whatgoesaroundcomesaround
Jupiter tucked behind
a stop light

Genevieve Breitbach (2)

a tiny lantern
floats forward
to the outhouse

Alexis Dockins

salmon swim upstream
strolling down the bank
of the postcard

Cori Grzenia

Abbey Road
a chorus of honking
bloody tourists

Genevieve Breitbach (2)

Valentine's Day
I sit at the table
set for one

hair of flame
her laugh brings me
back

Genevieve Breitbach

warm turtle shell
on a thin branch the heron
grasps

Tyler Trzcinski

sterilized needle
Red Cross patiently
waits for you

Frodo & Sam
        father & daughter
pass their passports

over dinner
I see sadness
left in my mother's eyes

Alexis Dockins (4)

in the cool stone
the Queen's eyes
smolder

the smell of rain
just ten more minutes
until the storm rolls in

Lauren Montesano (5) - 5th place

furry creature
runs up to me
feels like home

harmonizing
in the back seat
Beetle Beatles

Genevieve Breitbach

perfect specimen
the goddess lifts her
telescope

Genevieve Breitbach (3)

new shoes
new job
already a scuff

Marah Kittelson (2)

hanging a portrait
the whispering hushes
crooked corner

its been months
since she went
off the map

Grace Ganley (2)

munching an apple
the same kind they use
at the fair

macho man
bottle-feeding
the newborn kitten

Whitney Gray

a startling crash
his hand jumps
to his scar

Cori Grzenia (6) - 4th place tie

bare feet dangling
from the tire swing
when did I grow up?

Whitney Gray (7) - 3rd place

soft lips
caressing my neck
alfalfa breath whinny

Whitney Gray

strive to remember
God is Good
I take the next step

Marah Kittelson

welcoming him home
father's day card
hidden behind her back

Whitney Gray (2)

music store
what do I grab first?
the triangle

beer foam
lonely eyes
across the bar

Whitney Gray (3)

my faith in a penny
the koi circle
my final wish

Whitney Gray (2)

Flight 109
brings back
my past

geese and grass
one big family
time to fly

Emilio Tejada

after hours
dark windows reflect
a single candle

my coffee black
to prove
I can handle you

Genevieve Breitbach (3)

nothing to lose
a lottery
he undertakes a kiss

Noah Klumpe (2)

single mother
first fall alone
noticing her joint pain

Joseph Pegura

snack bar closed
we scroll on
our mouse pads

Jacob Hamilton

falling face first
into summer stars
—the lake winks back

Genevieve Breitbach

sun on my face
reminds me
this is where I'm meant to be

Lauren Montesano

behind the velvet curtain
my hand quivers
spotlight

wedding bells ring
I walk past faces
only seeing one

Lauren Montesano (2)

losing track of time
bath water flows smoothly
from under the door

Joseph Pegura

snow piles high
he caresses her
bald head

stop sign
in the distance
we accelerate

Katherine Viviano (2)

shoveled up tears
I bury them
with him

Katherine Viviano (4)

loving me
the way you know how
tail wags

Lauren Montesano (2)

flour billows all over
cut-outs and sprinkle dustings
oven beeping

desktop globe
the child knows
only his backyard

Tyler Trzcinski

love
turns to like
becoming friends again

Lauren Montesano (2)

back to the kitchen
another look can't hurt
nothing for dinner

Tyler Trzcinski (3)

hair pulled back
lipstick on
pretending I'm okay

Lauren Montesano (4)

your smile
a rainbow
after the storm

Lauren Montesano (4)

running my fingers
along the keys
words unformed

Lauren Montesano (2)

at the stove
his hands rest
on my apron's ties

Marah Kittelson

home alone
taking a shower
the door creaks open

Michael Barber (3)

a ferris wheel
as grand as
Chicago's

searching
for the right words
in my cuticles

Lauren Montesano (8) - 2nd place

hop scotch boxes
connecting driveways
summer's eve

Erica Forbes

what better place
to see an opera
down under

one fist up
the other grasps
a 6 pack of Budweiser

Alexis Dockins

grasshopper floats
on the waves
summer heat

Michael Barber (4)

every creak and crack
can still be felt
the old home

Michael Barber

the fire
we once shared
ashes

Corrin Littlefield (9) - 1st place

Toy Story clouds
walking with the Buzz
to my Woody

Marah Kittelson (2)

midnight
cookie dough run
the best friends

Taryn Pepping (3)

her smoke break
in the rain
without a cigarette

Taryn Pepping (3)

black eyed susans
grandma's soft hands
coated in garden soil

Tyler Trzcinski (4)

iced sweet tea—
watching the children
stain their knees green

Erica Forbes (2)

falling apart
I watch the lone wall
crumble

Noah Klumpe

hitch hiking
the wrong way
down a one way street

Alexis Dockins

dripping from the comb
pure, golden honey
His ways are sweeter

Marah Kittelson

little yellow wildflowers
remind me
make the most of it

Alexis Dockins (4)

on a stranger's deck
we talk philosophy
sunrise

Natalie Smith (6) - 4th place tie

drunken night
wingman
helps himself

Noah Klumpe (4)

running in the night
a childish laugh
he does not know

a promise
under stars
for more stars

Noah Klumpe (6) - 4th place tie

spring afternoon
obligatory visit
one last time

Natalie Smith

driving home from school
for summer break
the last time

sunbathing
she sits with friends
toads at this pond

Taryn Pepping

Grandma's porch swing strains
mother cradles
her daughter's child

barefoot in the grass
three two one
last kiss

Taryn Pepping (2)

the last drive-in
we watch the movie
for the first time

Noah Klumpe

the more she drank
the darker it got
tequila

Katherine Viviano (4)

movie night
kernels in my teeth
smiling at her

asparagus spring
cool puddles of rain water
beg for my feet

Tyler Trzcinski (2)

banished
to his side of the bed
pillow thief

Whitney Gray

rain drops trickle
down the stem of the
dying daffodils

Tyler Trzcinski (2)

movie night . . .
gently skimming my skin
like the night before

Erica Forbes (2)

the new sun
too warm
our bodies untangle

Taryn Pepping (2)

drops trickle
down a slender neck
the beer bottle

snowy Friday night
logs burning ever so slowly
dusty fireplace

Joseph Pegura

shades on
hat back
too cool for school

Joseph Pegura

spring breeze
my toes covered
in grey mud

Taryn Pepping

squealing in delight
tiny handprints
spaghetti face

Whitney Gray

he's gone
the jokes remain
can't remember the punch line

Alexis Dockins (2)

eagerly waiting her reply
his phone lights up
mom . . .

Joseph Pegura

after the confession
fart jokes
and giggling

Taryn Pepping

Sunday morning
     wrapped in cotton sheets
I watch him dream

Whitney Gray (4)

a pen standing up
my cup
full of sea glass

Taryn Pepping (2)

waking up
can't remember putting on
(t)his shirt

Taryn Pepping (4)