The Chattanooga Writers’ Guild is excited to announce the winners of the July 2026 Poetry Contest.
This month’s theme was “Invisible/Invisibility.” The First-Place prize goes to Sherry Poff with the submission “Crows.” Honors for second place go to Ray Zimmerman for his entry “Moon in Hiding.”
Thanks to all who participated and special thanks to our talented Poetry Judge, Cynthia Young!
First Place: Sherry Poff
Crows
On hillsides of my youth, they called from the woods, harbingers of doom according to some, out of sight among the green of surrounding oak and pine. In a country cemetery, I wandered among headstones of neighbors, pondered. the brevity of life with raucous cries sounding in my ears. Down the years, the crows have followed, announcing their presence from field and forest, familiar companions on this ever-shortening trail. Now they sit down boldly in my backyard, five or six at a time, taking counsel, I think, planning my introduction to the unseen guide of life’s home stretch.
Sherry Poff grew up in the hills of West Virginia. She now lives and writes in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Sherry holds an MA in Writing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is a member of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild and Poetry Society of Tennessee. Her stories and poems have appeared in Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Artemis, Salvation South, and elsewhere.
Second Place: Ray Zimmerman
Moon in Hiding
The evening air has gone From hot to warm With a chance Of cool by morning. If the night were clear A waxing crescent moon Would grace the evening sky. But it is covered with Thick viscous clouds. No stars or moon will Peek through to Brighten my evening. This is a night For thunderclaps And lightning bolts. Distant ancestors Might have offered Prayers to a thunder god. I offer silence And a listening ear. Tomorrow will bring More rain With a small chance Of birdsong. The rain will not be enough To flood the highways Or my workplace. The beauty of clouds Reaches out to my soul As a chariot Rumbles across the sky.
Ray Zimmerman says, "I live to write in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I also work in tourism. I have published my work in online and print newspapers. My poetry and/or prose appeared in Number One (Volunteer State Community College), the Mildred Haun Review, The Avocet, The Walnut Branch, and Substack."
The Monthly Contests rotate through a pattern of Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction throughout the year, with a new theme each month.
Go to chattanoogawritersguild.org and scroll down to "Latest News" 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.