This month, we ran a poetry contest to celebrate National Poetry Month. We challenged our readers to craft a poem using only the words that appeared in one of our newsletters (here are the original contest guidelines if you want to give it a try).
While prose is our newsletter’s bread and butter, it turns out that you all certainly aren’t op-prose-d to verse; we received several creative, intriguing, and beautiful poems that we narrowed down to our top four finalists. You picked your favorites, and a winner has emerged.
Check out the finalist poems below, including the contest winner our readers voted for.
Winner: “Fading Ink” by Miles M.
only a decades-old tattoo
filled in impeccable black and red
on an electric Richmond night
that summer on the Boulevard
can telegraph my early history here
stoke a simple broth
craft an ambivalent brew
turn a new home and family
into a coalescence with now
Finalist: “Between the Seasons” by Maeve O.
Myths compete with the black iris opening
Its fair form evidence of our grand crossing
The early mark of summer
Announced in concert
Not unlike the pull of sunrise calling from the east
Aimed at the narrow end of spring
Enter now
We are transformed
You can forget mountains
We have found oasis in the city.
Finalist: “Fiery Tanka for a World on Fire” by Dan W.
Fools - collectors of
myths and narrow facts - transformed
spring and oasis.
Forecast: 91 percent
chance of a new red sunrise.
Stoke electric fuel!
They’re converting the night.
The owl? History.
Calling every partner-in-
ethics: keep moving mountains.
Finalist: “Write Richmond” by Jonathan S.
Submit fun stuff:
Las Vegas cocktails you can only use once,
Baseball vs. Abraham Lincoln,
Model train layouts,
Tattoo and tea.
We recommend highlighting Richmond
Find the interesting words
Don’t forget to keep track of your happy writing
We can’t wait to mix and match
Any word appearing anywhere please.
Head to the library for a stack of books on a wooden porch swing.
Be a part of history.
