Third Place in Poet’s Choice: “The Ballad of Chaos Nightingale” by Charles Castle My name is Chaos Nightingale. My mother christened me, but it was my father’s song I followed here. Come with me. We begin as I’ve begun, and we’ll end no differently. I am bent by age in these somber times. My back […]
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Second Place in Poet’s Choice: “Temenos” by Alicia Byrne Keane is the name of the surgery, the street is a jeweled neatness of bookshops, I know the doctor’s number off by heart and I can’t afford this synesthesia of fours and nines showing up yellow ochre or plum-bruised in the clang dread makes. Ringing the
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OPA Fall 2020 Contest Results in the Poet’s Choice Category “To all the poets who submitted to Poet’s Choice: it was a deep pleasure to read your work. It is the nature of contests that only a very few can be recognized, and I regret the disappointment felt by the many – having often experienced
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Congratulations to all the winning poets and poems in the 2020 Fall Contest, and thank you to each contestant who entered! The poetry was lovely! Fall Contest Chairperson – Susan Morse OPA Fall 2020 Contest Results: Poet’s Choice: Pepper Trail, judge First Place: “Rise on Up” – Mark Hammerschick Second Place: “Temenos” – Alicia Byrne
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We regret to announce that due to the pandemic, the 2021 Student Poetry Contest has been cancelled. When schools reopen the Student Contest will resume. Questions or concerns can still be addressed to the Student Contest Chair and will be answered by the OPA web master.
2021 Student Contest has been cancelled Read More »
OPA Fall Contest deadline extended to September 15th. Click here for details. OPA Pandemic deadline extended to September 8th. Click here for details.
Deadlines Extended Read More »
Categories Limit: one entry per category. 1) Poet’s Choice: Limit 80 lines, any subject, any form. Judge: Pepper Trail. 2) Members Only: Limit 20 lines, any subject, any form. Entrant must be a current OPA member. Judge: Amy Miller. 3) New Poets: Limit 30 lines, any subject, any form. A new poet is someone with no more than two poems published
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Baby, It’s Cold Outside (a Vivianne sonnet variation) Barbara Blanks As embryos we each explore the wall of womb that holds us. It’s the first place joy is felt—mom’s heartbeat like a lullaby. Cocooned in touch, that’s how we interact. We’re chastised just as soon as we can crawl or walk. Just look! Hands off!
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Arachnidæa: Line Drawings Stephen Pollock I. Extravagance at dawn — your finest threads are strung with pearls and you, a brooch with a clasp. Magnify the shiny spheres to divine that each conceals a miniature, an image of struggling wings, of life undone. Pass at the critical angle, and they flash and snap in the
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Mind Gloss David Hedges Mind in its purest play is like some bat That beats about in caverns all alone, Contriving by a kind of senseless wit Not to conclude against a wall of stone. —Richard Wilbur, from “Mind” Mind in its purest play is like some bat That magically connects with knuckleballs. No matter
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