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We tried to do it all—   To live in a rustic log cabin four miles from the nearest neighbor at the end of a road we had to maintain ourselves. It is one of the loveliest spots in the county outside of the Wilderness. We spent our 2-week honeymoon there, and then the rest

In Defense of Loneliness “You’re wondering if I’m lonely”:                                     after Adrienne Rich   Are you asking about this second when the blue between clouds is so spare I could be imagining it, not the blue but the loneliness, the space between what’s missing and what’s there.   Not what’s there, really, but more the

Don’t Bother the Flowers   When grandma told me to stop buying her flowers I didn’t know what to do with the daffodils I was holding in my hand. Should I throw them in the garbage disposal, or put them in a vase? I started worrying about flowers withering, stalks drooping, shriveled leaves, and dried

OPA congratulates all the winners below, and thanks them and all the poets who entered for sharing their work.   Poet’s Choice — Joe Wilkins, Judge 1st Place: “Don’t Bother the Flowers” by Sherri Levine, Portland, OR 2nd Place: “In Defense of Loneliness” by Donna Prinzmetal, Portland, OR 3rd Place: “We tried to do it