In just six lines in a single sentence, Krystal Nikol of Detroit has produced a poem of immense power. It was one of three winning poems in our One Sentence Poetry Contest, a contest we’ll repeat for the winter issue, opening for entries in mid-August.
Here is Third Wednesday’s Poem of the Week. It’s from the newly released summer issue.
Our “Poem of the Week” is a preview of the summer issue of 3rd Wednesday, now at the printer. It’s one of three winning poems from the 3rd edition of our popular “One Sentence Poetry Contest”. It’s the second win for Michigan poet, Jane Wheeler, who can pack a lot of story into a single sentence.
Our poem of the week was worthy of an honorable mention in 3rd Wednesday’s annual poetry contest. It’s from Vol. XII, No. 2.
Marfa, Texas is a small desert town known as an oasis of the arts. It was the filming location of James Dean’s final film, Giant, and figures prominantly in the Ed Graczyk play and Robert Altman film, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. It’s also the home of a U.F.O. phenomenon, The Marfa Lights. Marfa poet, Daryl Scroggins, whom Third Wednesday has featured a number of times, now has produced a U.L.O. (Unidentified Literary Object). Is it a poem, a prose poem, a bit flash fiction? Does it matter how we label it? What Daryl does give us is a glimpse into the mind of an adolescent boy – a strange and dangerous place.
This elegantly written little poem is like a photograph. Close your eyes and you can see, not only the details the poet chose, but the scene beyond, especially if you’ve been in a fishing village anywhere in The Caribbean.
Ed Note: Garifuna is an Arawakan language spoken by about 200,000 people, mainly in coastal areas of Honduras, Belize, Guatamala and Nicaragua. It originated on the island of St. Vincent in the Antilies.
