We received an extraordinary number of amazing submission for our first poetry contest of the year, and it took much hard work from our poetry staff to make the final decisions. Congratulations to Conyer Clayton for taking fifth place in the Spring Poetry Contest of 2017!

 

September

Held under nail and lining, sodden foot,
glances laced with suspicious fidelity,
.                                                                             knocked asunder

by your level head, prompt reliability, judicious
punctuality. I grind through ropes, mealy strands,

locking fibers in my gums, flicking with my tongue
.                                                                               while my mother

grips my arm, crying in an alleyway, begging me to look her in the eye.

 

 

Conyer Clayton is a poet born in Louisville, Kentucky, who currently enjoys her Canadian permanent residency in Ottawa. When she isn’t busy coaching gymnastics by day, she attempts to make use of her Master’s degree in English from the University of Louisville. Her poetry has most recently been published or is forthcoming both online and in print with Bywords, Transom, NILVX, FLUX, Fishfood Magazine, and PACE. You can find news about her poetic endeavors and collaborations on facebook.com/ConyerClayton.