We are pleased to announce the winner of the July 2024 Chattanooga Writers’ Guild monthly contest: Sherry Poff for “Robins.” Second place goes to J. Cohen for “Olivia, my sweet Anthropocene,” and third place goes to Chris Wood for “Sweet Remembrance.”
robin
It is early morning and the robins dominate the yard.
Three of them are hopping in the damp grass, in the shade
of maple trees, scarred between the exposed roots
through the years and the sharp blades of the lawn mower.
They tilt their heads and listen, shoot forward
to claim their sunrise prize. In half an hour
They will leave my lawn, head towards
other areas of nutrition by
the cast iron bath, instead prefer
a remaining mud puddle at the side of the road
from last night’s shower when the sunset was red
The light revealed their sturdy nest in the hedge.
You don’t need my help or comfort.
with their inner strength they nourish my soul.
.
Sherry Poff is an educator and writer living in Ooltewah, Tennessee. She holds a master’s degree in writing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is a member of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild. Sherry’s poetry and fiction have recently appeared in The Clayjar Review, Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, and Heart of Flesh.
Olivia, my sweet Anthropocene
I see the color of your hair in the red and brown wings of the sparrow on my window pane
Your lips in the crepe myrtles across the way
Your voice that I never heard, clear through the chorus of the mourning dove
Your body, the magnolia blossom, smooth and delicate, against the stormy heat of the day
The blue fabric flows from your hair like the heron drifting aimlessly over the pond
And when the sunlight glitters over the river that flows from your mountain through my trees
Your shimmering light tears the veil of the Holocene
I can see all of us who never existed
From that glorious day when your presence and grace first touched me
Olivia, my sweet Anthropocene
.
J. Cohen is a 29-year-old aspiring poet from Murfreesboro, Tennessee who splits his work time between writing and banking. Most evenings he can be found on his porch with his wife, enjoying the evening and the neighborhood stray cats that come by to eat.
Sweet memory
In summer there was always homemade ice cream.
It was our thing. Every barbecue invitation in the garden
needed our White Mountain Freezer, Morton’s Rock Salt,
and the recipe for the vanilla treat.
.
My first picnic without you would be a lonely process.
I have done your part with reverence —
packed the freezer, added the right amount of rock salt,
so that the ice cream melted and a perfect consistency was achieved.
.
The hum of the engine lulled me into the memory
from our ice cream making together. I boiled the egg yolks, the sugar,
and bring milk to a boil, pour the hot mixture into fluffy egg whites,
while you were getting bags of ice cream from the supermarket.
.
Today, my love, I did everything. Bought ice packs,
the mixture prepared, the freezer filled
with ice and rock salt and carried the frozen treat
up to the BBQ, the ice cream a little saltier.
.
Chris Wood is a manager by day, spends her evenings cleaning dog hair from the love she gets from her fur babies, and in between, she writes to balance her right brain with her left. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and her poetry has been published in several magazines and publications, including Abyss & Apex, American Diversity Report, and Salvation South. In 2022, she won third place in Tennessee Magazine’s Poet’s Playground for her poem “See Rock City.” For more information, visit chriswoodwriter.com.
The monthly competitions alternate throughout the year between poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction, with a new theme each month.
Go to the Monthly Contest Series Information page to view the genre and theme for each month.
This contest is free to Chattanooga Writers’ Guild members. To join, click HERE.
