the sky opens up
our sorrow in us known
as weeps thousands
Wiggling worm
on my hook,
ready to catch
the big fish.
I cast my line
and bide my time
on the riverbank
so quiet and still.
I feel a tug,
my line grows taut.
I think I’ve snagged
the big one.
I pull and reel
with all my might.
I know it’s huge—
the biggest fish
I’ve ever caught!
I start to struggle,
begging,
“Please don’t get away!”
I pull and tug,
then yank the pole.
I pray my line
won’t break.
With one last tug,
the battle is done.
I pull in my catch—
only to find
a smelly old boot
dangling from my hook!
You asked me if knew Mr. Disappointment.
Having met him many years ago, I said yes.
I have had several encounters with him.
He has been one not easily forgotten. My
Best recall tells me I was 17 when I first
Met him at a bus station in Chicago. It was
There and then that he lied to me, and I
Became the victim of a con artist with
$10 less in my pockets.
I must say that there was a much bigger loss
Than $10 that took place in my heart that day.
However, without intention, Mr. Disappointment
Also taught me a very valuable lifelong lesson.
Had I never met him, I would not be as aware
Of deception and far less decerning of people.
We cannot always stay 'on point', because we
Live in an imperfect world filled with the likes
Of Mr. Disappointment.
There is no life without Mr. Disappointment.
However, we must not be bullied by him. He
Was designed to challenge us, and if possible,
Cause us to fail. Notwithstanding, we were
Designed by God to stand up and face him
'Head on' in order to succeed and excel.
Response to Mexican poet /writer, Octavio Paz
There is not
A single soul among the trees
And I
Don't know where I've gone.
Where he sought to walk
neither foot fully stepped
more than anemically …
when time tripped
him over this reveal
his heart sought a
numbness his
light would not
accept -
dimness changed his depth
'Bitter beggar woman'- that's your version of who I am?
I who nurture your children a decade, almost a score
Contorting my body to an unwanted twenty pounds more,
Cursing my fate for the diligent years of labour.
Looking back now with nothing left to savour
While you hang out with the guys, recreating your youth
While you salivate over the neighbour
in her long-legged stiletto shoes,
While you ‘make love' to me --
infrequently and out of duty --
am I not entitled to an ounce of your charity?
If I am a bitter beggar woman,
have you not seen me beg for your time?
I have no pension or bounties for my golden years;
All I have are my still-fresh tears.
I beg to be free
But freedom isn't even mine.
I am married- a curse I must bear
Like a crown of thorns on my head, my fate I wear.
There is no place left to hide.
I must embrace the void.
My dog and I sit in the sun,
A nice warm feeling just begun.
Sitting, feeling quite content,
Relaxing time for us is meant.
Then dimness, cold, as clouds come over,
Disappointed, there we wait.
We were happy, bathed in calm.
Now we’re feeling “What’s gone wrong?”
We’ll go inside. The day goes on
But that most pleasant part is done.
So, for all my bigger brain,
Important things are just the same.
I can see the waters
but they are beyond my grasp
the trees are getting skinnier
their leaves have turned blood red
a reflection of my disappointment
in the far distance I see healthy verdant pines
they are the right size, not distorted like my trees
there is no water here, no faith, no hope
the earth is cracked, barren, desolate,
a reflection of my disappointment
I looked up to them as ideals
But they put me through ordeals
Of compassion, of respect, of kindness—
The people I envisioned were too unreal.
Strangled and throttled by the vines
How could I forget to read the signs
Of beauty, of hope, of fairness—
The life I strived for was too unreal.
Unnoticed, I'm fading away
So tired now, I don't want to stay
Of serenity, of tranquility, of happiness—
The world I dreamed of was too unreal.
I had to let someone know
But you had to deliver the final blow
Of love, of empathy, of humility—
The concept of you in my mind was too unreal.
I'm scared to disappear
without leaving a
single trace behind.
Scared that everything
I've done will turn
to ashes.
Scared to be
forgotten
when I'm gone.
For every step
I take
to vanish just
like that—
No matter
how many
I leave behind.
We all know the boy who cried wolf
But has anyone ever felt like him
Without meaning to
You say you’re gonna change
You say you’re gonna do things differently
But no matter what
It always comes back to you being the same
You help people thrive
You love to see others thrive as much as yourself
But when someone you really love and care about tells you to change
Or get your life together
You agree
But you never agreed
Only agreed to saying the things they wanna hear
You only agreed to change for the moment
You’ve had you shot
You’ve been given opportunities
Yet it takes you to lose it all to see you’re mistakes
Now she’s gone
Left you stuck with your thoughts
Thoughts that once were suppressed
And now they’re shouting
Screaming
Telling you what you should’ve done
Telling you where you messed up
Telling you how you could’ve saved this
Now you’re stuck
With your own thought and sorrows
All the solutions to resolve this
This time you did change
But now it’s too late
Cuz no one believes the boy who cried wolf changed either
It was the least he could do.
And still that seemed excessive.
Decided I could live without his crumbs.
AP: 3rd place 2026
disappointments
hurt the soul
with the most
resounding consistency.
For me, it was my father’s
little broken promises
that crack on pavement
like little glass figurines
that no one can hear, but me.
How, at almost 40,
when I should feel objectively
and not subjectively
like a child, during
our short conversations
do I revert to
a disappointed
twelve-year-old
in her mom’s
Mickey Mouse
maternity tee shirt
asking her dad
to come play outside
because her sisters
are younger, and of course
annoying.
I’m writing this at 6:40
in the morning.
My husband is strutting
around the kitchen,
purposefully,
making 8 o’clock coffee,
with the pour over
in his blindingly hideous
red Bills sweatshirt.
“Now that is a laugh
I love. Wait a minute,
are you poking fun
at me in this one?”
“No….”
“Let’s go back to Lake Lure
this summer.”
Disappointment
can turn into frustration
if you let it.
But in reality,
disappointment
is nothing more than
a temporary delay,
a distraction.
So get up,
stand up and get
motivated.
Don't get depressed.
you are highly blessed.
This is just a bump
in the road.
Disappointment
can turn into dissatisfaction
if you let it.
But in reality,
disappointment
is nothing more than
an educational tool.
There is a lesson to be
learned.
So don't get put off,
get back on course.
Focus on your dreams.
Disappointment
can turn into disenchantment
if you let it.
But in reality,
disappointment
is only a temporary delay.
Better times are coming,
there's a light at the end
of every tunnel.
Don't let
disappointment
control you.
I stared at my adults
what else were they going to pull on me?
Mom is leaving.
I am staying with dad.
Mom is taking the dog.
My only friend?
I stare at them
My thoughts are incredulous
I thought we were a happy family
Mom is moving in with Larry?
Charlotte is moving in here with her cat?
I hate cats.
I continue to stare
hiding my disappointment
the entire thing seems implausible
and stupid
And these are my parents?
Connection misfired not quite there.
Wanting actions to speak louder than words.
I expected more from you.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
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