Sol Magazine
August 2000 Edition

Sol Magazine © 2000
============
The use of Sol Magazine's e-mail address for anything except entering a contest is not permitted.  Do not add us to any distribution list without our permission.
============
Twice a month, Sol Magazine sponsors poetry contests.  From the results, we produce an electronic poetry magazine.  It is published on or near the last day of each month.  The winners are posted to our website at:

http://www.sol-magazine.com
 

Also posted are additional features and articles.
 

Our topics touch a variety of subjects about nature and the nature of humanity.  Our purpose is to educate poets, and to foster the reading and writing of short poetry.  We are not a vanity press.  Not every poem submitted will be published.



 
Georgia A. Popoff is seeking support in building a poetry library at Hillbrook Detention Center in Syracuse, NY.  This youth facility for kids (ages 12-16) has limited resources and the population is very receptive to poetry.  A library of chapbooks and books would last a long time and provide poetry for many young people who are at risk and could be helped.  These kids love to read, particularly at night, when they cannot write since they cannot have writing instruments except in class.  If you would like to donate lightly read poetry books, writing how-to books, or chapbooks, send them to:


Children's Library Project
C/O Hillbrook Detention Home
P.O. Box 15237
Syracuse, N.Y. 13215


Thank you for your support of young people who need to be heard and are willing to listen.

CONTENTS:

WELCOME
POETRY WORKS
TOPIC ONE:  TATTOO
GLOSSARY
ALPHA
TEXAS STATE POET LAUREATES
ANYTHING BUT LOVE
ON THE WEB
POET'S CHOICE


WELCOME:  Mary Emma Allen, J. Bruce Langley, Stephanie Pflumm, Jennifer Pike, Leila Ryland Swain.


POETRY WORKS
DO NOT SEND US 
an editorial by Mary Margaret Carlisle, Managing Editor

From our guidelines, under DO NOT SEND US:
 

We do not accept entries that make use of graphic or sexually explicit language, touch on partisan politics, support particular religious views, or mention figures out of any holy book unless we ask for them. Archaic words, such as "Tis," "Til," "Thine," and "Thou," will not appear in Sol Magazine except in articles or essays.  "Till," as in "tilling the soil," is allowed.  Mixed case entries only.
 

Why these limitations?  Graphic or sexaully explicit language may have its place, but not in a family poetry magazine such as Sol.
 

Nor do we have an interest in imposing any particular taste in politics or religion on our readers.  Want to gripe about either topic?  Other magazines may be happy to accept your work.
 

Why do we refuse poems that use archaic words?  We refuse to enshrine the syntax and language of another era.  We write in the 21st Century, and our work needs to reflect the fact that our language has changed to keep up with the restless spirit and enterprising vitality of a modern world.  Shakespeare and Emerson may have been paragons of writers, but while we revere their work, neither would be published here unless they updated their styles.  Please note:  Reversals of language to fit a form are rarely applauded or rewarded here unless the overall quality of work is exceptional.
 

Why mixed case entries only?  Mixed case is easier to read.  Write in all caps, and readers may feel you're shouting and let their eyes move on before they read your work.  If our eyes skip your work, you won't get published in Sol.
 

Want to use ethnic or racial slurs?  You will never be published here.
 

Please take a few moments to review our guidelines.  None of them are arbitrary.  We ask for your entries to come to us in a certain way so that our task of reading and transforming hundreds of individual entries into a collective document is less difficult.  All the editors of Sol Magazine are volunteers.  No one is paid to put this journal together, nor do you pay a fee to enter our contests or receive a subscription.  We send out Sol Magazine for the love of poetry, and to help educate our poets.  Help us by staying within our guidelines.
 

TOPIC ONE:  TATTOO

JUDGING PANEL:  MARTHA KIRBY CAPO, GAYNOR DEAL, CRAIG TIGERMAN

===========
Jezebel
 

Do I
rebel?  Dare I,
at thirty-six, paint, prick
ankle, tattoo myself?  I dare.
I do
 

Lynette Bowen, League City, TX
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Inversion of start at ending lends symmetry, suggesting visuality of the tattoo.  Use of punctuation gives this poem a sense of action and immediacy, and echoes the theme of grasping at life.  Beautifully written!  Write on, Poet!
===========
The Big Chill
 

Sue loved
The chain tattooed
Around her ankle but
It froze her dear old mother's heart
Solid
 

Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Very funny take on the generation gap.
===========
soul reminder
 

marking
your passing i
tattooed black butterfly
over my heart so i never
forget
 

Kim Cotton, Houston, TX
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Excellent dactylic meter makes great use of cinquain form.  Lovely work.
===========
HONORABLE MENTION
Artful Independence
 

Rebel
Defiant will
Pain so artfully etched
Indelible tattooed spirit
Of youth
 

Helen David, Stamford, CT
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  "Pain(t?)" says so much; excellent economy of words. Successfully conveys the angst so common to adolescence. "Etched" is particularly evocative of the permanent results of a stylus as it scratches indelibly into a previously blank surface.
===========
HONORABLE MENTION
Hum Blood
 

This man
made hummingbird
seeks sweet ink nectar from
tattooed flowers vibrating with
red sweat.
 

Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Excellent word-picture, makes the tattoo come alive!  Great title too.  Crisp imagery. "Sweet ink nectar" and "red sweat" vividly bring the reader into the scene.  Poem offers new insight with every reading.
===========
Lost Love
 

Red rose
Engraved forever
Art blooming on his arm
Reminding him of her beauty
Love lost
 

Julia I. Jarmusz (Spirit Cloud), Fort Worth, TX
===========
Delicate Beauty
 

Colored
Ink embedded
In my lily-white skin
Of butterflies tattooed atop
My thigh
 

Elinor Burger Kapsar, Hazelwood, MO
===========
FIRST PLACE - Winner of "Blues Shakin' My Heels," by Agnes Meadows.

Tangible Imprint
 

I placed
my cheek across
Grandma's hand-crocheted quilt
her memory tattooed to face
and heart
 

Kathy Kehrli, Factoryville, PA

JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Careful selection of words with strong adherence to cinquain form.  This poem presents a simple yet deeply touching image.  Nice twist on the tattoo theme.  Excellent use of a double meaning for "tattooed." Reader can almost see the physical imprint of the quilt's texture on the subject's cheek, and certainly feels the intangible imprint of a love that spans generations. Wonderful symbiosis between title and body of poem. Outstanding effort.
===========
THIRD PLACE - Winner of a frog bookmark.
Flower of Perfection
 

My rose
In no vial grows
Never its budding quits
With tattooed charm upon my arm
It sits
 

J. Bruce Langley, McRae, GA
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Truly poetic rhythm, rhyme and word-picture; opening "My rose" calls to mind both Shakespeare and Stein.  Lots of rhyme packed into very little space!
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Note that the use of reversed language in this poem is defused by the fact that the writing is excellent overall.
===========
HONORABLE MENTION
Retired Sailor
 

Hula
Girls in swaying
Skirts tattooed upon his
Chest kept him company in his
Old age
 

Jim Lay, Calhoun, GA
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Alliteration used to good effect, bringing dancing movement into the heart of the poem.  Clever contrast of dancing girls and the old man's chest.  Very nice rhythm quickly established and sustained throughout most of the piece. This 'old salt' will never be lonely!
===========
Unforgettable
 

Blue ink
tarnishes skin,
reminder of deceit
tattooed in blood and sweat across
my heart.
 

Celia Lawton-Livingstone, Colchester, UK
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Nicely written.  Like how the word "tarnishes" is used here.
===========
In Full Flight
 

Pencilled
carefully just
above the right ankle
outstretched wings of the butterfly
in flight.
 

Janet Parker, Leesburg, FL
===========
An Artist
 

The shape
Evolves on skin
Beauty and pain entwine
My art, painted on you, for life.
Eterne.
 

Jennifer Pike, Issaquah, WA
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Evolution of shape, where form and function become art.
===========
Indelible
 

Faint blue
numbers tattooed
on her arm remind me
Evil isn't dead, just sleeping -
for now.
 

John E. Rice, Houston, Texas
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Tattooed Holocaust survivor carries a living reminder; here we see the poet's social responsibility met as he calls these things back to our attention.  This poem evokes both sadness of past evil and fear of its return from dormancy.
===========
Body Art
 

They say
it's body art,
and so tattoos appear,
but, tell me, why do we wear them--
right there?
 

Craig Soderquist, Universal City, TX
===========
EDITOR'S PICK
Showtime
 

Sweat-traced
Tattooed dancers
Over ruddy sinew
To the beat of a jackhammer
Shimmy
 

Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Rhythm beats this poem in a cadence of power tools! Beautifully done!
===========
SECOND PLACE - Winner of a subscription to Lucidity
Unfading Slinks
 

Twitching,
tattooed snakes moved.
Rose up among hair grass
Up on muscle and sinew paths
To stretch.
 

Claiborne Schley Walsh, Montrose, AL
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Super use of alliteration to begin poem brings movement in, carefully continued through wonderfully tactile metaphor. "Hair grass" is a strong visual image.   Title is memorable, particularly the many associations that can be aurally made with "Slinks."
===========
Pulse
 

My love
You are tattooed
Beneath my thin, pale skin,
In each beat of blood, vein to vein,
My life
 

Andrea M. Zander, Rochester, MN
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Excellent parallel in first and last lines; internal rhyme in line three and alliteration in line four make this cinquain noteworthy.



GLOSSARY
By Betty Ann Whitney, Assistant Editor
POET:  The word "poet" comes from the Greek and means maker.
 

In the making of poetry, a good deal of ink has been used to illuminate philosophies of life, geographical images, customs, social classes, unsorted feelings and devotions of the heart.  But unless the writer connects in some way to the topic at hand, or is acquainted with the experiences involved, the poem may fail.
 

Poetry is concentrated, multidimensional language.  Its purpose is not to tell about, but to participate in an experience, so that the reader comes away from a poem with deeper awareness.  Its purpose may be to reveal certain characteristics, or vivid impressions of a person, place or thing -- or attitudes, not necessarily those of the poet's, but those belonging to the poem.
 

More than understanding, poetry involves the senses, emotions, and imagination.  It conveys these extra dimensions through organization and the elements of writing good poetry, such as connotation, metaphor, pattern, imagery, rhythm, tone, mood, etc.  These elements provide essential support to the total balance of the poem.  But the most important contribution the POET makes is a unique, personal sensitivity to the topic at hand, revealing the life within it.
 

More information about poetry may be found in many sources, including "Literature, Structure, Sound, and Sense," by Laurence Perrine and Thomas R. Arp.
 
 

Betty Ann Whitney, Assistant Editor


THE ALPHA POET'S CONTEST - The best of our best.
DARK DREAMS OF AUGUST

SPONSORS:  LOIS LAY CASTIGLIONI, CRAIG TIGERMAN, PEGGY ZULEIKA LYNCH

============
FIRST PLACE - Winner of a signed copy of "Speaking of...," by Pauline Brooks
 
august ashes
 

I turn away
an instant
miss the moment
of destruction
miss the
incendiary moment
between what was
and what is
miss you
the instant I turn away
 

Martha Kirby Capo, Houston TX

EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Honest poetry, beautifully written, in a terse, urgent style.  Describes a universal feeling in a unique way.  Tight writing.  Exceptional work.
============
SECOND PLACE -
Winner of a signed copy of "The Gandy Dancers," by Peggy Zuleika Lynch, from Austin, TX.
 

Seizure Augustus
 

Burn the sleep light shows parade
figures die to dance perhaps twitch
as if to dance shadows soften the truth
 

Choke on life one last gasp
snuff the candle death of breath
dream your meaning gutters drain your dreams
 

Howl into fury triage from bottles
heaven in a pill rips mend the soul
screams sing soft lips smile
 

hum one last lullaby
 

Ron Blanton, Smyrna, GA
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  This dark, nightmarish poem demanded a second, and then a third reading.  Frightening view.  Vivid and memorable.  Wonderful title!  Excellent writing.



TEXAS STATE POET LAUREATES

Two English professors were named Texas State Poet Laureates for 2000 and 2001.

James Hoggard was named poet laureate for 2000. Hoggard, professor of English at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, has authored numerous literary works.

Walt McDonald was named poet laureate for 2001.  McDonald, professor of English at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, former pilot and instructor in the U.S.A.F., has authored more than 1,800 poems and other literary works.

The two were selected unanimously by the Texas State Poet Laureate Committee. The first state poet laureate was designated in 1932. Since then, each Texas Legislature has appointed a commission to select a State Poet Laureate.



ANYTHING BUT LOVE

JUDGE:  CRAIG TIGERMAN

============
THIRD PLACE - Winner of a frog bookmark.

Murder
 

This slow, deep betrayal; flagging
scab-picking withdrawal of love
pollinated the sentiments
Every night dark dreams of him
budded, matured on edges of
material reality
until they dripped, ripe juices on
lips, fingers curled round curved trigger
of frigid, smoking, steel barrel
 

Lynette Bowen, League City, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Extremely intense psychodramatic poem featuring percussive assonance and alliteration.
============
Pyrrhic Victory
 

You confess through my curtaining
Hair how much you've missed the touch of
Another human. I burrow
Into the rhythm of your heart
Beat, trace the delicate bones of
Your wrist, die a little, knowing
It's not my touch, my love, you've missed.
 

Martha Kirby Capo, Houston TX
============
Longing for Canada
 

Back then, he was barely eighteen
when war called his name for the draft
though he'd tried very hard to be
the conscientious objector.
The paper work hadn't gone through
with government, dragging their feet-
sent home in the end, along with
his friends-dead in less than one week.
 

Diane M. Davis, Chelmsford, MA
============
Whistling Winds
 

Each night the young cowpoke sang of
His sweetheart down in El Paso
Whose eyes sparkled like stars above
He'd pledged to marry his true love
One moonless cold night rustlers shot
The poor cowboy and now wild winds
Whistle his story of lost love
Winds whistle his El Paso song
 

Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
============
FIRST PLACE - Winner a $10.00 book gift certificate.

The Event of a Lifetime
 

I leave on the sleeve of midnight
to free three eras of spirits.
Breathe moment to minute by years.
I load souls over thin border,
commitment of faith with this mate.
Instinct brings boundless encounters,
fills my skull with wisdom, with words.
I arrive on the cries of morn.
 

Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY

JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Great job of creating mood.  Internal rhymes and near-rhymes help move the story along with its dactylic cadence.
============
Lonely By The Bay
 

Two lovers sat beside the sea
They saw an island far away
She knew her love could be no more
He told her life was hard to take
Then left her lonely by the bay
And walked into the awesome wave
She wept and cried to gulls above
My only love has gone today.
 

Julia Jarmusz, Fort Worth, TX
============
The Boomerang Effect
 

A Gypsy legend bade me that
Jewelry made from a horseshoe's nails
Would guarantee you to stay true
Or pierce like a dart your false heart.
 

I did as was told and gave you
A necklace of potential spears.
So why I plead if you cheated
Is the heart that's left bleeding mine?
 

Kathy Kehrli, Factoryville, PA
============
Curveball
 

Scanned personals in the paper;
one intrigued my imprudent heart.
Brief jotted note, then one phone call
and romance had a running start.
We should have exchanged photographs,
but then I might never have seen
your pierced eyebrow, facial tattoos
and your hair dyed bright neon green.
 

Susie LaForge, Fort Worth, TX
============
The Ballad of Lost Love
 

Two lovers finished quietly
The evening meal and dishes did
Then as she washed, he thought wryly
Some trick to play, a prank to kid
He grabbed her from behind to love
She countered with a sudsy knife
His love ran deep into the heart
So deep in fact she lost his life
 

J. Bruce Langley, McRae, GA
============
SECOND PLACE -Winner of a year's subscription to Lucidity.
Hope
 

I tasted life and found it sweet
though it was bitter in retreat
youth had encompassed many skills
age raged against the wasted years
and then I saw the daisy bloom
that slept thought winter's coldest hours
and hoped that I might do the same
when from the earth I rise again.
 

Janet Parker - Leesburg, FL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Beautiful poetry with a classic feel.  Perfect iambic meter.  Excellent use of contrasts in each pair of lines.
============
Backfire
 

I deduced she could be seduced;
I gave her my very best line.
To my surprise, she believed all
my lies - or at least so it seemed.
I wooed her, I won her, I notched
up a score one more time. She took
all my money, my pants and my
shoes. Her note said "Had fun. You lose!"
 

John E. Rice, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Good use of irony.
============
50 years
 

Soul-spent, balding death pale man wheeled
Through security now sees, squints.
Green leaves rustle - his Great War gone.
Interred in Russian psyche ward walls -
Docs deaf to his Hungarian -
Mutterings of the mad they wrote.
Blue sky invites him - he softly
Pleads, When will I get my legs back?
 

Adelaide L. Socki, Houston, TX
============
Role Played
 

What impact your words imparted.
When we started I knew you well.
Hell, that time itself would tell me
This could not last with your poor past.
Still, I hoping to overcome
played dumb and continued onward
enamored to play ingenue.
What else could I do? Except lose.
 

Claiborne Schley Walsh, Montrose, AL



ON THE WEB
"Under the Limbo Stick"
A review of the website of Maryann Hazen-Stearns
by Craig Tigerman, Assistant Editor
"Under the Limbo Stick"
http://hometown.aol.com/faerhart2/myhomepage/poetry.html

Published in many books, magazines, journals and various web sites, Maryann Hazen-Stearns' record as a poet speaks for itself.  On her web site are samplings from several of her chapbooks including "Life Among the Lesser Gods," poems for and about women survivors; "An Underworld Awaits: Poetry From Beyond," poems of the supernatural, macabre, gruesome, and just plain weird; and the forthcoming chapbook, "Hamster T. Rodent," for kids, grownups, and hamsters.

A regular Sol Magazine contributor, Ms. Hazen-Stearns' award-winning style ranges from earthy, intensely physical, sensual poetry to her penetrating story-telling.  "Under the Limbo Stick" is an impressive, worthwhile web site for all who seek quality in modern poetry.
 
 

Craig Tigerman - http://sol-magazine-projects.org/prodigy/craig_tigerman



POET'S CHOICE

JUDGING PANEL:  CRAIG TIGERMAN, BETTY ANN WHITNEY, PAULA MARIE BENTLEY.

We asked our poets to send us their work in English and in another language if they wished.  Two poets rose to that challenge.  Each will receive a signed copy of the wonderful new book of poems, "Words Elude Me...," by Paula Marie White.
============
The Sound of Silence
 

No children laughing in the streets,
They hide their heads in fear
From those who kill the innocent
Yet vow they fight for peace.
No blackbirds flying in the fields,
The living creatures scarce
Chased by random bombing machines
Who think they own the land.
The sound of war will soon die out
With silence in its place.
They'll raise their flags in victory
But what will they have gained?
 

Le Son de la Silence
 

Aucuns enfants riant dans les rues,
Ils se cachent les visages dans la peur
A quelqu'uns qui tuent les innocents
Mais faisent encore le voeu qu'ils luttent pour la paix.
Aucuns merles volant dans les champs,
Les creatures vivantes sont rares
Chassees par les machines perdues de bombes
Qui pensent qu'elles possedent la terre.
Le son de la guerre disparaitra bientot
Avec la silence a sa place.
Ils leveront leurs drapeaux en victoire
Mais qu'est-ce qu'ils auront gagne?
 

Kathy Kehrli, Factoryville, PA
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  The opening line is compelling, drawing in the reader.  This is war, and war is futile - who wins in the end?  An excellent rhetorical ending.
============
Macaroni
 

I now tell the story of my fame and glory
As my heart always humble must be
In four tongues immense I can speak with good sense
But the meanings get mixed up to me
 

Words run together in this common endeavor
The definitions seem get-up-and-gone
So if my words seem rash in my multi-tongued bash
Just account all the errors my own
 

Macaroni
 

Racconto my story della fama y glory
Wie mein heart immer humble muss be
I can bien hablar senso en three lenguas o quattro
Ma the meaning vien misto por me
 

Words corre zuzamen in die Sprache so common
Weil the significato fliegt via
Se mein frase son false lo spiego of course
Que le errore son ganz allein mia
 

J. Bruce Langley, Fort Worth, TX
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Cleverly done, truly a work of poetic artistry. "Macaroni" reminds me of the ending in the "Sun King," by the Beatles, where four lines culminate in something like, "Questo abrigado tanta mucho cake can eat it parasol."  Delightful Limerick presented in an unusual way, as the recognition of familiar words ties the two parts together well.  A glorious romp through the poet's befuddled attempts to convey clear thoughts in various languages.  Great irony in the first stanza.
============
FIRST PLACE - Winner of a year's subscription to Lucidity.

Sculpture Garden
 

Twisted wire collars
Choke trees in
Rusted iron cages
Chained, they lean into their
Heavy rubber manacles
Leaves restless
Chafing, writhing
In the same summer
Warm breeze that
Lifts your hair so
Gently, the way I
Wish I dared.
 

Martha Kirby Capo, Houston, TX

JUDGES' COMMENTS:  The parallel structure of lines one, three, and five adds emphasis to the negative images.  "Hair/dared" rhyme brings this poem to a softer close.  Well-done.  More than facts, the use of strong contrasting images is handled superbly.  Excellent parallel between the agony of a tree straining to escape manmade restraints and a soul straining to escape the self-imposed restraints placed on itself - the switch of language from rough, harsh (manacled, choking, twisting, writhing) to a sudden lightness, a tender yearning, effectively portrays this poem as a struggle between two sides of a secret love.
============
HONORABLE MENTION
Circadian Rhythms
 

Afloat in an alabaster bowl
The pale pink water lily
Opens at dawn, closes at dusk
Continuing the rhythm
Of Lake Amakanata, her home
Mirrors the memories
My mind enfolds around you
When we are apart.
 

Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Repetition of sounds and syllables create an effective vocal impression.  Langorous and sweet, this poem mirrors the beauty and constancy of the lily with love and memories.  Alliteration in lines 1 and 6 tie nature and man together inextricably.  Simple, beautiful, lyrical.
============
HONORABLE MENTION
Dragon Reigns
 

Behold the dragon lord, my son
most noble creature of the land
and learn his wisdoms, one by one.
Behold the dragon lord, my son.
His courage deep from battles won
brings loyalty to his command.
Behold the dragon lord, my son.
Most noble creature of the land.
 

Diane M. Davis, Chelmsford, MA
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Skillfully follows the traditional Triolet -- a challenge well done, as this form allows little room to develop an idea. The rhythm works in a military cadence, fitting the subject of the poem.  The circular rhythm is effective.  Enforces a good moral story and viewpoint - observe the noble strength of the dragon, taking that into your own life.
============
Pie-eyed
 

Mama's fried apple pies were the
Best in the whole wide world.  Now I
Have spent all my born days looking
For a pie-cooking girl.  If I
Ever find this miss, I'll forsake
My roaming ways and spend my time
Praising her and the tall stacks of
Steaming apple pies on my plate
 

Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  This poem provokes a real chuckle.  The quest for a girl who cooks like Mama is very Grail-esque.  Lovely conversational tone on a sweet subject.  The idea of roaming the land in a search of mythic proportions for the elusive pie-baking girl is great fun.
============
THIRD PLACE - Winner of a frog bookmark.
Affirmation
 

This is not a confession. What I see,
I say I saw and there I was
and that was all. There is no more
to tell. This is not an allusion
to a revelation. I have nothing to reveal,
no deal. This is not an elusion
of affirmation. How I knew, I know
I knew and so I went and then I went
without, without a doubt. This is not
an illusion, though life in tableau vivant
may be delusionary. There is nothing
to confess, no more, no lie, no less.
 

Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY
JUDGES' COMMENTS:   The current U.S. Poet Laureate, Robert Pinsky, says that the poet's medium is the column of air felt upon reading the poem aloud.  This poem provides the reader with an excellent opportunity to experience that column of air.  Rolls off the tongue delightfully.  Near rhyme and repeating phrases keep a tight pattern of movement throughout the poem.  A splendid doubling-back revelatory poem.  The constant repetition of basic sounds in different words enhances the feeling of saying something, then taking it back, rephrasing it, saying it again, playing in the old dance, around and around.  The tone of denial is overwhelming."
============
Tough Love
 

Little child upon my knee
Mothers love I give so free
Tougher love can be too strong
Gentle love may sing a song
 

Take it now along your way
Never lose or from it sway
Little child upon my knee
Love so tender may it be
 

Julia Jarmusz, Fort Worth, TX
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  A sweet song of love and gentleness teaching a  lesson of real love.  Lullaby-like, peaceful, tender, beautiful.
============
Seashore Sonata
 

With a back drop of a cacophonous symphony of gulls
I jog along the golden sands of Vero Beach
My heart echoes the rhythm of the pounding sea
Memories of the past arise in the morning mist
 

Jim Lay, Calhoun, GA
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Encapsulated slice of life - a wonderful cycle of interconnection completed in four lines.  Present, past, and future all tie together in a solitary jog along Vero Beach.  Well done.
============
"I would like to have seen Montana"
 

the dying Russian said
sighing the words slowly
a final drag, the last narcotic leaf
of an ancient Navajo
bedecked in martial glory
shoulders slump, epaulets swing, settle, still
 

The steel coffin answers the "All stop!"
the sound rattles the empty shell
silent water surrounds the sepulcher
the crew stands frozen
round a husk within a hull
buried at sea before the ballast is blown
 

Jack Lewis, Chattanooga, TN
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Vivid imagery helps define the irony found in this poem and adds dimension to the intensity of that irony.  This poem immediately sets up what follows - a narrative filled with sharp, keen pictures. The alliteration in the final lines of both stanzas helps stop the action, leaving the reader wondering at this mystery.  The progression from action to speech to quiet, then to death and burial is well treated.  The quote in the title, from the movie "Red October," immediately immerses a knowledgeable reader in both the movie, and in this scene rendered here.  Good stand-alone poetry.  Revealing and mysterious in the same breath.
============
Just Another Love Song
 

You moved me;
I wrote a lyric,
said all I had to say --
wanted it to be
unique,
without cliche.
 

Celia Lawton-Livingstone, Cochester, UK
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Sweet, simple, short - all the good things.  And here, the tenor is one of almost resignation, of a soft whispered confession, really.  This captures what all poets wish - to be able to express those things and people that move us without resorting to old cliches.
============
Acceptance
 

As I presume the day to be
it does not matter much
the hand invisible to see
will always leave its touch
an extra joy or sadness
so little left to me
my role is unto acceptance
it is this which sets me free
you think your day is yours to mold
oh such an innocence
do you not ever wonder
when you view the consequence?
 

Janet Parker - Leesburg, Fl
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  This poet says accept the day, and do what you can with it.  Direct writing underscored with a bit of cynicism.  Good writing.
============
SECOND PLACE - Winner of a 24K gold finish sun bookmark.
Aubade
 

A broad sash of
sunlight angles from
skylight to floor,
stepping from shelf to
shelf down the bookcase and
out the door.
Holliger's oboe floats
through the house, a
clear, cool celebration of
Bach's musical mathematics.
I ask for no more peace -
than this.
 

John E. Rice, Houston, TX
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  An aubade is a "morning-after" song.  (One glossary defines aubade as a poem about dawn, a morning love song, or a poem about the parting of lovers at dawn.) This aubade expresses a lovely serenity as it glides from descriptive scene to scene in the soft morning. Steadily, this unveils a scene pleasing to the mind's eye as it would be to the physical.  Beautifully chosen words and heartfelt emotion infuse every line, creating a scene one wishes to freeze in time forever.  This poem creates beauty.
============
Passing
 

These tears once mine
now cling to you as
these eyes so moist
see yours are too.
 

How years have passed
since these eyes greeted you;
now it's your wet eyes
bidding me adieu....
 

Craig Soderquist, Universal City, TX
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  A lyrical circuitous parting.  Wonderful rhythm, sad subject well treated.
============
Driving in the mountains
eagles glide by
riding the breeze
 

Leila Ryland Swain, Washington, DC
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Peaceful Haiku.  Wonderful contrast of man-made vehicles with the natural grace and power of eagles.
============
Brownout
 

Ninety-eight degrees, ninety-nine percent humidity
We sit, eyes closed, on the back porch
Marinating in sweat
Too hot to even blink.
The dog lies at the far end
In a delicate fan of shade
Cast by the wind-damaged willow
His rhythmic panting mimicking the sound of a far off train.
Far skies to the west grey.
An occasional rumble of thunder
Teases relief.
 

Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
JUDGES' COMMENTS:  Excellent word-picture, leaving the reader in the midst of sweltering.  Captures that oh-so-miserable feeling of a humid day, week, month with no respite;  careful attention to detail and unique comparisons (dog's panting mimicking a far-off train, for instance) enforce this poem's effect.  We have all known this humidity, and we have all been teased by that far-off "rumble of thunder" that only "teases relief."  Excellent ending and use of word-pictures.




Sol Magazine will mail no book prizes to poets outside the United States of America.  Book gift certificates from Barnes & Noble will be substituted.  No exceptions.
============
Have a comment?  Want to be added to our list?  Want to be taken off our list?

Write to us at:  Sol.Magazine@prodigy.net

Or at:
Sol Magazine
P.O. Box 580037, Houston, TX  77258-0037
Phone number:  (281)316-2255 weekdays 8-5.

Sol Magazine's Website:  http://www.sol-magazine.com
============
So you want to be judge, guest editor, interviewee?  Tell us.  We may have just the spot for you.  Judges are asked to write a guest editorial on a topic we set before being asked to judge a contest.
============
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.
=============
DO NOT SEND US:  We do not accept entries that make use of graphic or sexually explicit language, touch on partisan politics, support particular religious views, or mention figures out of any holy book unless we ask for them.  Archaic words, such as "Tis," "Til," "Thine," and "Thou," will not appear in Sol Magazine except in articles or essays.  Mixed case entries only.
 

We do allow poems about God, mythological gods or goddesses.  See our contest website or last contest for current guidelines.
=============
We may correct grammar, tense, spelling errors or change punctuation without asking for permission or forgiveness.
============
Sponsors in 2000:  Don Castiglioni, James Lay.
============
Angels in 2000:  Martha Kirby Capo, Lois Lay Castiglioni, Leo F. Waltz.
============
Book donors in 2000:  Lois Lay Castiglioni, Sharon Goodwin, Peggy Zuleika Lynch, Carlyn Luke Reding, Kathleen Elizabeth Schaefer, Craig Tigerman, San Antonio Poets Association.  Corporate book donors:  Flying Cow Productions, Bookstop.  New sponsors and angels always welcomed.  Thanks for your support.




Sol Magazine, P.O. Box 580037, Houston, TX  77258-0037
Phone number:  281-316-2255       Call weekdays 8-5 (CDT)
Send comments, questions, advice to:
Sol.Magazine@prodigy.net

Sol Magazine © 2000

Home:http://www.sol-magazine.com