Susan writes:
Dear Writing It Real Readers,
Back in August, my friend the poet Allen Braden, sent me a link for the Times Literary Supplement poetry contest. He joked with me that I should enter because Alice Quinn was one of the judges. Alice Quinn is the former poetry editor at The New Yorker. As editor, she wrote me sweet notes and so Allen said, “This is your last chance with Alice.” It’s three months later and out of three thousand poems, my poem “Different Places to Pray” is one of twelve finalists. The winner and two runner-ups will be decided in an international election. To vote, register on the site (takes about two minutes) and then you’ll see all twelve poems. I would be very grateful for your vote. Click here to register and vote and see the poems.
My heartfelt thanks and the poem, which is “Choice E”:
Different Places to Pray
Everywhere, everywhere she wrote; something is falling –
a ring of keys slips out of her pocket into the ravine below;
nickels and dimes and to do lists; duck feathers from a gold pillow.
Everywhere someone is losing a favorite sock or a clock stops
circling the day; everywhere she goes she follows the ghost
of her heart; jettisons everything but the shepherd moon, the hopeless cause.
This is the way a life unfolds: decoding messages from profiteroles,
the weight of mature plums in late autumn. She’d prefer a compass
rose, a star chart, text support messages delivered from the net,
even the local pet shop – as long as some god rolls away the gloss
and grime of our gutted days, our global positioning crimes.
Tell me, where do you go to pray – a river valley, a pastry tray?
Yours,
Susan
RSS Feed