Mike Maggio

Hello all:

Derek Kannemeyer, this year’s judge, has chosen Cheryl T. Cooley, as our winner in this year’s 30 for 30 for her poem “Nina Simone’s Three-Room Childhood Clapboard House.” Congratulations Cherryl! Cherryl will received a one-year subscription to Potomac Review, our sponsor.

In second place: Katherine Gotthardt for her poem “Expedition.”

And in third place: Sally Toner for her poem “To Ezra Pound.”

Congratulations to all three.

Derek had an especially hard time choosing a winner this year due to all the exceptional poems that came our way..  Here are his comments:

“How did I select my winners? I shortlisted half the submitted poems, and I changed my mind often! I wanted lively work that affected me, and I wanted imagism. Imagist poetry, says poets.org, is free verse committed to “clarity of expression through the use of precise visual images.” Mike Maggio requested pieces expressed “solely through the use of images,” with “no abstractions.” While visual pictures can be painted with literal description alone, “image” also suggests metaphor and simile, so I did hope for some figurative precision. Thanks to all of you who contributed and who made me labor over the choosing!”

Thanks Derek and thanks to all who participated and shared their work.

Until next year….

Mike

Unfortunately, one of our scheduled poets was unable to participate, so to complete the 30 days, I am offering one of my own.

Still Life

What can the lonely gutter do
but embrace a blue reclining nude
quenched like a footpressed butt
mirrored in the red-glazed wedges
of a restless beer bottle
and wait
for the swift tremulous cloud
to put out the sky.

Copyright 2023 Mike Maggio

Mike Maggio is the author of 9 books of poetry and fiction with a 10th, a gothic novel called Woman in the Abbey, to by released in 2025 by Vine Leaves Press where you can find other titles by him. “Still Life” originally appeared in his collection Garden of Rain (Aldrich Press, 2015).

30 for 30 is sponsored by Potomac Review