July Challenge Winner - An Advice Poem

The winning poem in the July Poetry Challenge uses a metaphor from soccer to advise a young poet. It is a fairly complex metaphor, but then soccer and the writing of poetry are complex, each in its own way. Here is the winning poem:

Advice to a Young Poet

You don’t have to love

frustration

but know it will be your

constant companion

whether your poems

hit readers with the shine

of new currency, or tarnish

the dank water of a well.

Fragile is not futile, but know

when writing is going well

it’s like striking a ball off your foot

perfectly placed to meet

the run a teammate’s

stretching towards the goal—

you feel it,

the vector,

the angle,

the speed

of the ball

in icy coordination

with the speed

of the runner, both

will meet at full go,

 and the ball will land

like a blessed dactyl

for the player’s foot to kiss

forward, 

but then, 

along the way,

a random divot

catches the ball’s round rind and it all

skitters off to the side like a thought

interrupted, a scattering of words

at a random dog’s bark or the unbidden

memory of a lazy afternoon

and a sudden flash of thigh.

And the phrases tangle, the lines unword.

Deep breath. Again. Start over. Again.

~ Steve Werkmeister

Steve retains copyright on his poem.

I especially like the first stanza, which I think could stand alone as a complete poem, and the next to last line. Congratulations, Steve.

Steve Werkmeister is an Associate Professor of English at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. He teaches composition and literature courses, hangs out with his family, and, when he has time, writes poetry and fiction, even occasionally publishing some.

Linda Wallin, the judge for July, is a retired special ed teacher, speaks German, some sign, and some Spanish. At National-Louis University, she taught teachers how to use educational technology. She writes poetry when she is not quilting, tutors children and adults, and teaches Lego Robotics, Artbotics, and art quilts to gifted children. Linda is Vice-President of Poets and Patrons in Chicago.

AND ON ANOTHER SUBJECT:

Consider attending the Green Lake Christian Writers’ Conference in August. It is the conference that got me serious about writing poetry. And it is for writers of prose, too. Check out the link at http://glcc.org/adults.html. The grounds are so beautiful it is almost impossible not to write poetry there. Everyone is kind and helpful. If you are looking for a conference to help you improve your writing, this may be the answer for you.