2019 Fall Contest Winner: 1st Place, New Poets

Mercy

by Quinn Miller

Beyond the reach of mourning roots

where the land is thirsty and quiet,

a mountain leaves its shadow

on the road of sharp turns.

Around the bend,

the scenery grows stark and more familiar,

as I brace myself

for the landmark up ahead.

If I don’t look away,

I’ll see the turnoff

to the distant light gone dark,

marking the house where she died.

Lightning strikes

a wilderness inside

and in the flash,

emotions run like frightened deer.

It’s forty miles to Merced.

I tried to find another route, but never could.

Poet bio

Quinn Miller has been writing poetry since his father handed him a worn copy of A Coney Island of the Mind in the 80s. He’s also performed in numerous bands you’ve never heard of on both coasts of the United States. He strives to craft poems that exploit the musicality of language, while packing the punch of a well-tuned kick drum to the solar plexus.

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