Annual Poetry Contest: 2016 Landscape Winners

The Annual Poetry Contest's deadline is December 1, 2017. The contest has two categories: Landscape and Portrait. The poems are read blind and judged by an independent committee. For more information about the contest click hereThe following two poems won the first and second place prizes in the 2016 Landscape category:First PlaceDakota FlamencoBy Norma WilsonI follow their voices downpast the green lace orchard.Slowly I step to the edge of the bogbut at once their song ends.Searching the surface of the shallow pond,I stand almost still so they won't be nervous.Peering through binoculars, Ifinally spot the wide mouths and buldgingeyes of tiny chorus frogs.Minutes later, these prairie castanetsresume their chorus. Throats blown up like yellowballoons are singing open the plums' white blossoms.  Second PlaceSacrosanctby Marsha Mittman...the "Grandfathers"they drummed me downthat damn mountainnot a mountain reallybut remains of an ancient volcanoconsidered sacred by Native Americansconsidered sport by othersthat i, inexperienced white city chick,decided to climb one fall afternoonnot realizing i was the only oneascendingwhen everyone else was alreadydescending...and suddenly dusk felland i was totally aloneand the narrow rocky pathalong cliff's edgesoon became completelyindiscernible...one precarious footslowly, carefully, anxiouslyplaced before the otherinching down the treacherous pathblindlycursing self for impetuousness, for folly...and then i heard themthe Drumsloud, insistent, commandingand i suddenly realizedthe mountain, indeed, was Sacredand the Ancients' Spiritswere with me, protecting me,leading the way...for an interminable timetheir Drums guided medown the Sacred serpentine pathin pitch blacknessand the very instantmy left foot touched level groundthe Drums stopped Both poems republished with permission from the authors.Featured image by Pascal Maramis, under the creative commons license on Flickr.