2018 Spring Contest Winner: 1st Place, New Poets

Coals

by Welkin Azure

 

This time she sits quietly and observes them all at march.

Step-falls a creaking drum, arms swishing become as tongue,

the movement and the gathering bring closer the arrived.

A resembling that there was and that which takes its place.

She giggles now, filling us with want,

desire for the more of this for which we have forgot.

There is always a piece out of place, a moving towards complete

and yet, will never see it, would not know it in our face.

Blackened with worry, anticipating the begin, and again.

There she is, drifting as before, a presence nonetheless.

 

And what of the darkening that is nothing but shadow pass,

a rest. We cannot hold all that burns for too long

as a scorch will occur, leaving tract that which belongs to us all.

Did you see the times that talked with eyes?

The knowing glance replied,

“I think I was off with the evening tide.”

There are these things as there are those times,

and with this a wondering, what is it of this life?

And so to go on with the living, subjecting self to breath once again.

The pause, the moment to reflect and then the next and so on,

yet I thought I remembered a bit more.

Between the in and the out, there is the spark that glows

from above, only seen between glances,

to be left within turned page.

 

 

 

Judge’s comments

The poems in the “New Poet” category were impressive and explored a wide array of themes. I enjoyed reading each and every one, especially in this category. I have a special place in my heart for new poets, because we all have to start somewhere. The poem I chose for first prize, “Coal” is a delicately dense poem with a compelling metaphor about darkness and the journey within that darkness. The poem did a wonderful job of sustaining the metaphorical theme and finding something new and beautiful in each layer.

—Connie Post

 

 

Welkin Azure constructs in a vast variety of mediums and thrives on them being noticed, seen, acknowledged and criticized. She understands that as a verbal culture, what we say defines us, “she said this…”, thus creating an illusion of substance. As new words are learned and new worlds are opened to experience, we evolve, reconstruct, erase and fill in differently. Expression is a constant process of revival, revision and redefining our being AS IS.

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