Top 25 Results (Member Poems)

Alaska Sitka Sunset

As I near the stratosphere, I let loose
an untamed, raw rainbow

I pull on the tattered, worn ropes
of my hand-sewn hot-air balloon across
the hidden boreal quarry hill in the north

they rose above the nose
of a furious focus bear
and whack the back legs
of a swift white-tailed deer

on the tips of their fingers
they follow the wave's crest
gliding across the shimmering bay
toward the murky, muddy waterfall

I reach out from the wicker basket
to feel the wings of the migrating seagulls that fly south

I imitate their husky honking
before fading like a dandelion
awe-inspiring Sitka Alaska Sunset

I secure my spaceship to a sturdy sprout
relax on the radiant crimson ratoon

I mumble to the gray owl
"Who huh huh?" said the deep dock
spinning, spinning, swirling

the wind whirled the canopy away
as the scarlet sunset slackens into the starry sky

I let go of my bulky loads and flew into the stratosphere
without regard for any impediments
any concerns are left behind

above the clouds, I set sail

Written: May 20, 2023