...And finally, I love the poem that is brave. I love the poem whose very existence is an act of courage. I love the poem that is hard-won. I love the poem that risks, the poem that dares. Of the submissions that I read, many featured these elements, and I returned to them again and again. These poems are the finalists. —Lauren K Alleyne
Light Alone
My never-babies, One and Two,
I’m glad you never came,
glad you never shared this house
with bottles and a passed-out man,
never had to see your living sister
go to him as a toddler
in his heap upon the floor
and snuggle as if he were aware
of her need and her love.
As if he were aware.
We planted flowering cherries for you,
but that’s not where I see you
when I say the conjuring words.
I see you both in jars —not in some
murky, sideshow fluid
like the alcohol he keeps you in
next to the jar he keeps himself in--
I see you both in jars of light,
preserved in light alone
so you may see the way you nearly came,
so you may see this is not home.
My never-babies, One and Two,
I’m glad you never came,
glad you never shared this house
with bottles and a passed-out man,
never had to see your living sister
go to him as a toddler
in his heap upon the floor
and snuggle as if he were aware
of her need and her love.
As if he were aware.
We planted flowering cherries for you,
but that’s not where I see you
when I say the conjuring words.
I see you both in jars —not in some
murky, sideshow fluid
like the alcohol he keeps you in
next to the jar he keeps himself in--
I see you both in jars of light,
preserved in light alone
so you may see the way you nearly came,
so you may see this is not home.
"Light Alone" was chosen as a finalist by Lauren K. Alleyne for The Difficult Fruit Poetry Prize
R.G. Evans's poems, fiction, and reviews have appeared in Rattle, The Literary Review, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Paterson Literary Review, Lips, MARGIE, The Best of Pif Magazine (Offline), and Weird Tales, among other publications. Evans's first collection, Overtipping the Ferryman, received the 2013 Aldrich Press Poetry Prize. His original music, including the song "The Crows of Paterson," was featured in the documentary, All That Lies Between Us, about the life and work of Maria Mazziotti Gillan. Evans lives in southern New Jersey, where he teaches high school and college English and Creative Writing.