Sol Magazine © 2000
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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.
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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.
 

Copies of Sol Magazine's first print project, NERINX HALL/AN ANTHOLOGY, are now available.  Contact the Managing Editor at Mary.M.Carlisle@prodigy.net for information.

CONTENTS

WELCOME
GLOSSARY
GLORY OF SPRING
MAGIC
BIRDS AND OTHER FRIENDS
POETRY WORKS
NATURE
ON THE WEB

bundled, buried, a
ubiquitous
transit to
transformation,
emerging, newly
rendered form
flies,
life-lover dressed in
yellow-winged youth
 

Lynette M. Bowen, League City, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Carefully-chosen words pack much into such short lines, yet depicts all the action of a miracle of spring.  "Ubiquitous transit to transformation" demonstrates lovely alliteration and diction.
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SECOND PLACE
Ostara's Regeneration
 

Resurrections spring as
Ever they have done in
Gaia's spiral dancing,
Ever half-forgotten,
New as unpicked cotton;
Echoing a rhythm honeyed,
Rich and thickly throbbing,
Atavistic, swabbing
Torpid swathes of meadow
In vivid pinks and scarlets:
Original as sin, as new as starlets
Nestled in a velvet April sky.
 

Martha Capo, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Beautiful collection of feminine endings, suddenly surprising in the first of three rhymed pairs (forgotten/cotton); vivid images, celebrating the glory of spring.
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  In poetry, an unstressed syllable at the close of a line is called a "feminine" or "light" ending.  When a line concludes on a stressed syllable, it has a "masculine" ending.
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Spring to Battle:  Bugs Return
 

Buds brash push through spring soil
Under pressure to rise and live,
Gaining form, color and needing
Stamina to thwart nature's
Ravages so soon to come;
Earning the right to live.
Trying as hard, comes that
Undertaker of greenery,
Renders leaves digested
Nicely not, but what struggle is?
 

S.J. Carr, Houston, TX
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Oleander Trail
 

Oleanders
Line the streets for
Everyone to
Admire their
Nosegays of white, fuchsia and flamingo pink
Dancing
Effortlessly in
Response to spring breezes
 

Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
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Lilacs
 

Languid hours glide in glorious flowering and greening
Ineffable fragrances float, mingle in waves to settle upon
Layered strata laced with the aura of centuries of Springs.
Amid the deeply intoxicating scent of sweet blossoms, they
Circle the soul of this new season in silver bands of light
Spirited from ancient stars to bind another Spring to eternity.
 

Helen David, Stamford, CT
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Whispering Wisteria
 

Wisteria clusters festooned in the live oak trees
Inviting honey bees to
Sip nectar from
Their puffy purple throats and
Enticing gardeners to
Resume their out-of-doors chores
In anticipation of
Another festive spring
 

Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, Georgia
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April's Dandies: Perky Pansies
 

Precious petite faces rise
emboldened under butter sun.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Here's April's grace.
Kaleidoscopic sensations of spring
yearn for nothing more than to
please for pleasure's sake or comfort
any human eye that's slow enough to
notice in this hustle-bustle world.
Simple perfection - one might say gay
inspirational cheer, delicate, delightful
enough to gladden even the gloomiest of
suffering souls.
 

Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY
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New Arrivals
 

Now is the time for spring awakening
Every bird and every plant feels the call
Winter blasts have gone at last
Almost all the nests are filled
Regal, noisy, purple martins sing
Rain drops fall to water all
Iris, tulips, daffodils paint a view
Violets lift their tiny heads
Aware of mother earth beneath
Late and early flowers bloom
Spring is here! Spring is here!
 

Julia Jarmusz (Spirit Cloud), Fort Worth, TX
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Flora Festival: Apple Blossom
 

Arboreal arrays
Pastel pink underbellies
Petals creamy white
Like satin to the skin
Emit intoxicating scent
Bumble bee attraction
Litany of buzzes
Orchestral insect dance
Sad this carnival
Soon will roll itself
Out to another town
May’s brief extravaganza
 

Kathy Kehrli, Factoryville, PA
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Harbingers of Spring:  Meadowlarks
 

Meadowlarks sing outside my window
Every morning
Announcing spring and
Demanding that I
Observe their concerts.
Whatever inside tasks I have started must be
Left undone while I join them in
Admiring nature's panorama of wild flowers
Rolling over the hills. They
Know I'll respond rewards of birdseed and
Smiles.
 

James W. Lay, Calhoun, GA
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HONORABLE MENTION
Spring Prolific:  A Squash Plant
 

An anonymous rosette of water-marked leaves,
Small yet distinctive,
Quickened and established itself this spring
Uniquely on the edge of the compost heap.
Attention and close examination discover
Squash blossoms and a pungent aroma.
Hands tingle from touching tough scratchy leaves.
Photos flash the design, then patience attends.
Longer and longer, the vine stretches
Across the path toward the garden
Nurturing and ripening pregnant butternut shapes.
Today’s harvest nestles in lettuce leaves.
 

Carlyn Luke Reding, Austin, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Pungent, indeed.  That tingle of prickly squash leaves is unforgetable.  This is a beautifully detailed report of gardening from compost to harvest.  We smell, feel, and almost taste the delicious squash wating in the lettuce.  Well written!
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HONORABLE MENTION
After Showering, Comes...Flowering
 

From the thawing earth appears, the
Little prongs of new green ears, slowly
Out these shy ones come, from
Where the winter reigned so glum. Now
Enchanted, green stems thrive and
Reach up toward the deep blue skies, where
In air buzz pollinating bees, on
Nature's own symphonic breeze. Blooms
Grace tall stalks, color flows, spring is in its fullest throes.
 

Lynne Remick, Nesconset, NY
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  This spring song celebrating flowering features rhythm and rhyme suitable for singing.  Even the title rhymes.
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In the Imperial Palace Garden
 

Pink and purple peonies, pale plum blossoms
Appear beckoning bee and bird and butterfly.
Like loyal sentries, iris stand at attention, lancet leaves
At the ready, flying flags from jade-green javelins,
Challenging all who walk these pebbled paths with
Exclamations of yellow, white and blue. Fern fronded
Ginkos, towering, tall, nodding over this ancient stoney wall
At a solitary swan patrolling the moat where shoguns swam
Replete with the power of gods. Old oba-san sits, kimono
Draped, beside the moat. Her thoughts begin and
End with white swans. In skin-tight jeans, ojo-san stands
Near. Her swans are black. She talks of Spring by cellphone.
 

John E. Rice, Houston, TX
POET'S NOTE: Oba-san = grandmother.  Ojo-san = granddaughter.
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Budlets
 

Burst Budlings!
Under munificent command
Dance yourselves awake.
Little folds - we entreat,
Enter here.
Trounce upon our bare wold.
Swathe us in your jubilant light!
 

Adelaide L. Socki, Houston, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Jubilant celebration of the munificence of Spring.
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Joyful Loving Thing -- SPRING
 

So many kisses of breezes, embraces of sun, as season turns season
     upside down
Poetry in life form from the Great Poet's hand with
Romance ablooming, passion on wing,
Inspiring springtime--this joyful, loving thing.  For
Nothing speaks to us like His finger's mighty pen--
Glorious growing and goings--all over again.
 

Craig Soderquist, Universal City, TX
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FIRST PLACE

Spring Song in the Key of D:  Daffodils
 

Dreaming yellow bells are ringing
After snow-white dormancy.
Flowers singing spring’s sweet music
Fling about a symphony,
Orchestrate in brightest colors
Ding-dong sounds of revelry.
Inducing sun to shine more brightly,
Leaning, bending, dancing spritely,
Soak up springtime - arching slightly.
 

Ruth Solomon, Fairhope, AL

As May springs into flower
The early tourists flood the shore towns
Their togs in blaring nautical hues with straw hat toppers.
Heading jauntily out to the bay
Edging over the rippled glass surface
Sailboats group in classes, their colors, bright, displayed.
Houses, fresh-painted white, nestle behind picket fences
Overlook the placid coves, awash in salt sea breezes.
Roadside stands open, selling flowers, pies and jams.
Essence of the lilacs envelopes our New England days.
 

Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Vivid picture.
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On A Poets Pond
 

Our quiet, doldrum days are broken
Now with cheerful colors smiling. Screaming
Aloud, here, bright peonies, petunias and
Poppies begin to shout "Hallelujah!"
Of the death of another weary winter gone.
Each brilliant bud and bloom choruses a cantata of
Tunes of saucy, sassy, sun blessed
Spring, surrounding the sparkling, reflecting
Pond with a myriad of mirrored relations;
Of Iris, Lilly, Lotus, Daffodil, Tulip.
Noisy neighbors, one and all,
Dressed in glorious for their Springtime Ball.
 

Claiborne Schley Walsh, Montrose, AL

if we weep
when times pour forth
what nuance
slides behind true
less than more
the magic touch
when friends reach the truth of trust
 

Pat Barber, Edgewood, MD
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Tight writing.  The use of both strong alliteration and near rhyme make this poem a stand out.
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Pernicious
 

Thunderous
Silence poses
Threat of death
By evil spell
Magic dies
In innocence
Poison scents the humid air.
 

Susan Barnhust, Sherman, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Haunting.  Good use of metaphor.
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HONORABLE MENTION
Evening, With Anne
 

Gray wooden
Pier sags under
Bare feet with
Each passing wave;
Chill breaths rise
Magically through
Splintered boards, kissing our toes.
 

Martha Kirby Capo, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Strong images.  Creative description of the topic.
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Unspoken
 

Mother is
Miraculous
Eyes in the
Back of her head
Understands
My heartaches, hears
Even things I leave unsaid
 

Don Castiglioni, Austin, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  The poet clearly shows us the "magic," although the topic word is not used.  "Miraculous" is a derivative of "miracle."
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Sirens
 

The seashell
Sings secrets of
Carefree life
On distant shores
Where mermaids
Bask in sunshine
Using magic as their lure
 

Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Beautiful word use, wonderful images.  Magical.
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Metamorphosis
 

Hang there you -
grey fabric lump,
from a branch,
winter packaged -
small cocoon,
waiting for spring
to continue your magic.
 

Warner D. Conarton, Zephyrhills, FL
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  This poet finds magic in nature.  Lovely writing.
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Kite on a String
 

Collecting
Shells at shore's edge
She turns, beams
radiant smiles,
So content.
Tiny hands clutch
Glistening booty to breast.
 

Helen David, Stamford, CT
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Clear images.
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The Trembling Earth
 

Spring stirs the
South Georgia Swamp
Magically
Blue iris rise
Out of the
Bog waving flags
In the Okefenokee
 

Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Excellent metaphorical picture.
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Chances are
 

Just a glance
now look away
you wonder
why you're smiling
it's magic
you tell yourself
trust that fate is no stranger
 

Roz Garay, Whittier, CA
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Honest observation of "the moment" perfectly describing "love at first look."
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FIRST PLACE

Illusions
 

Tarot trust
and pixie dust.
Siren's tunes
and mystic runes.
Truth or lies
yet nothing vies
with the magic of your eyes.
 

Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY

growing up
magic at work
blooming rose
like a red bird
flying free
a child is here
dreaming of her time in life
 

Julia Jarmusz (Spirit Cloud), Fort Worth, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Pretty picture.
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HONORABLE MENTION
Try Not to Blink
 

Yesterday
A tender shoot
Overnight
A bloom took root
Now today
A rose I spy
Magic ­ quicker than the eye
 

Kathy Kehrli, Factoryville, PA
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Strong alliteration and rhyme interweave in a delightful way.
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Early Morning
 

Quick tempered
yellow-black bees
quiz magic
of marigolds
searching buds
of new nectar
to ease instinctive yearnings.
 

Susie LaForge, Fort Worth, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Beautifully written, wonderful when spoken.
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HONORABLE MENTION
Lovers Longing for a Thaw
 

We wait for
magic to melt
cold silence,
when all we need
do is slip
back into the
sun of honesty and trust
 

Sarah Quigley, Galveston, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Direct and truthful, this philosophy would stand us all in good stead.
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THIRD PLACE
In Winter's Wake
 

Underneath
Winter's white cape
Magic hides
In the cold earth
Awaiting
Spring's beckoning---
Nature's abracadabra
 

Lynne Remick, Nesconset, NY
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Creatively describes the topic through "magical" metaphorical images.
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Foul Shot
 

Mystery
to apathy:
the sad search
for how it used
to be when
Magic called the
play and took it all the way.
 

John E. Rice, Houston, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  A return to magic is possible, if we would each open our eyes to the possibilities of the universe!
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Bath
 

Puddle at
intersection.
Brown birds make
magic punk rock
hairdos. Dip
their heads and wings.
Preen in battlefield of tires.
 

Adelaide Socki, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Sharp images, creative use of metaphor.
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Water Glory
 

sunlight cuts
the translucence
of magic
emerald green
waters bright
invitation--
refreshing, dazzling display.
 

Craig Soderquist, Universal City, TX
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Lovely use of the English language.  Good solid writing.
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Fey Diggers
 

Magic gnomes
harvest their gems.
Grizzled, old
and greedy men.
Dust in beards,
they work their lands.
Diamonds, rubies fill their hands.
 

Ruth Solomon, Fairhope, AL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Vivid scene, skillful use of rhyme and alliteration.
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South Rim
 

Breathtaking
Panoramic
I've triumphed
Fourteen miles
Worth my pain
Incredible
Birds fly like magic above
 

Kate Strickland, Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Country Day School
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Although this poem does not exactly follow Whitney form, the poet writes in an engaging way, describing an athlete's triumph over a demanding trail.  We'd like to see more work from this young poet.
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Stellar Skies
 

Dusk pulls in
The darkened skies
Stars tumble
From the deep black.
Glowing bright
Around the moon
They hold the heaven's magic.
 

Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  Beautiful description.  Memorable writing.
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Above and Below
 

beneath waves
watch surfaces
fast forward like
water clouds in
an ocean of blue.
amazing to
see patterns repeat themselves.
 

Claiborne Schley Walsh, Montrose, AL
EDITOR'S COMMENTS:  While not following the Whitney form exactly, this lovely piece of writing would make a wonderful beginning to a much longer poem about the sea.

Winner of a copy of our first print publication:  Nerinx Hall - An  Anthology.  This contest was generously sponsored by Lois Lay Castiglioni, Galveston, TX.
 

Moonlight Serenade
 

Possum swings
And Nightbird sings
Of the dark and
Moonlit things
Nightbird, Nightbird
Go to bed!
So I may rest
My weary head!
 

Lynne Remick, Nesconset, NY

Paula Marie White's book of selected poems, "Words Elude Me..." is now available for purchase at www.1stbooks.com,  www.barnesandnoble.com, and soon from  www.amazon.com and www.borders.com.  To see an excerpt from this collection, visit: http://pages.prodigy.com/sol_magazine

THIRD PLACE
Allegorically...
 

Be careful. Don't ever forget.  Gods hide
in jeweled, kaleidoscopic, labyrinthine moonlight,
nepotising or persecuting
quotidian romantics seeking to utilize verse whimsically
expecting yesteryear's zoomorphism.
 

Warner D. Conarton, Zephyrhills, FL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  The wonderfully mystic nature of this poem is splendid, and the portrayal of nature as a memorable creature of mystery, with many secret facets and marvelous concepts, is compelling. Excellent vocabulary range, style and diction.
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Anticipation
 

Birds chide, decry effusively Fall's grasping hand
Intent jays keen loudly, muster nervously overhead.
Peaceful quiet resurrects
Seasons turn
Unleash vehement winter's extraordinary zeal.
 

Helen David, Stamford, CT
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Wonderful internal rhymes.  The birds provide a common thread, linking with the seasons which are personified as unleashing winter's zeal.
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FIRST PLACE

June
 

kindles luxurious meadows,
nurtures orchestrated panoramas.
Quintessentially remarkable spectrums
throb ubiquitous vivaciousness,
whirl explosively yonder and beyond.
Captivating demonstrations eagerly flirt,
gesticulating hypnotic invitations.
 

Maryann Hazen-Stearns, Ellenville, NY

kiss lilac maids
near oleander plants
quick, regal standing tall
until very watchful,
xanthos, young zinnias
amid beautiful cannas
daffodils emerge
forming glorious hues
 

Julia Jarmusz (Spirit Cloud) Fort Worth, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Luxurious recounting of nature's ornament - her flowers.  This created an image that stayed long after the final line was read.  Contrasts within the poem make it work.
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Oceanus
 

Pelagic questers roam
seas terrorizing underwater victims
with xenopobic zeal:
albacore,
barracuda - cruising
deep.
Elemental feeders,
groupers hide in
jeweled keeps like
monster neuroses.
 

John E. Rice, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  The ominous opening is upheld by the theme of feeding, the constant re-generation of nature within herself, bringing a compelling mental image that lingers long after the poem is finished.
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SECOND PLACE
Leaves
 

Meltwater nurtured oasis. Pollutants
quietly recast. Sycamore tree unveils
virvid wet xylem: yet aged,
beauteous.  Commanding dewy elder,
fabled giant; hatchet injures jadish king.
 

Adelaide Socki, Houston, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Compelling contrast between man and nature.  Unusual phrasings and words make this poem enthralling.
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Rascal
 

Squirrel teases us--visits with extra yummy acorn--
begins climbing, dancing, eyeing foreign guests.
He--inquisitive--jumps,
keeps limbs moving,
now overhead pondering, quiet.
 

Craig Soderquist, Universal City, TX
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Lighthearted foray into the world of squirrels.  A delight to read.  The kinetic nature of these lines keeps the poem moving, makes it work in rhythm, much like the hops and jumps of the subject matter.
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Annihilation
 

Bright clouds dissolve-
ever falling.
Great holocausts irrigate jungles,
kill little minions not openly protected.
Quick rain scampers through underbrush,
vicious water exterminating young.
 

Ruth Solomon, Fairhope, AL
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  A compelling look at the duality of Nature, and the dark side of rain.
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Angled
 

Beginning casually - downward escalating
faraway, grasses high in jackal's knees.
Late March never opens presents questionably.
Red sticky thorns usually vend weeds.
Excited yells.
 

Kate Strickland, Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Country Day School
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  Arresting writing.  This scene can be felt, seen, and read all at once.  The heart of this poem is formed from excellent adjective and adverb usage, combined with a haiku tone.
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Flora
 

Garden hillsides
Interweave jewel knitted lupine,
Meadows nestle orange poppies.
Quiet, restful, swaying trails
Usher viewers.
White, exquisite, yarrow
Zigzags alongside bramblebushes
Candytuft, daisies, entangle.
 

Patricia A Tabella, Providence, RI
JUDGE'S COMMENTS:  A lullaby of spring and flowers, with a nod to the calmness and peace of Nature.  Beautiful contrasts.  Written simply and so well, it elegantly depicts the pastoral nature of the scene.

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, unless a winner offers to pay postage.
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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://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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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 fitures out of any holy book unless we ask for them.  Archaic words, such as "Tis," "Til," "Thine," and "Thou," will probably 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.
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We may correct grammar, tense, spelling errors or change punctuation without asking for permission or forgiveness.
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Sponsors in 2000:  Don Castiglioni, James Lay.

Angels in 2000:  Martha Kirby Capo, Lois Lay Castiglioni, Leo F. Waltz.
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Book donors in 2000:  Lois Lay Castiglioni, Sharon Goodwin, Peggy 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.

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