Poetry WIN!

I could play coy and effect a kind of sophisticated nonchalance, but we all know I do subtle about as well as our current Congress compromises. So, without further ado, I shall commence with the merriment, dances, and over-loud squees:

I won, I won, I won!

I entered a poetry contest sponsored by the Poetry Society of Colorado, and I won first place. The theme was "overcoming," so I submitted a poem about standing up to and eventually leaving an abusive partner. It's one of my very, very rare rhyming poems, and to be honest, I'm not even remotely a fan of poems that rhyme. Nonetheless, and in large part because the poem fit the theme so beautifully, I submitted it. 

Below is the winning poem. You can also read it on their website if you'd prefer. 

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Hatchling

My cage is in your bedroom
To keep my howls in check
But bitches might begin to bite
And chickens learn to peck

You tie my apron tighter
To keep me “safe and dry”
My waist’s too thick for them cheap tricks
Its strings unwind like lies


You bend my vision downward
With heavy crowns of lead
But I stand tall, and when they fall,
They break your foot instead


You shove me in a shoebox
Stiletto heels, size four
But my bare feet are so damn fleet
They’re running out that door


You seal me in an envelope
And try to mail me home
No stamp’s enough, cuz I’m too tough
I’ve got the world to roam