3rd Place - A Rose By Any Other Name
Saturday, February 28 2009 @ 12:00 AM MST
Views: 235
Views: 235
QUIET CONTEMPLATIONS -- A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME
3RD PLACE: "What's in a Name?" by Phyllis Hemann
Our judges defy you to reach the end of this poem without a lump in your throat. We couldn't do it. Editors
Charlie was
my father's nickname.
I don't know who
called him first.
I just know his name.
The windows and doors
are on automatic lock.
I cannot run into the house,
kneel by his chair and learn
the stories I do not know.
No matter how much poetic
license flows, I can never
duplicate the truth.
I drive down stretches
of highway, never stop
for directions.
No one can tell me
why he died
while I was away
learning to navigate the waters
and swimming on my own
for the first time.
Why I said goodbye
instead of “Daddy,
come with me
don't go away.”
3RD PLACE: "What's in a Name?" by Phyllis Hemann
Our judges defy you to reach the end of this poem without a lump in your throat. We couldn't do it. Editors
Charlie was
my father's nickname.
I don't know who
called him first.
I just know his name.
The windows and doors
are on automatic lock.
I cannot run into the house,
kneel by his chair and learn
the stories I do not know.
No matter how much poetic
license flows, I can never
duplicate the truth.
I drive down stretches
of highway, never stop
for directions.
No one can tell me
why he died
while I was away
learning to navigate the waters
and swimming on my own
for the first time.
Why I said goodbye
instead of “Daddy,
come with me
don't go away.”