My Father
“the wound across his back becomes / a mouth wide open, filled with blood, and me, / his child standing next to the body. / newly awakened”
Contest Winner
Portrait of a Small Town Where the Flower Shop has Committed Suicide
By Eli Karren
“Our neighborhood drowns // in the violet hue of summer stolen, while evening arrives / like blueberries to concrete,”
anticipating flame
“who am I to bring the world / into our bed? If the nest comes under attack, let me / lose a feather or two in defense of what I know is true:”
2024-25 Previously Published Poem Prize: Winners & Finalists
Please join us in congratulating these remarkable poets. Winners were selected by Palette editors.
Lena
By Jessie Keary
“She was adept with the use of / liquid rouge, / a model of artistic beauty,”
Interview with Akhim Yuseff Cabey, Winner of the 2024 Rising Poet Prize
Winner of the 2024 Rising Poet Prize Akhim Yuseff Cabey for “Olentangy River, 2019” Akhim Yuseff Cabey was …
Olentangy River, 2019
“god bless, then, the poisonous / carp these fishermen toss // back into the river,”
Stevie Wonder boulevard
By Tamar Ashdot
“music spills out of a storefront across the street. / the space is filled with sienna subway tiled walls and sugars / in glass jars”
This Little Piggy Went to the Market
“This little piggy listens to murder podcasts while she paints her nails. // This little piggy listens to BTS and makes vegan enchiladas from scratch. // This little piggy also has nightmares about wolves.”