To Hestia: who was forgotten – by Gabriela Marie Milton
it’s quiet now
inside the shapes of our burning hearts
tortured the endurance of surreal trees
a headkerchief full of blood dries on a bench
unknown the mark upon the sky to which you point
the windows of bookshops read “kill” and “f..k”
Hestia,
strangled, your virginity hangs on a rusty wire
inside the chimney a creaking creature with bat-eyes
streets filled with guns
mundane caricaturesque phalloi,
demonic blisters rub the hearts
there is no home for millions of us
come back
you, virgin goddess of the heart,
the murder and the sex will stone you in the boulevards
premonitions
there are back streets where you can walk
songs of nightingales and roses will hide you in their arms
you sacred fire,
give a home to hungry children with no clothes
to those who sleep under the bridges of cursed stars
in nights when linden trees in cemeteries bloom
flame the ebb and flow of skies that know no tides
you, goddess,
the very subject matter of which I write.
I am thrilled to be part of Issue III of Free Verse Revolution. You can download the publication for free here.
Update on the poetry contest Woman: Splendor and Sorrow
Thank you to everyone who enter the poetry contest Woman: Splendor and Sorrow. I am honored and touched by your submissions. Your entries are magnificent. Everyone’s writing is so dear to my heart that I will never be able to choose a winner. As a gentle reminder here is how the winners will be selected:
The selection method is similar to that of a double-blind peer review: the reviewer doesn’t know the identity of the author, and vice-versa.
To achieve that I will do the following:
- Create a master document with all submissions. Remove the name of the authors and replace them with numbers.
- Create a second document with the name of the authors and their assigned numbers.
- I will not participate in the process of determining the winners. Winners will be determined by two of your peers.
- However, I will disclose a piece of information and deviate a bit from the fully double-blind process: the editor of Vita Brevis Poetry Magazine, Brian Geiger, will be one of the reviewers.
The winners will be announced in late-October. I will update you periodically.
Prizes:
First Place: $300
Second Place: $150
Third Place: $75
Funding for the prizes comes from my royalties.
To the future winners: please remember to spread love in our community and buy some books written by your WP favorite authors.
Update on MasticadoresUSA
@Gabriela Marie Milton