I am a photograph
that sits upon the shelf
inside a metal frame
and pressed behind a piece of glass
I am the pencil drawing
made for many weeks
matted softly
onto a softly hardened board
I am the written letter
licked and stamped
sent away
held and read and cherished for its words
I am all that's left
A photograph
A pencil drawing
A written letter
Lying on my table
I am the night
The night when you said
Good-bye.
PUBLICATIONS: Scop, April 1996, Corning Community College; and Essence of a Dream, Spring 1997, The National Library of Poetry, Maryland.
HISTORY: During this semester, I wrote several poems comparing
people to objects. This one won me 1st Place ($35) in the annual Scop
poetry contest.
That summer, I entered it into another contest, which it didn't win.
However, the poem was printed in one of those large, expensive
poet anthologies. I didn't order the book, but I did order a wooden
plaque with my poem printed on it. Over the next two years, I continued to get mail from the company about poetry-related items, conventions, and other things. The poem, meanwhile, has also been posted on the company's website.
To return to the Dave page, click here.
To return to my home page, click here.