oregonpoetry

Birding by Carol Lantz We expect them to be there in all the right places, just as they were last spring, just as they’ve always been— finches, warblers, wrens… teasing us with wing bars streaked breasts eye rings.   But do we stop to ponder how far the birds have flown, the hazards they’ve encountered

Roadtrip, Interstate 65 by Sallie Ehrman On the cusp of forty, I’m dating a man who starts his day with a cigarette and coffee. Outside the laundry room, Motel 6, Louisville, Kentucky, I can hear him laugh out loud watching Cheers. How many Pete’s Summer Ales will he drink tonight? It’s hot and he’s been

Honorable mentions: 1st Honorable Mention: “Jill Reaches Maturity” by Ann Magill, Ashland, OR 2nd Honorable Mention: “Once” by Sherri Levine, Portland, OR 3rd Honorable Mention: “Killjoy” by Lucy Cotter, Portland, OR Judge’s comments One of the things I continue to admire about the Oregon poetry community is its range in personal narratives, technique, and style.

Maps by Jennifer Dorner Halfway across the bridge,        where cranes punctuate the air,   I regard the skyline        I’ve been taught to believe in.   I’m holding on        to the smell of the rain; I mean   I left the city        and keep leaving, apologizing   for what I’ve done,       

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,