Apples and Water
outside your window, a tree is blooming.
white paper flowers that will brown, like
the spot where you bit the apple-
leaving a trail of juice on my thumb
and other knuckles.
you remind me of someone i've never met before,
i think
as i suck the water clean from my fingers and feel
a sudden shame for even this private show
of affection.
From Caroline O'Connor Thomas: This poem is about yielding to restriction or moderation; you could find the temptation pulling from that act of letting go, in the narrators sudden complete disregard for personal limits. I'm excited that Apples and Water was chosen by Russell Jaffe and Sean Lyman Fraiser to be the winner of the DJANGO award. I can't think of anything more lovely than knowing that I've written something that others can appreciate. It's appropriate to say I feel dazzlingly jewel'd and naturally glorious!
From guest judge Sean Lyman Frasier:
First, thank you Russell for allowing me to dissect the poems that voluntarily settled beneath the kiss of my literary blade, and thank you courageous artists who tackled this contest with sophistication and barbarity, in equal measure. The winning poem, Caroline O'Connor Thomas' "Apples and Water," struck me as a poem that earns its brevity, the way that an epic must earn its enormous scope. I felt voyeuristic, like the words (written in invisible ink) were supposed to vanish before I found them. To me, the delicious guilt of the poem revolves around the idea of wanting more but not feeling entitled to more. While the action of the poem may be a single act of disobedience, a decision to indulge rather than ignore, this temptation will change the body and mind, much like the flowers and apple change hue and brown with time. A rare fifty second portrait that breathes long after it's enjoyed. The poem, beyond its elegance, addresses the theme with concealed desires that squeeze through as whispers, and it was a pleasure to hear those.
From Russell Jaffe: It was a real joy to hold this contest, and I think it's really important to say that while we had a winner, every poem we received was a little treasure to read and explore; in searching through the troves of poetry to find the one that would ultimately win the jewelry prize, we found ourselves happily lost in the founding principles of O Sweet Flowery Roses: sharing, enjoying, and participating in poetry. Thanks to all who read and submitted, and thanks for supporting this journal.
This is the blog for the poetry journal O Sweet Flowery Roses. Russell Jaffe writes it the way he is writing this 3rd person right now. The journal is osweetfloweryroses.com
Friday, April 24, 2009
And the DJANGO Award winner is...CAROLINE O'CONNOR THOMAS for her poem "Apples and Water"
Apples and Water
outside your window, a tree is blooming.
white paper flowers that will brown, like
the spot where you bit the apple-
leaving a trail of juice on my thumb
and other knuckles.
you remind me of someone i've never met before,
i think
as i suck the water clean from my fingers and feel
a sudden shame for even this private show
of affection.
From Caroline O'Connor Thomas: This poem is about yielding to restriction or moderation; you could find the temptation pulling from that act of letting go, in the narrators sudden complete disregard for personal limits. I'm excited that Apples and Water was chosen by Russell Jaffe and Sean Lyman Fraiser to be the winner of the DJANGO award. I can't think of anything more lovely than knowing that I've written something that others can appreciate. It's appropriate to say I feel dazzlingly jewel'd and naturally glorious!
From guest judge Sean Lyman Frasier:
First, thank you Russell for allowing me to dissect the poems that voluntarily settled beneath the kiss of my literary blade, and thank you courageous artists who tackled this contest with sophistication and barbarity, in equal measure. The winning poem, Caroline O'Connor Thomas' "Apples and Water," struck me as a poem that earns its brevity, the way that an epic must earn its enormous scope. I felt voyeuristic, like the words (written in invisible ink) were supposed to vanish before I found them. To me, the delicious guilt of the poem revolves around the idea of wanting more but not feeling entitled to more. While the action of the poem may be a single act of disobedience, a decision to indulge rather than ignore, this temptation will change the body and mind, much like the flowers and apple change hue and brown with time. A rare fifty second portrait that breathes long after it's enjoyed. The poem, beyond its elegance, addresses the theme with concealed desires that squeeze through as whispers, and it was a pleasure to hear those.
From Russell Jaffe: It was a real joy to hold this contest, and I think it's really important to say that while we had a winner, every poem we received was a little treasure to read and explore; in searching through the troves of poetry to find the one that would ultimately win the jewelry prize, we found ourselves happily lost in the founding principles of O Sweet Flowery Roses: sharing, enjoying, and participating in poetry. Thanks to all who read and submitted, and thanks for supporting this journal.
