Tag: Literary Journal

Self. Deception. / Dick Westheimer

Published on by Editorial Staff


It’s a rare moment when a finicky reader comes across a villanelle that is not only flawlessly constructed (no small feat!), but that also presents a sensitive self-examination to which virtually anyone might relate. These successes are insightfully sustained through the poet’s use of precise metaphors, well-handled allusions (notably to Marianne Moore), alongside a few unexpected, startling details, for instance, “my heart’s hardened to the mice and the beetles”. Also noteworthy is the wonderful, self-effacing tone maintained throughout. – Marilyn L. Taylor.

A Portrait of Narcissus With His Phone

Published on by Editorial Staff


Countless “portraits” of Narcissus have appeared in western art and literature over the centuries, but to my knowledge few, if any, have portrayed the young god as he poses for the ultimate selfie. This poem is also a gracefully constructed Petrarchan sonnet, well-realized both metrically and by virtue of the meticulous word choices. Finally—and rather surprisingly, the poem’s overall tone lands somewhere between formal eloquence and unpretentious clarity.

Between Light / Jennifer Burd

Published on by Editorial Staff1 Comment

A winning poem in 3rd Wednesday’s annual poetry contest:

This relatively brief poem is ostensibly about a garden, but one that wastes no time finding its way, quietly and unexpectedly, into a very dark domain. Borrowing from the vivid vocabulary of more predictable poems about gardens, the speaker describes instead an environment in slow decay, while providing a warning that we, the observers, are blithely “deadheading in the clarified air.” I consider it a jarring but undeniably memorable poem, infused with the grim inevitability of mortality. – Marilyn L. Taylor, Contest judge.