Judge Patricia Smith’s comments: “I immediately fell in love with this submission’s lyrical momentum—building a narrative, building a defense, building a remarkably fresh view of an old story. I was intrigued by the poem’s sweet science, hurtling toward a who-knows-what crescendo—and in the end, we have a tentative, warmly human deity struggling with his confidence, pulling in a weary breath and beginning again. I read every poem I encounter out loud, listening for the magic it works on the open air, and this one was a particular joy—deftly avoiding preachiness and predictability with bright, rollicking language.”