllables. The 17 syllables of the traditional Haiku take about
the same length of time to say as 12 to 15 English syllables. Most
North American Haiku poets write haiku in
English with fewer than 17 syllables.
Today many poets simply write Haiku in three short lines. NOTE:
Haiku is untitled, so when looking for your favorite Haiku in a book, it
may be listed by its first line.
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HONORABLE MENTION
raking leaves in spring
unwrapping gifts of nature
leaping from the earth
Joyce Badger, Eureka Springs AR
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FIRST PLACE - $10.00 bgc from B&N
yapping new-born beaks
stretch sunward awaiting food
no time for singing
Roberta Pipes Bowman, Ft. Worth, TX
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THIRD PLACE
yellow goblets flare
on fleshy green cactus pads
hill country spring rain
SuzAnne C. Cole, Houston, TX
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SECOND PLACE - $5.00 bgc from B&N
chick pecks at his shell
new life stretches and wakes up
winter folds his tent
Lena S. Norman, Saginaw, TX
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HONORABLE MENTION
birdies eagles pars
greens smoothed azaleas banked
the Master's Tournament
Carlyn Luke Reding, Austin, TX
Editor's Comments: the first time I've associated the Mater's
Tournament with spring...lovely comparison!
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HONORABLE MENTION
bumbling buzzing brown
clumsy clowns heralds of spring
junebugs have returned
John E. Rice, Houston, TX
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HONORABLE MENTION
budding magnolia
pregnant promise
fragrance filled future
Beverly Steward, Santa Barbara, CA
Editor's Comment: Nice alliteration.
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HONORABLE MENTION
fronds of new willow
gently sweep the sprouting grass
mounding twigs for nesting
Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
Recently, Bev Walton-Porter's "Suite 101" featured an essay by Mary Margaret Carlisle. Entitled "Write now. Right now!" the article may be found at the following URL:
Trouble is, we are betrayed by clocks
and calendars conspire to do us in.
All the cream lotions and all the pink pills
cannot put lost youth back together again.
Ted O. Badger, Eureka Springs AR
Editor's Comments: on the other hand, ice cream with pink sprinkles
can put a bounce in this gal's halting step! I really like the line
"calendars conspire to do us in." Deadlines make us all nerve wracked!
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FIRST PLACE - SIGNED COPY OF "FEEDING THE CROW"
Gym Scene
The gym swarms with jocks sweating on treadmills
Climbing steps to nowhere, pedaling bikes that don't move
Yet they scoff at rodents running on hamster wheels
Asking, "Foolish little critters why are you wasting time?"
Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
Assistant Editor's Comment: Interesting perspective!
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THIRD PLACE - $1.00 BGC FROM B&N
Until The Days
Probably no one ever told Cro Magnon
To meet a deadline
Or to take five
Time is a contrivance of modern man.
Assistant Editor's Comment: Makes a good point, but we do have much better hospitalization!
Nico Crisafulli, Seattle, WA
Editor's Comment: I agree. Long lines, waiting for answers,
for deadlines to pass...yes!
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HONORABLE MENTION
Expanse
Tick-tock
Heartbeat
Equinox
Eternity
Editor's Comment: Succinct, yet packs much information into this compact form.
J C Holland, Ft. Worth, TX
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Balloon
I wonder whether
The fourth dimension
Expands or contracts
Or flattens with tension.
Editor's Comment: nice rhyme scheme, making this piece memorable.
Lena S. Norman, Saginaw, TX
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HONORABLE MENTION
Einstein's Footprints
Sometimes friend and sometimes foe,
Time is neither fast nor slow.
From where we've been to where we'll be
Is simply relativity.
SECOND PLACE - WINNER OF $5.00 BGC FROM B&N
Serbia
A cosmic warp and weft,
Time's bandage is loosely woven.
It may heal wounds - but all?
Some slip through to gape anew.
John E. Rice, Houston, Texas
Sol Magazine's 1999 Poet Laureate
Assistant Editor's Comments: Highlights the fluidity of time
and suggests the tragic aspect of that fact.
Browsing the thirty-three poems offered on this website, I admired Mr. Barney's gift for highlighting the beauty of common things: horses and attendants, sheep and shearers, birds in spring song.
"Singing in mulberry May that resonant thrush
knows such liquidity, I think
he hides in a rain-barrel echo-chamber,
articulating sweet funk
in soft ascending passages a slow mind strains
to gather."
("Singing in Mulberry May", William Barney)
This website holds precious reflections of our shared American life,
and is well-worth the visit. Thanks to Naomi Simmons for her note
letting us know about this site.
Many poets try to select the most advantageous form in which to frame
topics, and some find Free Verse useful. By mimicking the flow of
natural speech, Free Verse conveys the illusion of spontaneity, and is
frequently used to express the unique feeling of personal poems.
In Free Verse, "free" means free of metrical
restriction; lines may be of any length the poet chooses.
Two good reference books are Judson Jerome's "The Poet's Handbook",
and "The Teachers and Writer's Handbook of Poetic Forms," edited by Ron
Padgett. Both are filled with detailed instruction in the mechanics
and art of writing poetry, and answer many of the questions most often
asked by beginning poets.
Tulips
Along the fence
Invite us to sip spring
From scarlet demitasse cups
At last
Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
Judge's Comments: A taste of Springtime through a fresh image.
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HONORABLE MENTION
"All the World's a Stage"
Awake
let not the day
slip unknown far away
to that shore where we may not stay
or play
Michael Cooper, Cool, CA
Editor's Note: Title is a quote from Shakespeare..."to that shore
where we may not stay," speaks of dreaming...
Judge's Comments: Four lines of rhyme are difficult in this form.
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SECOND PLACE - $5.00 BGC FROM B&N
Cholesterol
Bacon's
Sizzling hot grease
Breakfast odors entice
Eggs over easy drip yellow
Sweet juice
Shelley L. Crabtree, Enid, OK
Enid Writer's Club
Judge's Comment: mmm...mmmm...good! You can not only "smell"
the image, you can taste it.
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HONORABLE MENTION
Behold
Beauty,
In its most pure,
Not vain or wry mind you,
Is truly something to behold.
Endless.
Judge's Comment: Nice "aside" in the middle.
Nico Crisafulli Seattle, WA
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FIRST PLACE - $5.00 BGC FROM B&N
Street Corner
Please help!
You can see me
but you don't want to, right?
I'm not ashamed any more - just
homeless.
Judge's Comment: Really makes you think.
John E. Rice, Houston, TX
Sol Magazine's 1999 Poet Laureate
Fairy-like buttercups
Nodding golden petals
Complimented by every passerby
Waiting to grace the dinner table
Or become fodder for the neighbor's
Cow
Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
Judge's Comments: The loveliness of the first four lines turns
to humorous irony in the last two. I love the impact of the one-word
final line. (And is it just coincidence that the first letter of
the last three lines spelled backwards is also "cow"?)
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HONORABLE MENTION
Fog in a Burnt Field
black etchings on frosted glass
burnt stems budding with dew,
minimal dandelions
waiting
for the wind
to spread their seed
David E. Cowen, Houston, TX
Editor's Comment: Well-written scene charcoal sketched from memory.
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HONORABLE MENTION
After Summer Rain
Looking out screen door
After gentle summer rain
Air cool on skin
Sun shining like a diamond
At sunset
Calm
Dale Ernst, Mountain View, MO
Editor's Comment: Refreshing and cool.
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HONORABLE MENTION
Lost Love
I'll smile as I remember,
And with tears that well up in my sentimental heart
I'll say in the years to come:
"That was the dream that I dared not dream,
Those were the feelings I dared not feel.
That was the way it all began."
James W. Lay, Calhoun, Georgia
Judge's Comment: Captures a defining moment in this person's
life with honesty.
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THIRD PLACE - WINNER OF A $5.00 BGC FROM B&N
Searching
Sadly, the placid lake
Reaches out
As it stretches back
To the drear, rain-swollen clouds
Eager to grasp any hand
In its loneliness.
Lena S. Norman, Saginaw, TX
Judge's Comment: Excellent scene depiction, ascribing feelings
and actions to the "placid lake".
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EDITOR'S APRIL CHOICE and
FIRST PLACE - WINNER OF A $5.00 BGC FROM B&N
East End Flats
Up to my waist in warm water,
one eye on cumulus columns
stacking, lightning cracking,
over morning's molten, golden ocean,
the other on a silver spoon: cast retrieve cast retrieve
the mantra does its work.
John E. Rice, Houston, TX
Sol Magazine's 1999 Poet Laureate
Judge's Comment: Evocative: strongly poetic in its images, internal
rhymes and alliterations.
Editor's Comment: Wonderful - we see the coming storm, feel the
limpid languid liquid water, and at the end, paradoxically find meditation
through action. Impressive writing.
Mr. Rick Leach
US Friends of World Food Program
1000 16th Street, N.W., Suite 415
Washington D.C. 20036
Telephone: (202) 659-4050
Fax: (202) 293-8050
e-mail: RALeach@msn.com
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Send comments, questions, advice to:
DMHT67B@prodigy.com or Mary_M_Carlisle@prodigy.com
Sol Magazine, P.O. Box 580037, Houston, TX 77258-0037
Phone number: (281) 333-3741 call week days 8-5 CDT
Website: http://pages.prodigy.com/sol_magazine
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All poetry remains the property of the poet, except Sol Magazine reserves
the right to publish all poems (once) at a future date, and/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.
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Sol Magazine (C) 1999