We are excited to announce the winner of the April 2023 Chattanooga Writers’ Guild Monthly Contest is Becky Wooley with the submission “Don’t Ever Jilt a Poet” and runner-up is Laura Miller with the submission “Prayer of Supplication.”
Don’t Ever Jilt a PoetDon’t ever jilt a poet, We of sensitive soul, Will savor your improbity, And eulogize our woe. A poet’s heart is hopeful, Long after hope is gone, Enjoying pain that lingers as, An old familiar song. Though love is lost forever, “It’s for the best,” we sigh. “Far better to have loved and lost, Once upon a time.” Our broken hearts are caskets, Where false loves decompose, We wear a headstone for a hat, And proudly hold our nose. Dorothy Parker’s mammals must, Leave vengeance at the grave. But poets leave malignant tomes, Your name on every page.
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Becky Wooley has retired from more occupations than she can recall. She currently and tenuously claims the profession of writer. Learn more about Becky here.
Prayer of SupplicationA statuesque spotted cat like a monk with a coronal tonsure meditates on the virtues of going down the steps or remaining faithful to his sanctuary in the sun. Reciting his daily catechism he contemplates the evening bells and prays for restoration of the abbey’s can-opener so he may break his fast.
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Laura Gunnells Miller is a southeast Tennessee writer whose poetry appears or is forthcoming in American Diversity Report, Artemis Journal, Tennessee Voices, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Chattanooga Writers’ Guild Anthology (Vol. 7), and Sequoya Review.
Congratulations, Becky and Laura!
The Monthly Contests rotate through a pattern of Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction throughout the year, with a new theme each month.
Go to the 2023 Monthly Contest Series Info page to view the genre and theme for each month.
This contest is free to enter for members of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild. To become a member, click HERE.