Poetry from PJ Klem’s/Poetry Walk
1/25/2025
Authors: Michael Keane, Heather Mair, Andrea Visione, Diana Lund
To the rustling leaves and the shouts from boys
I pedaled off, heedless, into darkness
The poetry running over and over in my mind
And my memories flowing like the river to another time
When the whip-poor-wills swayed and you felt nature surround
The embrace was magical
This life is magical!
I peruse the menu while dishes clatter in the background
Chilled from our walk, I’m thinking hot soup!
But, alas, my spirit droops
When the darkness descends
And the moon rises over the mountain
Shake it off! Come to! The server is here
With hot soup and bread, there is nothing to fear
Except that the provisions might run out
In which case, I return to society.
Across the wind-swept landscape
The hawk flew before lighting in a dead tree
All feels cold, or is it me?
A young girl twirls by the river’s bank
While water splashes over the falls
The irises on the banks leaned in as if to listen
Spring!! The irises shout! Spring is near.
The great thaw is upon us. The warm sun is so dear.
We looked back and didn’t want it any other way.
I bought the house because of the tree
The one that kissed the sky
And the other that hugged the earth
These trees bring me home to the wonder of my youth
We were brazen and brash, and sometimes uncouth
But not mean, never mean
Always best intentions
But, that road to hell. Is this that road?
Lucifer lost as He had foretold.
The Paper Boat
2nd place Winner, Illinois State Poetry
by: Bakul Banerjee
The paper boat floated down the stream.
Why do I remember its crimson sail?
Or was it the setting sun that colored it?
You wrapped your palm around mine.
As I dug into the mud, my feet wobbled.
The paper boat floated down the stream.
Your right arm was by me. I leaned
to you on an impulse to steady myself.
Distant thunder and lightning neared
with pelting rain. The stream swelled.
The paper boat floated down the stream
faster. The wet white sail crumpled.
I willed myself into an implausible reverie.
The boat and I became one. How did I know
that it would be a vanishing memory?
The paper boat floated down the stream.
You must be logged in to post a comment.