Dream Quest One
First Poetry Prize Winner - Winter 2015 - 2016
is
JOANNE JAGODA
of Oakland, California - USA
"Just beyond"
I try to recall
cousin
Celia's second husband
you know...what's-his-name
or that French actor from the TV movie
but names elude me
hover just beyond reach
wily fugitives
from my once impeccable memory
they hang in that murky space
I can no longer reach with alacrity
sit defiantly on the tip of my tongue
so
bratty-- they sneak home at 3 in the morning
when
they wake me up
and give me the finger
I used to spout the prologue of Romeo and Juliet
answer the questions on Jeopardy before the buzzer
this aging thing-- it's a bitch
hey, this is me who danced to the Doors
I thought I would surely dodge that bullet
I don't get why bad memories linger
like the burnt smell after a fire
stuff you wish you could forget
why can't
those thoughts
retire for good to that place of
hazy recall
ah... it's the faded snapshots
I treasure
sweet images of good times
ebbing and flowing like gentle currents
gathering on the banks of my mind--
I will fight against this aging thing
but I fear the battle is just getting started.
# # #
By Joanne Jagoda
About
the poet:
I have been writing since I retired in 2009 after taking an amazing writing workshop. That one workshop
made me realize I needed to write. I currently write short stories, flash fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. My work
has appeared in a variety of publications including anthologies and online magazines.
