oregonpoetry

passing by Deborah Akers we are little more than strands of memory             made flesh   nerve coils murmuring             well-worn code through wiry core   stance, temperament             color of eye all echo, bound by   cells recounting ancient arcs             sure   as moon path and passing stars               less certain what

Observing the Arsonist by Colette Jonopulos   Long sigh of a summer worn thin from brush fires you’ve conjured for the camera. You’ve devoured the hillsides, left wretched smell of pulp and water, remnants of people’s trash.               —you know even after you turn away, they are talking about you   Your work appears

Judge’s comments Given the wealth of incredible poems submitted to Poet’s Choice this year, selecting only six was a struggle. So many more deserve to be honored.             Naturally, we all carry personal preferences in terms of themes and structures. Given the subjectivity of how one mind experiences a text, we often tend toward a

OPA congratulates all the winners below, and thanks them and all the poets who entered for sharing their work. Watch for individual poems to appear in Poet’s Spotlight over the coming weeks. Poet’s Choice — John Sibley Williams, Judge 1st Place: “Maps” by Jennifer Dorner, Klamath Falls, OR 2nd Place: “passing” by Deborah Akers, Portland,