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Jacob Jans
(About Poetry Forum)
when the shell cracks and yolk
fades into the blackened pan,
and flocks of paprika sizzle
in pools of oil popping,
when the melon moon dangles soft
across the silence of your home’s external frame,
glance outside your window
for the final touch of taste –
stop to feel the steady shake
of all the quiet pressed
into the meals you make.
Judge Aaron Welborn’s comments: “‘Simple joys have a simple voice,’ goes a song I heard somewhere. And while I wouldn’t necessarily characterize this poem as joyful (the ending leaves room for doubt about that), I admire the simplicity and straightforwardness of it. Where it succeeds most admirably is in the fusion of sound and sense. The hard, crowded sounds of the opening lines gradually give way to a subtler, muted music, drawing us in to a lovely sense of solitude. This poem rewards rereading.”
About the InterBoard Poetry Competition
Archive of IBPC Winners
2nd Place Winner, May 2005
