Judge’s comments
I ultimately awarded first place to “Loaded trunk falling down a flight of stairs like choir birds” for its unrelenting imagery and the author’s broad perspective on the theme.
—Nancy Carol Moody
Poet bio
Shari Crane Fox comes from Cherokee, Lakota, Blackfoot and Irish roots. She holds advanced degrees from the University of Arizona, UCSD, and Stanford. She has received finalist and honorable mentions, most recently in the Oregon Poetry Association and Patricia Dobler contests. She believes raising three children solo to be her most significant achievement. She recently moved to Portland with a Pomeranian-Chihuahua rescue named Bernie, and to prove fairytales come true, married her high school sweetheart.
This is a beautiful poem. I love how it twists and turns in my heart. This theme should be the permanent theme until well on into the future.