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Sol Magazine © 2000
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://pages.prodigy.com/sol_magazine
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.
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CONTENTS
WELCOME: Wendy Carlisle, M.E. Hough, and Christina
Mujahid.
We received this brief note from Martha Capo, the third place winner
of our Poet Laureate Contest:
"Faith and Beghorrah, I won FIRST PLACE tonight in the poetry division of the Houston Writers Conference! Got a lovely glass plaque/trophy and a nifty certificate! Also had one editor approach me and ask for submissions, and another who encouraged me to submit at a later date."
Congratulations, Martha! We are so very proud of your accomplishment.
Dear Editor: You rejected my entry. Why? Signed, Poet.
Dear Poet: You didn't read the rules or requirements. Don't you want a prize if you win? How can we send it to you without your full mailing address? If we ask for ten lines or fewer, and you send eleven or more, should we just lop off some lines in the middle so it fits our rules? Want to be published? Read the rules and requirements.
PORTRAIT: See our website (or use this link) for March's Portrait - Text from a recent seminar given by Robert Pinsky, America's Poet Laureate, reported by Craig Tigerman. Photo included.
TOPIC ONE: RELATIONSHIPS
SPONSOR: Don Castiglioni
JUDGE: Janet Parker
http://community.webtv.net/TENAJ/thepoeticpage
Dear Poets: I thought this would be a very easy contest to judge but found your submissions all so different and remarkable in their own way, that it turned out to be a labor of love. Keep up the good work!============
Thank you, Sol Magazine, for giving me this privilege, not to judge, but to allow me to see the work of all these aspiring poets.
Your ugly tirade is lighting fires
and peace, that gentle dove, expires.
Roberta Pipes Bowman, Fort Worth, TX
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THIRD PLACE
Teenager
Times of fighting when I despair
But then you ask for help with your hair.
Judy Calheiros, Ponta Verde, Brazil
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good rhyme. Shows her despair and then
the other person...a daughter, perhaps, asks for help with her hair.
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Relationship poetry must clearly show both
participants in the poem. This poem does that well in two short lines.
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SECOND PLACE
SundaysJUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good rhyme. Lots of emotion in a few words.
Watching in the mirror as I brush her tangled hair
Mama wonders who I am, and wonders why I'm there.
Martha Kirby Capo, Houston, TX
Relentless to our parents for their lack of any joy under the sun,
Time turning loud, back it comes, we won't let 'em have any fun.
S.J.Carr, Houston, TX
============
House Rules
As kids, mother stopped our pranks with one stern look
Yet with her grandchildren it seems she's thrown out the book
Don Castiglioni, Austin, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: We see this woman and her grandchildren!
============
Synchronized
Grandmother was too old to walk fast, the boy too young
The well-matched team moved in step under the morning sun
Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Moving picture!
============
Marriage
Sometimes we're spoons, sometimes a closed sphere,
Whether concave or convex, two perfect halves.
SuzAnne C. Cole, Houston, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Makes the relationship between these two very
clear.
============
Siblings
He pulled my hair, I twisted his arm
But I kicked the boy who did him harm.
SuzAnne C. Cole, Houston, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Wonderful clarity in a mini portrait.
============
Reflection
We are so connected, like folding mirrors, you and me,
by example and reflection, called aptly, "family."
Warner D. Conarton, Zephyrhills, FL
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Memorable!
============
Patience
Young children their older siblings endure
confident in life's passage they'll mature
Helen M. David, Stamford, CT
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Emulation
I stop, as if thrown back through the ages of time
hearing my father's words, come from a child of mine
Diane M. Davis, Chelmsford, MA
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Three generations in two lines!
============
Lasting Gifts
My most treasured gifts were not under the Christmas tree
They were the five siblings that my parents gave to me
Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: The entire concept of family in a few words.
============
Arrows
Children like arrows flung from the bow.
Aimed at their target; watch them go.
Julia I. Jarmusz, Ft. Worth, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: So beautifully put!
============
Turnabout
Grandma proudly helped me learn to crawl and walk and stand.
Now after all those fleeting years, it's she who holds my hand.
Kathy Kehrli, Factoryville, PA
============
EDITOR'S CHOICE
HONORABLE MENTION
Stripping
In the blue blue dark of our bedroom you grin
as you pull down the sheets and yank off my skin.
Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Frightening! Twenty two words, including
the title, and an entire portrait emerges of Death and Victim. I've
seen novels that didn't carry off the theme as well in twenty chapters.
Beautifully written. The use of surprise as the chief element of
this poem really works!
============
HONORABLE MENTION
Etiquette
My sisters tried to teach me manners, how to mind my P's and Q's
But sixty years later they say: "We still aren't through."
James W. Lay, Calhoun, Georgia
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: An old story well told. Learning is never finished.
============
Mom
Eyes on me watching me grow and when I let go
All grown up I sum up to her loving me so
Christina Mujahid, Austin, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Brief, memorable writing.
============
HONORABLE MENTION
Mystery
Brother with your silly grin
What secrets do you keep within?
Nicole Nostramo, Elmwood Park, NJ
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Great message - always a good idea to keep
the smile on one's face and keep them guessing.
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Another clear view into a relationship.
============
FIRST PLACE
QuestJUDGE'S COMMENTS: Ah yes...reminder of the 'road not taken'.
It's up there, child, on the very top shelf.
Here is a ladder - you must climb it yourself.
John E. Rice, Houston, TX
Friend, cook, driver, seamstress, judge and doctor, too.
There's simply no profession that a mother doesn't do!
============
Homework
Studious child ponders
Proud parents awed wonder.
Brenda Roberts, Sherman, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: We see both child and parents. Proves
that it only takes a few words to paint a clear picture.
============
Proposal
From single you and single me
let's change the tense to plural we.
Naomi Stroud Simmons, Ft. Worth, TX
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Reconciling
I no longer fear the Grim Reaper,
Dear Doctor, his bill is much cheaper.
Naomi Stroud Simmons, Ft. Worth, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: This made me laugh! Then reflect.
============
Moor
He is youth and vigor and light and air
Both his feet pressed to Earth a mother's prayer.
Adelaide L. Socki, Houston, TX
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Confectioners
Mother and daughters fuss over a pot of bubbling fudge
Chuckling about past failures and hoping for success.
Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
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Taster
I follow Dad, just back from mushrooming, around the kitchen
Supervising the cooking process, pilfering the tiny buttons.
Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
EDITOR'S COMMENTS: Nicely done!
============
Found
A mother's drive to compensate for small children's grief
Only allowed time for hers to be swallowed and brief
Claiborne Schley Walsh, Montrose, AL
|
by Betty Ann Whitney, Assistant Editor http://pages.prodigy.com/dandelionsoup PANTOUM: Usually grouped with French forms, the Pantoum (pronounced
"pan-TOOM") is the Western version of the Malaysian form, "pantun." First
appearing in Malayan literature during the fifteenth century, it had gained
popularity earlier, recited orally, by memory. Commonly light in
tone and treatment, the Pantoum repeats lines. Lines 2 and 4 of the
first stanza become lines 1 and 3 of the next stanza, etc, following this
pattern throughout the poem.
PANTOUM PATTERN:
________________ (line 1)
Notice each line of the poem is used twice, adding an element of surprise
as it reappears. The Pantoum can be of any length the poet chooses. At
the end of the poem, the last line becomes line one.
Example:
Beyond Anticipation
Two doves landed a pool of light
(line 1)
Betty Ann Whitney, Wesley Chapel, FL |
SPONSOR: Don Castiglioni
JUDGE: Craig Tigerman
The cook boiled shrimp that day
It was served to a Yankee they say
With skin still intact
It entered her intestinal tract
She gagged and died that way.
Susan Barnhurst, Sherman, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Always funny to see tales of Northerners eating
Texas food!
============
Sopapillas
Julie filled all the pastry with honey.
The crunch made her mouth feel all sunny.
The crumbs they did flake
And a mess it did make,
But the taste was the best for the money.
Judy Calheiros, Alagoas, Brazil
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Why are some of the yummiest foods also some
of the messiest?
============
Tamale
Though flaccid, it's filled with potential,
Inspiring a love reverential,
It's husky and hot
In its steaming stockpot:
Imagine if it was presidential!
Martha Kirby Capo, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Indeed! Leaves the reader imagining!
Creative, clever concept with humorous rhyme (potential, presidential).
============
Barbecue
There once was a Texan named Drew
Who always ordered barbecue
Until he visited a farm
And saw longhorns had charm
Now he eats vegetable stew
Don Castiglioni, Austin, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Texas - the Charming-Longhorn State?
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HONORABLE MENTION
Ice Cream
A Texas gal in Amarillo
Fed Bluebell to her armadillo
He seemed to savor
Most every flavor
But preferred Homemade Vanill-o
Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Laugh-out-loud! I was hoping for an Amarillo
armadillo limerick! Author uses creative twist of final word for
extra humorous impact.
============
Grass
This here is a limerick to grass.
In Texas it's consumed en masse.
Cows there and bulls always say,
"Chomp green-grass, not red-meat each day.
It converts more efficiently to gas."
Warner D. Conarton, Zephyrhills, FL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: The whimsical plea conveys a truthful message!
============
Mesquite
Mesquite is the best type of wood
When smoking meat makes it quite good
So smoke if you would
Use Mesquite if you could
For I would if I could and you should
Shelley Crabtree, Enid, Ok
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Sounds like a reincarnated Texan Dr. Seuss.
============
Chicken-Fried Steak
Chuck's chicken-fried steak by the platter
Brought shouts of high praise and much chatter
Until the rumor the steak
Was in truth rattlesnake
Caused Chuck's short-lived fame to shatter.
Helen David, Stamford, CT
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Then chicken-fried rattlesnake must be mighty
good!
============
HONORABLE MENTION
Sopapillas
My favorite dessert every night
is honeyed fried dough, a delight
until I chomped on a bee
that I didn't quite see
Now my face is all swelled from its bite.
Diane M. Davis, Chelmsford, MA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Ouch! Texas humans aren't the only critters
to savor that honey! Perfect anapestic rhythm of limerick structure
makes this a delight to read.
============
Chili and Rice
I went to Texas the lone star state
Had heard the food there was great
The hot chili and rice
Were really nice
But I put on considerable weight
Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
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SECOND PLACE
LobsterJUDGE'S COMMENTS: I didn't know that! Cleverly-written limerick. The author takes us from the young man's high of dashing to the low of rueing as he discovers his beloved lobster is treated no different than a four hoof-ed beast. Perfect rhythm, clever rhyme (rue it, -cue it).
A dashing young man from Down East
Searched Houston for a lobster to feast.
He came finally to rue it.
In Texas they barbecue it
Like any old four hoof-ed beast.
Milton Earnest, Smyrna, GA
We love foot longs, so do our tots
Real beef in links all tied in knots
We'll have our fill
Right off the grill
That's why we call 'em Texas Hots!
Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Makes my mouth water for some!
============
Watermelon
A watermelon jumped from the load
Rolled down the road
Lost his head
Thought he was dead
But turned into a toad.
Julia Jarmusz, Ft. Worth, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Laugh-out-loud! A Texas food fairy
tale!
============
Quesadilla
The spicy Tex-Mex quesadilla
Is a smothered flour tortilla.
It's not the Colby cheese
That makes you cough and wheeze,
But those jalapenos, Mama Mia!
Kathy Kehrli, Factoryville,PA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Indeed, hot enough to make you wax Italian!
============
THIRD PLACE
Tacos
There was a young man named Jack
Who ate tacos until he lost track.
His Texas hosts were impressed
But nevertheless
They never invited him back.
James W. Lay, Calhoun, GA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Classic limerick style, humorous. Clever
in its simplicity, it tells the humorous story more by inference than explicitly.
The author leaves the scene to the reader's imagination.
============
Refried Beans
I sat down to dinner in Dallas
With a new girl friend named Alice
The refried beans were great
But such was my poor fate
That she soon left the table with malice!
Lynne Remick, Nesconset, NY
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: And that's why I shy away from refried beans...
============
FIRST PLACE
Campfar Cookin'JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Great down-home Texan limerick, gruff and proud of it! Perfect limerick rhythm and well-chosen rhymes (rough tough stuff) capturing and conveying the feeling perfectly make this a winning entry.
In Texas we eat lots of stuff
That some folks find a bit rough -
We like lengua guisada
With mashed avacada
And steaks burnt shoe-leather tough.
John E. Rice, Houston, TX
We came to the land of fa-JITE-us
New York and Chicago behind us
Ate chicken fried steak
With red velvet cake
Now we say fajitas with no muss
Adelaide Socki, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: That red velvet cake sounds really good about
now...
============
Jalapeno Jelly
We once had a visitor named Dwight
Who sneaked down our stairs late one night
Craving P, B, and J
Put a sandwich away
But--Yeow--twanged his buds with a bite!
Craig Soderquist, Universal City, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: A traditional humorous limerick with perfect
rhythm and rhyme.
============
BLT
With breakfast in my hand
A sow beside me, came to stand.
Thinking she wished to share
I offered her, a portion of my fare.
Sadly, she declined, yesterday that was my husband.
Jeannette L. Strother, Mansfield, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: These talking animals may force me to change
my diet!
============
Pizza Pie
From Rhode Island to Texas Lucia flew
What the cuisine was, she hadn't a clue.
She ordered pizza with sauce
And was at such a loss
On top was chili, grits and barbecue.
Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Grits on pizza? Do Texans REALLY
do that??!
============
Calf Fries
A man from New Jersey named Skinner
Took a West Texas girl out to dinner
She ordered calf fries
What are these he cries
Mountain oysters will make you thinner
Bill Truax, Cedar Hill, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Eclectic West Texas fare there!
============
"Barb"-B-Q
Tex wolfed down Texas beef barbeque
He was so hungry he'd forgot his brew
The spices were fiery!
The juices so hot!
He blazed to the trough and drank there too!!
Claiborne Schley Walsh, Montrose, AL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: He'll never forget his brew again after that!
ALPHA POET - Winner of a $5.00 book gift
certificate from Barnes & Noble.
============
It becomes obvious upon reading the poem below why John E. Rice was
chosen Sol Magazine's Poet Laureate 2000. Read and enjoy, not only
the poem, but also the comments following from Jean McAllister, Sol's Book
Reviewer.
Over the Wall
Basil's at it again - out there
in his garden, only Parsley dressed, no hat, talking
to himself as he declines his herbs: "Oregano,
oreganas, oreganat," he declaims, "oreganamus...
All right troops, we're running out of Thyme." He's been
this way since Rosemary left him years ago. He fancies
himself a Sage old sorcerer - spent a Mint on
old magic books. He lines up shovel, fork,
rake and hoe. "March," he commands, and
falls in behind them.
John E. Rice, Houston, Texas
Editorial Comments: What a KICK! It made me laugh out loud! It's funny, clever, somehow manages to not sound contrived, though of course it is--or is it? COULD there be a person demented in just this delightful way? You wonder, at the beginning, who "Basil" is--of course thinking it must be a person, or perhaps a cat (came to my mind), and then you are sort of flummoxed by "Parsley dressed"--of course! a pun on "partly"! and then declining the herbs (rhyming with verbs)! What a delight! I would like to meet this old guy. He has become real in this short poem, a model for how to compensate for grief in an energetic and harmless way. The poem's title perfectly intrigues interest and also works as a punch line.
|
by Craig Tigerman, Assistant Editor http://sol-magazine-projects.org/prodigy/craig_tigerman Cindy Drew's Cat Pages, http://cindydrew.com/cats
For some delightful reading, even if you are not a cat-lover, check
out the poetry on Cindy Drew's website. The home page offers a variety
of serious, light-hearted, and entertaining links for cat keepers.
"Cat Poetry," on the Table of Contents, takes you to a page featuring
three short poems by Rachel Gold, a Mother Goose rhyme, and an index to
sixty-four other cat poems submitted by various writers. Guidelines
for submitting your own cat poems are included.
I could not help but smile while reading Nuskat's "Mittens and Paws,"
about the exploits of Meowser and Arfer (a noble cat and a mischievous
dog), or "Dish Bottom Phobia," by a sixteen-year-old tabby named Bam Bam,
translated into English by Sharon Goodman.
These poems are clever, humorous, and touching, revealing the hearts of both the cat keepers and the felines who own them. My three-year-old cat Alex may write poetry some day, if he ever gets bored with napping, eating, and watching birds outside. When he does, I'll certainly consider submitting his work to Cindy Drew's Cat Pages. |
See our website for March's Portrait: a photo and text from a recent seminar given by Robert Pinsky, America's Poet Laureate, reported by Craig Tigerman.
SPONSOR: Don Castiglioni
JUDGE: John Rice
FROM THE JUDGE: John Masefield, Poet Laureate of England, in 1925
while writing the introduction to a new one-volume collection of his work,
quoted Michelangelo: "The only light which counts for a work of art is
the light of the piazza." To correlate painting and sculpture (stimulants
to our visual and tactile senses) with poetry (stimulant to our visual
and aural senses) Masefield wrote ".... perhaps no poetry can be widely
or lastingly popular that is not made to be spoken." I urge everyone
to read aloud the winning entries in this section. They were "made
to be spoken".
============
Utah
frost covered dew
melts into chocolate cake mix
drip...drip...drip
delicate rose petaled blossoms emerge
Susan Barnhurst, Sherman, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Nice imagery.
============
Growth
The tiny green sprouts cautiously poke their heads
Through the dark brown of the cold ground.
The sun's fingers caress them, promising them
Flowering perfection as the longer days come 'round.
Judy Calheiros, Alagoas, Brazil
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good rhythm. Good use of internal and external
rhyme.
============
Flea Market
Winter missed south Texas
The Snowbirds were well pleased
But "Spot" is now unhappy
Because he has more fleas
Don Castiglioni, Austin, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good rhythm and nice near-rhyme.
============
Peach Blossoms
Weary Winter left town
Wearing a tattered gray gown
Making room for merry May
Scattering pink petals along her way
Lois Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Shortened meter makes for tight rhyme. Good
use of alliteration.
============
Winter Wishing.
When squinting through glare of snow and ice,
searching for buds on the pussywillow,
is praying that spring will really come soon-
peccadillo?
Warner D. Conarton, Zephyrhills, FL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Well expressed, winter-weary, plaintive confession.
============
HONORABLE MENTION
Solstice Symptoms
Will the time of light ever get longer?
Mornings and evenings are still awfully dark.
Is this urge for sunshine getting stronger?
Will it ever be green when I walk in the park?
Warner D. Conarton, Zephyrhills, FL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: This cabin-fevered poet has given us a good example
of a well metered, closed quatrain.
============
Reap and Sow
Empty garden, brown and white
Cheerless, sad and sorry sight
Green it is now, plants are growing
Soon it's time for summer hoeing
Shelley Crabtree, Enid, OK
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Well metered and rhymed. Very well illustrates
the "Transition" theme of this contest.
============
Timing
Fall back into the warmth of bed
Cold chill, and snow, the things I dread
Spring forward now to grass and trees
With blooming flowers filled with bees
Shelley Crabtree, Enid, OK
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good rhyme and rhythm used in this transition
piece.
============
The Rebellion
Under night and a Zephyr's proud breathing
Fantastic light and a bright armored cleansing
A yearly revolution conquers white winter's haunting
And we come back again reanimate
Nico Crisafulli, Seattle, WA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Spring stirrings metaphorically metered and
measured.
============
HONORABLE MENTION
Requited.
Frigid. Waning. Glimmer. Framing.
Morning. Coming. Imperial. Humming.
Weather. Faking. Budlet. Aching.
Former. Freezing. Respected. Pleasing.
Nico Crisafulli, Seattle, WA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: This writer has given us a participial poetic
presentation. With well crafted internal rhyme, this piece subtly, steadily
slips through thematic transition. Well done!
============
HONORABLE MENTION
Winter's Defeat
Warm fronts spar cold fronts for spring's supremacy
While barometers measure the intensity of the battle
Buffeted by blustery winds, thunderclouds boom and rattle
A fitting requiem to Winter's inevitable surrender.
Helen David, Stamford, CT
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good use of alliteration, onomatopoeia and
external rhyme. This poet gives us a visual and aural treat. There is fine
phrasing here, such as "Warm fronts spar cold fronts"...and ..."barometers
measure the intensity of the battle." Well done!
============
FIRST PLACE
RebirthJUDGE'S COMMENTS: Well done traditional, open quatrain. Subtle hints of Western and Eastern spiritualism create a transitional link to Nature. Well leavened with obvious and camouflaged alliteration. Well crafted phrasing such as "...crocus, cherished symbol of Spring's infancy" creates alliterative transition with subtly shifted sounds from hard "c" through "ch" to "sh" to syllabic "s" and "cy." Good use of animism such as "breezes embrace" and "whisper...mantras." A wonderful piece!
Icicles drip sparkling diamonds, sanctify in chilly baptism
the emerging crocus, cherished symbol of Spring's infancy
Sun warmed breezes embrace, awaken every living organism
Softly whisper silent mantras to nurture sprouting delicacy.
Helen David, Stamford, CT
Just when I was used to buttoning and zipping
and pulling on layers upon layers of insulation
the sun decides to shine brighter, warming the earth-
making me rethink my morning rituals
Diane M. Davis, Chelmsford, MA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Transitional thoughts for spring.
============
Early Bulbs
Tiny snowdrops
break through the frozen crust
warming our hearts
with promises of spring
Diane M. Davis, Chelmsford, MA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Nicely metered, good visual imagery.
============
Wake Up Call
March wind scurrying across the garden
Whispering secret signals to sleepy bulbs.
"Push through the dark chamber, Jonquils
"Blow your golden trumpet to herald Spring."
Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Animation and alliteration in a well metered
transition.
============
Winter & Spring
The winter wind blew far away,
all puffy with her clouds of gray.
Sweet Spring swept stardust from her eyes
and welcomed sunshine to the skies.
Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Well rhymed and metered. Good use of alliteration.
============
Lavender Blue
A lavender morning of spring,
the first of a bunch May would bring,
curtsied low and bid fond adieu
to winter, who blew away blue.
Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Metaphorical, tonal transition in the warming
cool end of the spectrum.
============
Changing Seasons
Across the prairie north winds blow.
Creation lives and seasons flow.
Little plants beneath the snow
Awake in spring their heads to show.
Julia Jarmusz, Ft. Worth, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good rhyme and rhythm.
============
Warming Trends
Naked limbs upon the trees.
Warming trends are but a tease.
Icy rain the winds release.
Spring will enter; let winter cease.
Julia Jarmusz, Ft. Worth, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Disguised "aa bb" rhyming. Nice touch!
============
Rebirth
The somber boughs of maple trees will soon sprout tender buds.
The tulip bulbs will blossom forth, their flowers scarlet blood.
Winter masks with its dreary cast the magic gift of earth.
For with spring's advent there will come a welcome scene...rebirth.
Kathy Kehrli, Factoryville, PA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good use of internal and external near-rhyme.
============
Laughing Stock
Robin Redbreast can't stop laughing
As I deal with last winter's mess.
She avoids spring house cleaning
By building a brand new nest.
James W. Lay, Calhoun, GA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Humor in rhythm and near-rhyme.
============
Herald
Waiting for spring to come
warmth in the breeze
gardens are safe now
from winter's freeze.
Janet Parker, Leesburg, FL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Gardener's relief in slight syncopation and
clear rhyme.
============
March's Turn-About Coat
Spring marches in with a burst of warm air--
A splash of color and the scent of promise.
Unexpectedly, Spring dons its winter cloak,
As snow coats the peeking heads of tulips.
Lynne Remick, Nesconset, NY
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Nice combination of animism and metaphor.
============
About Face, Forward March
Retreating, Old Man Winter slips quietly into his cave,
While across the earth there dances a spirited, younger knave.
Just as the roguish Spring thinks he's won the war,
Winter Warlock comes back out and evens up the score!
Lynne Remick, Nesconset, NY
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good use of metaphor, rhyme and meter.
============
In Texas
no subtle shift of snow to bloom
announces spring from winter's gloom
arrive with the Mockingbird's trills
with snow atop the daffodils
Brenda Roberts, Sherman, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Well rhymed piece.
============
Burning Bush
Green limbs chilled in long winter's nap
rest as contained embers waiting
for warm spring rains, igniting fires
bursting vibrant in April's sun
Jeannette L. Strother, Mansfield, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: This is a well metered, non-rhyming quatrain.
============
Boxwood's Song
Late winter days teem with warming
sun and answering songs that bring
flame red cardinals perching atop this domain
protecting nesting mates and proclaiming spring
Jeannette L. Strother, Mansfield, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good use of meter and rhyme.
============
Writer's Block
I have been buried in winter dark
to rest from labors of a year,
soon to be ignited by the spark,
revived, renewed, re birthed by spring.
Naomi Stroud Simmons, Fort Worth, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Many writers know this feeling. Good use of
rhyme, rhythm and alliteration.
============
Through My Window
Winter leaves blanket sleeping beds
waiting for the magic show
when the prince of spring
awakens them with his kiss.
Naomi Stroud Simmons, Fort Worth, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Subtle alliteration coupled with good use of
metaphor.
============
THIRD PLACE
Emergence
Which voice informs the seed to
cleave compelling movement to the light?
Each case suffused with divine intent
Too warms our sun starved winter night.
Adelaide Socki, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Well metered and rhymed coupled with good use
of alliteration. Infused with subtle spirituality and mysticism.
A beautiful piece.
============
Renewal
Escaping the brutal grasp of Winter's frigid fingers of death
As the tilted earth circles and swings far from our harsher solstice
Then advances the unfolding beauty of this warm, moist resurrection
The abundant, miniature towering and flowering, the life that is spring
Craig Soderquist, Universal City, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good use of alliteration and internal rhyme.
===========
SECOND PLACE
Whisper of WarmthJUDGE'S COMMENTS: Well crafted and very well metered. There is fine visual imagery in this piece.
Chilled bones and heavy hearts warm as days spill into evening.
The cardinals pair off and claim their homes in the wooded lot.
Spring breezes whisper of flowered meadows
And white-sailed boats bobbing off Goosewing Beach.
Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
Lilac leaf buds, newly unfurled
On the promise of warmer days
Cup a waning winter's offering
Of tiny white ice flowers.
Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good use of alliteration. Well metered, with
beautiful, delicate imagery.
============
Going By The Colors
Winter'd, colorful, splash of Camellia blooms
While all else is bare, enshrouded, entombed
Then Crocus, Tulip, Hyacinth begin peek and appear
Ah, I know that bright Azalea will soon follow here.
Claiborne Schley Walsh, Montrose, AL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS: Good use of rhyme and near-rhyme.
| SUGGESTION BOX: Suggest a topic about May, and send us a sample poem. Include a complete description of the form you used, if any. If we publish your example in May's Contest Issue, we'll send you a book. Must be here by April 15, 2000. This offer is only open to Sol Magazine's Poets. How do you become one of our poets? You enter any of our contests. |
CELEBRATE NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
Florida State Poets Association, Inc.
contact: Dr. Larry Gross
2310 Tallahassee Dr.
Tallahassee, Fl. 32308
email: tishang@earthlink.net
phone: (850) 893-3873
============
AUSTIN, TEXAS
============
Thursday, April 6 - Barnes & Noble West Lake, 701 S. Capital of
Tx. Hwy., Austin, Texas. 7 p.m. Writing What You Can't Say: A Poetry
Workshop. In celebration of April as National Poetry Month, poets Peggy
Lynch, Alice Guynn, Susan Bright, Valerie Bridgeman Davis, Lyman Grant
and Carlyn Luke Reding will present a workshop on using poetry to express
your deepest feelings and thoughts. The workshop is for both experienced
poets and those who are eager to learn skills and techniques. fmi call
512 328-3155.
============
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
============
"Lend me thy ear." April 29, Barnes and Noble in downtown Ft.
Worth is celebrating Poetry Month with a special program. From 5-6
p.m. they will feature poets from several local venues. Sawgrass
and friends, Temba House, Poets Of Tarrant County, New Millennium Poets,
Kawadi Writers. 6-7 p.m. there will be door prizes, gift certificates,
and refreshments. Susan Vogel Taylor will host open mic from 7-9
p.m. For more information, email jjwst@swbell.net,
or contact Jeannette L. Strother at 817-477-1754.
============
CHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS
============
On April 14th and 15th, the Chelmsford (MA) public library is sponsoring
Chelmsford's First Poetry Festival, consisting of poetry workshops and
a Poetry Slam.
On Friday, April 14th at 7:30, everyone is invited to participate in
the Slam. Poets are asked to give a dramatic reading of their original
poems, and prizes are awarded based on the audience vote. This year, the
Friday night Slam will kick off a poetry weekend, to be followed by workshops
for children as well as those specifically focused on adult poets. The
workshops range from exploring different types of poetry to ways to publicize
and market your poems, finding opportunities to publish poems on the internet
and how to present dramatic presentations of your poetry. For more
information about signing up for these free workshops, or for participating
in the poetry slam, call the Library's Community Services Dept. at 978-256-5521
(x 109) or visit their poetry page at http://www.mde.net/~chelmlib/poetry.htm
- This event is Sponsored by the Chelmsford Public library, the Friends
of the Library and the Chelmsford Cultural Council.
============
NEW YORK
============
New York State Writers Institute - State Author & Poet Awardees
http://www.albany.edu/tree-tops/docs.writers-inst/awardees.html
This site lists all the State Authors and State Poets (which we infer
means Poet Laureate) since 1986 when these awards were inaugurated.
SHARON OLDS : New York State Poet Laureate 1998-2000
============
NATIONAL SITES
============
http://www.poets.org/npm/npmfrmst.htm
"Search for events in your community on our National Calendar of Events and on the Urban Library Council listing. Also check out your Local Arts Council for information in your state." This has a link to search for events by city/state and other great links. Find events in your state here!
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 MagazineSol Magazine's Website: http://pages.prodigy.com/sol_magazine
P.O. Box 580037, Houston, TX 77258-0037
Phone number: (281)316-2255 weekdays 8-5.
============
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 request
it in a contest. 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.
============
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.