fiction, poetry & more

2012
POETRY OPEN
First Place
$1,000 Award

RENGA FOR AN ABSENT LOVER

by Sheryl Mebane

Where are you lover,
hot skin, soft lips, giving and
taking until I

forget the cold rain outside?
Have I frightened you away?

Your tears like acid,
your silence, like a caul, and
yet you call to me.

You move me in your stillness.
You sing strongest in whispers.

Teacher, lover, man
of deep mystery, do you
know you shine? I fear

that you have nothing to say.
Your silence overwhelms me.

Breath and base instincts
revealed, you leave me naked
to your knowing, which

I welcome. Come to me. Come
into my arms. Say nothing.

______________________________

Sheryl Mebane earned a minor in creative writing at UNC-Chapel Hill. She was awarded a fellowship by Pearl Street Publishing, which published her jazz novel Lady Bird. Her drumming and compositions have been recorded on three jazz CDs. She has a doctorate in physical chemistry, has taught green chemistry and works as a science translator.

March 2012

2012
POETRY OPEN
First Place
$1,000 Award