Every year, The Contributor editors gather a selection of poetry from the year to highlight the work of our Contributor Vendor poets. This year we did the same and added a few new ones. We hope you enjoy this selection and reflect on the words and imagery in this issue.
Eagles Nest
CHRIS SCOTT F. | Jan. 3, 2024
I’ve lived among the ones,
With nothing left to lose.
Not because of what they’ve done.
Not the life they choose.
Nowhere left to run,
And don’t know what to do.
Can’t get out from under it,
Wondering what’s the use?
They need an Eagles Nest.
Find peace and find some rest.
The helpless and the homeless,
Need a place to lay their heads.
Shelter from the storm,
Somewhere safe, someplace warm.
Is that too much to ask?
They need an Eagles Nest.
It’s cold out on the road.
Fight to find a bite to eat.
Having to crash under an over-pass,
With no other place to be.
Kicking back on a park bench saying,
“How could this have happened to me?”
Pretend that you don’t see,
But for others it’s reality.
They need an Eagles Nest.
Find peace and find some rest.
The helpless and the homeless,
Need a place to lay their heads.
Shelter from the storm,
Somewhere safe, someplace warm.
Is that too much to ask?
They need an Eagles Nest.
Now you can say,
“It’s not my problem.”
“Leave it for someone else.”
The lost and the forgotten,
That cannot help themselves.
It’s not about a hand out,
It’s a hand up, for those who’ve fell.
Society, inevitably,
Will benefit as well.
They need an Eagles Nest.
Find peace and find some rest.
The helpless and the homeless,
Need a place to lay their heads.
Shelter from the storm,
Somewhere safe, someplace warm.
Is that too much to ask?
They need an Eagles Nest
Rich Tourists and The Locals
SEAN L. | July 17, 2024
In the joyful heat of summertime,
rich folk come into town, all dressed up fine;
They look at us as if we aren’t worth a dime,
and think we are just a waste of precious time.
We may not have their riches,
their diamonds, or their gold,
but our hearts remain far richer,
with stories — still untold.
So, as some may walk past,
with noses high in the air,
Believe, there will surely be others,
helping out, here and there.
In the moon lit parks and city streets,
when the sunset starts a’glow,
Someone will always be there;
The locals they don’t know.
Stigmata
Jen A. | Aug. 2, 2023
You awaken in the darkness
And set out to break your fast before work
The floppy toe of your worn-out shoe
Catches on an uneven sidewalk seam
You stumble and tumble down
Unable to catch yourself
The knees of your pants rip open first
Then the skin on your knees and palms
Gives way
To the rough craggy slab of ancient concrete
You do your best to staunch the blood
With the cuffs of your shirt
Then limp on to the fast food place
You grab some napkins at the beverage bar
And continue to dab at the blood
You take a place in line and notice
The girls at the counter
Are looking in your direction
Like there must be someone
With two heads in your proximity
You look behind you with excited anticipation
When a young man wearing a name tag
That just reads “manager”
Approaches and asks you to leave
Saying they don’t serve your kind there
How Long?
GAIL D. | Oct. 11, 2023
Sitting in a doctors office waiting on test results finally the doctor comes in
and apologizes sorry for the wait
Good news he says, your numbers look GREAT!
You graciously smile and nod and shake his hand
Still you find yourself wondering
Why do I feel SO bad?
Looking out the window before you leave,
and what do you see?
In the distance there’s a small grove of trees
Most are lush and green
But in the midst of these
There stands one stripped of its beauty,
sapped of its strength, completely barren, with no leaves
Nothing to protect its branches from the days scorching heat
It’s as though the other trees and greenery round
about were draining this once majestic centerpiece of glorious crown
Exposing the frailty of its boughs
What once stood tall, rock solid, immovable, and proud,
with roots that ran deep into the ground
Is now left tired, weak, fragile, falling down,
A shell of what once stood in its place
How long will it continue to stand against the
elements until it breaks down you wonder
How long before it is completely sawed asunder
The heat, the cold, the wind, and the rain, that come against it each and every day,
How long can it last?
There’s no way to know for sure
Only time will tell just how long it will endure
Until nothing’s left of what it once was
And fades away
Like a distant memory from the past.
The Hayride of ‘92
Norma B.
In the Fall of ‘92
I was invited to attend
A hayride hosted by a friend
She lived in the country
Making it the perfect place
For such an event
I was a little unsure of what to expect
I had never been to something like that before
It was a congregation get together
Still when I got there I was surprised to find
Lots of people in casual clothes
Jeans and flannel shirts and things like that
While it was fitting for the occasion
I suppose
I must admit many of them I didn’t recognize
I’d only seen them in skirts, dresses, suits and ties
There were lots of family friendly activities
Their home set atop a very big hill
Some of us would climb to the top
Then roll all the way back down
Repeating the process again and again
It was A LOT of fun!
That is until I got dizzy and almost threw up
Then I decided it was time to something else,
So I went to check out
The bonfire in the front of the house
There I found people sitting around
Talking amongst themselves
Anyone was welcome to join in
As we sipped on hot apple cider
with cinnamon sticks
Some were roasting hot dogs
That’s not really my thing
But looking back now,
I find myself wondering
How a Bratwurst might have tasted
Others were toasting marshmallows
I like mine golden brown on the outside and Ooey-gooey in the middle
I didn’t have the patience or skill to do it
But thankfully my husband had a ‘gift’
For getting them just the way I liked
Then there are those who like them flaming like a torch
Setting them on fire then blowing them out
You have to be EXTREMELY careful with those
The host’s daughter Jasmine found that out firsthand
When one still aglow with fiery embers
Slid off the stick and stuck to her nose
As if that wasn’t bad enough
School pictures were taken the very next day!
Still the show must go on or so they say,
And it did after administering some much needed First Aid
Though it is worth noting she still has to explain that picture
To those who ask, ‘What happened to you here?’
There was A LOT of singing, you KNOW I loved that!
A few played the guitar which was nice
It reminded me of times past
At last, it was time for the main event
The hayrides and yes, there was more than 1
Men, women, and children of all ages were well represented
As for me, I was throwing hay around carrying on like a big kid
Looking like a scarecrow by the time I was finished
All of us there to have a good time with family and friends
For me, it was a once in a lifetime kind of thing, or so I thought
As it turns out, I was wrong
Peace
FREEPRESSGMA | Aug. 2, 2023
Warm summer evening beckons
the children to the baseball diamond
The public swings creak, people calls across the park
Touching each other with their voices
The last birds flit and swoop
The moon like a wonton
Plump and near
Music thumps,
Melodies linger in the voices of women friends
A breeze reminds us
Of what we share
Pennies
FREEPRESSGMA | Feb. 14, 2024
Tower cranes hover above the skyline
Red Yellow. Blue
Arms waving slow, delicately searching
Preying Mantis
No matter how many Pennies we throw at them,
We must run
Far from home
Haiku Buffet
Norma B. | Jan. 3, 2024
What is empathy?
It is your pain in my heart
How do you show it?
What is a true friend?
Someone who’s there for others
In their time of need
Turbulent waters
Difficult times stress and strain.
Who will stop the rain?
To make a true friend
Be the friend you’d like to have
Be kind and listen
Happy, average, sad
Emotions run high daily
Leaves you feeling drained
Pediatricians
Care for our children and teens
Until age 18
Unbelievable
Life situations can be
Exhilarating
Discrimination
Is detrimental to ALL
Affected by it
Individuals
Stand out as one of a kind
A community
Intimidating
A scary situation
Feeling all alone
Representative
Someone who speaks for others
Giving them a voice
Sophisticated
Elegant, refined, fancy
Not regular folks
Irresistible
Desire that won’t fade away
With each passing day
Appreciated
Recognized for what we do
Rare in today’s world