DarkWinter Lit is thrilled to announce that Seekers by Laurie Koensgen was chosen as the winning entry in our 2nd Anniversary Contest Poetry category by judge Kim Fahner! About this piece, our judge said, "'Seekers' is a poem which takes its readers from considering the supposed simplicity of people gathering shells on the seashore to a more complex journey that invites them to ponder what's been lost, as well as what's been left behind." Thanks to all who entered the contest this year--it was an extremely talented field. Congratulations again to Laurie Koensgen!
Seekers Â
The tide has swept the beach and left us      empty
cockle shells
                                 Hulls of grit that might admit
                                                            a child’s finger
White and ribbed and flexed
             as eagles’ heads      their plumes
                                 blown smooth in icy altitudes
Empty shells           but for our notionsÂ
   Â
                       these small cupped searching hands                  Â
Laurie Koensgen (she/her) lives and writes in Ottawa. Her poetry appears internationally in journals, anthologies and online magazines. Recent publishers include Literary Review of Canada, Stone Circle Review, The Madrigal, Contemporary Verse 2, and Rust and Moth. Laurie’s latest chapbook, Small Psalms for Moving On, is with Pinhole Poetry.Â
Congratulations to Laurie Koensgen and Steven Baird. I thoroughly enjoyed . . . and admired your works. It's inspiring to read such good writing.