THIRD PLACE WINNING POEM – by Doug Stone
Doug Stone lives in Albany, Oregon. He has written two chapbooks, The Season of Distress and Clarity and The Moon’s Soul Shimmering on the Water. His latest book of poems, Sitting in Powell’s Watching Burnside Dissolve in Rain (The Poetry Box) came out in 2020.
October Snow in the Foothills of the Coast Range
Thinking of Clem Stark
October is the start of our long season of rain.
But overnight snow disturbed the order of things
Until morning began to stir out of her cold dream.
Yo watched her conjure up first light to chase off
the last flurries and rouse the foothills awake.
Now sunlight creeps around your bird feeder where
a rufous-sided towhee sings, its song so joyful,
the frigid air grieves for the sounds of summer.
October in these foothills is like playing
a game of chess. Sometimes its gambits give
you the gift of moves you never saw coming.
This rare October snow and the joy of that towhee
remind you: It’s time to consider all your moves
as you sip your cup of coffee on the veranda
and begin to craft a new poem in your head.
JUDGE COMMENTS
The elongated title appears enticing. “the foothills” accentuates the coast range, sharpening the visual. It presents a light and nice touch to the title. Mentioning a beloved poet in the epigraph may signal an attempt to play off the poet’s name, but Clem Stark might enjoy the title given his wide and vast professional work-life. If I recall, Clem Stark played chess. Having lived and worked in Europe, Clem surely played the game of chess. This poem gives the reader vivid imagery of ecology and nature. Two stanzas feel right and complete for the reader to envision its imagery. To end the poem describing a sip of coffee and authoring a new poem—no poem can fail when doing so.