Archive for the ‘Literary’ Category

Two poets tied for third place in 411 NOLA’s Poetic Soul Poetry Contest.  wade’s “heavy toward the sky” was one.  Abigail Reikow’s “How to Fall out of Love” is the other.

Reikow attended a creative arts high school in Philadelphia (same school that folks like Boyz to Men, the Roots, and Jazmine Sullivan attended).  She then earned a bachelors to teach high school English but somehow ended up back in school to earn a masters in Social Work.  Currently she works for the Orleans Public Defender’s Office as the staff Social Worker.

 

 

How To Fall Out of Love

 

clean out the closet

 

let the dust fall with all you’ve been packing, hiding

in the midst of deciding what to throw away

let your shit stay

 

make room

toss the familiar even if it aches

shake out the sheets

let the breeze blow out the scent

of what it all meant

 

grow

change

rearrange

 

listen

care

be aware

 

love yourself

 

even if you’re not quite ready

with your unsteady steps

kick regret to the door

don’t take its shit no more

 

move

 

it might sound like nothing

but there’s something in the way

your feet start carrying you

pulling dead weight

whatever’s still alive

 

survive

 

One of our two third place winners in the Poetic Soul Poetry Contest is wade, a resident of Metairie.  If you are wondering why his name is not capitalized, hear what he has to say about it:  i do not ever capitalize, it’s my style, just fyi.  Ok, wade, here is your poem.  Thanks for sharing it with 411 NOLA readers.

 

heavy toward the sky

 

i’ve got scars on my skin from where the razor’s been

and scars on my heart from being ripped apart

scratches on my eyes from broken promises and lies

bleeding to death but can’t survive

 

 

i can’t make myself feel better

for a reason not to die

my heart is just so heavy

so heavy toward the sky

 

 

all the colors faded into one pale shade of grey

the unloving of myself, the end I cannot help

all my life is crashing around me day by day

piece by piece I’m broken and wasted away

 

 

i can’t make myself feel better

no matter how I try

oh God my heart’s so heavy

so heavy toward the sky

 

and man of sorrows, acquainted with grief

where is love? where is peace?

hear me now before I close my eyes

and surrender…heavy toward the sky

 

 

 

Copyright 2011 w7a7r7 music

 

Tisha Stcyr, a resident of Harvey Louisiana, took second place in 411 NOLA’s Poetic Soul poetry contest for her poem “Hope”.  Here at 411 NOLA we hope that you like it.  Congratulations Tisha, you will receive a $50 American Express Gift Card and a copy of Soul Chant by the acclaimed New Orleans poet Asia Rainey.

Hope

 

Ithemba visited me today
For the first time
I had never met her before
But just as I stepped out of the shower
And wiped away the steam
There she was!

I could still see the discolored keloid around her neck-
It gave me pause.
She stood proud, but silent.

My eyes followed the curvature of her spine.
Between the shoulders down to the small of her back.
I touched the path that had been marked into flesh

Her round breasts rose defiantly against the scars.

Thank You, I whispered.

She answered with a single tear. Then she smiled.

And disappeared.

Receiving a perfect score of 9, “We Rose, too” by Lindsey Durbin, is  the First Place Winner of 411 NOLA’s Poetic Soul poetry contest.

Lindsey Durbin is a 24 year old native of Illinois. Lindsey moved to New Orleans two years ago and is serving a second term of AmeriCorps as the Mentor Placement Coordinator for Each One Save One mentoring organization. Lindsey will be starting graduate school in the fall pursuing a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Tulane University. Lindsey is passionate and enjoys writing about social justice, gender, and sexuality. Lindsey maintains a poetry blog entitled, “Organic Tongue Poetry.”

We rose, too.
The day that Jesus rose,
we rose, too,
forgotten she-gods,
our journey unmentioned,
following the female footsteps before us,
breaking bread and bleeding into the Earth.
Our rods and staffs do not part oceans,
but we carry the weight of living and dying
between our legs.
We carry the soul of our sister gods,
the ebb and the flow in our bodies are known,
whispered secrets of the sister kin.
We are mystics,
our splintered hands guide the cloth that covers,
We are mothers,
our pilgrimage never ends,
we rose and we will rise again.

December 31, 2011 was the last day to enter 411 NOLA’s Poetic Soul poetry contest.  Over six months later, after reading through many poems, judges Asia Rainey, Elise Coleman, and Marcia Wall have, at last, determined the three winners.

First place goes to Lindsey Durbin of New Orleans for her poem entitled We Rose, Too.

Second place goes to Tisha Stcyr of Harvey, Louisiana for her poem entitled Hope.

Third place was a tie.  One third place winner is Wade Rettig for the poem heavy toward the sky.  The other third place winner is Abigail Rekow for her poem How to Fall Out of Love.

• The 1st Place Winner will receive a $100 American Express Gift Card and a copy of Soul Chant by the acclaimed New Orleans poet Asia Rainey.
• The 2nd Place Winner will receive a $50 American Express Gift Card and a copy of Soul Chant by the acclaimed New Orleans poet Asia Rainey.
• The 3rd Place Winner will receive a copy of Soul Chant by the acclaimed New Orleans poet Asia Rainey.

In the coming days, each of these poems will be published for your enjoyment.  411 NOLA wishes to thank the many many people who submitted their work.

 

Judges for this contest include poets Marcia Wall and Asia Rainey as well as E. Coleman, who has produced readings for poet and spoken word artist Professor Arturo, author of My Name is New Orleans:  40 Years of Poetry & other Jazz.