One glance is enough
stranger summed with a side glance,
a total write-off—
before the case is opened
judge rejects the evidence.
A still life, unclaimed
canvas without signature
likeness left unseen—
what does not count slips away
in the glance we never gave.
Early verdict's in
worth already written down
sum of worthless parts—
guilty as charged, at first sight—
stranger, totaled, towed away.
I sit enthralled,
on mesh bench,
honeycomb pattern,
close of afternoon,
jaw-dropping stretch ,
cars drift by,
cordial wave,
from otherworldly,
enigmatic stranger,
whose astral path,
I may have crossed,
in urban flyby,
face to face,
amidst sojourn littered,
with ethereal clouds,
glowing chatters,
sunny disposition,
from affable dwellers,
gladsome day experience,
now whither that,
mystery figure
We know the heart of the stranger
for 190 years, slaves unto Pharaoh in Egypt
backbreaking labor, spirit-sapping, 24/7
Within us beat loud the heart of the stranger
We take him with us, for all time, to the farthest reaches of the globe
a sacred bond between us and the Almighty
As He protects the stranger, so do we
As He promotes him, so must we
For what does God ask of us other than
to emulate Him
to walk in His ways
to do justice
___________________________________________________
Based on Deuteronomy, Chapter 26, esp. v. 11,
read in synagogues throughout the world Sat-
urday morning, August 29, 2026. The poem also
references other Biblical chapters as well as com-
mentaries thereto. ~ gw
To have and to hold
To yearn but never demand
A heart left waiting
Love is a stranger,
I often knock on her door.
I leave bits of roses that linger
And wilt with the ones before.
Today I’ve placed a new rose
It looked back at me weeping
I pull away and feel the dread again start creeping.
A feeling you can’t put into prose.
I want to be enough for her
My fist pounds against glass,
My mind caves under all the pressure
I just need this to pass.
I sit, I pace, I beg her to let me in
Love draws the blinds
And leaves me with the sin.
Because the sin binds
And tethers me to another,
Thoughts of pulling away leads me to shutter.
Yet I pull the string of fate taut,
It starts to fray
Obsession plagues my thought
And forgets to obey
When I hear her laughter,
Deep from within
I know that what comes after
Leaves my heart singed.
Two quacks walking side by side
one looking one way, the other the other
disturbingly similar, they could be one
and never the twain shall meet...
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
evil stranger carrying axe stands in the hall
I swear to the elements I shall not fall
hearing no other noises until a bouncing ball
that is rolling down the stairs; I think of small Paul
Is he hiding in place? I dare not yell or call.
Under the door I see a dark shadow, not small
My nerves are frayed raw as I think of wee Paul
I pray that he has found a place to hide in the wall
I hear a cough and I know it is the man in the hall
The smack of the axe causes a crack in my wall
He’s coming for me, he is brazen with gall
I am no longer worried about little small Paul
I know she loves me, she just won't show it to the world
Neither rich nor handsome nor skilled,
I am to be kept a secret from her Instagram friends
I am a placeholder till she finds an internet-worthy boyfriend
A guy to show off to all her friends,
To meet her parents.
I have enough self-worth to leave her,
But I don't know if I have the strength to actually do it
It feels like we're strangers, Selene
Strangers in love with what we hope the other could be.
Homeless
A hand reached out
And said, Hello
Startled was I
On the pavement.
Looking up
Through the sun’s morning glare
The outline of a silhouette
I now saw standing there.
Hello, it said so firm and clear.
I wasn’t sure what this meant
For so long the world had passed me by
Invisible to my stance.
So now I grappled
With the moment
Unable to comprehend
Hello, it said, this voice again.
Neither, could I
Smile or respond
I knew no longer how
For so many years had gone without.
Good morning to you
I hope you are well.
And the shadow passed on by.
My gaze long followed
And stunned was I.
Soon a feeling – oh, so foreign
Came into to me like a rush.
A trinkle of a rivulet
Filled my heart with warmth and hope
For a humanity long forgotten.
the cat walked by
it didn't care for
my hand
YOU CAN BECOME A STRANGER TO YOURSELF, CHANGING WHO YOU GENUINELY ARE THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, JUST TO GAIN ACCEPTANCE FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T EVEN FOUND THEMSELVES.
(JUST MY THOUGHTS)
You’re gazing at me,
expecting something I won’t give.
Because I’d rather be,
with anyone else,
than be with you.
Truthfully, I’m never actually
doing what I say I am.
I make up invisible boxes to be
checked with even more
translucent marks,
all to evade your presence.
For all you have said, done,
and driven me to do,
and for all the parts of me you have attacked
I don’t think you actually want me.
I think you’d rather be,
with me when I’m dancing with
a stranger.
Polite, distant, friendly, but never too friendly.
Does this mean,
you want to be a stranger to me?
Don’t want to know all my secrets, plights, fears, aspirations?
You want a filter for roaring waterfall,
but, unfortunately, you’ve bitten the apple,
and already know,
all you hate about me.
But, if you ask me, most apples taste
rather nice.
nothing is added or subtracted;
what you get is what you get,
Tranquil was my life until the day
he glanced at me and we both stood still
Eyes locked senses stirred
as if they were pebbles being thrown
sending ripples across the surface of my soul.
Since that intimate gaze,
I've not been able to forget the moment
a stranger's nod had caressed me.
His smile held me a willing captive
as firmly as if he'd cupped my face
with the alluring warmth of his hands.
In a fleeting moment, we touched.
Not physically, but an emotional wave.
The kind that comes crashing from the sea
and takes your feet from under you,
leaving you lying on the sand,
drenched, out of breath...
laughing, and not giving a damn.
The intensity of his look
left me hoping such a wave
would wash over me once again
This time I wouldn't turn and walk away.
Dear stranger behind the glass
Why do you stand there and watch time pass?
I see you when day breaks and night falls
I see your shadow when I pass you in the hall
You look right at me as we suffocate in silence
I came here in search of guidance
Why do you look away when I come near?
Why do you cry when I shed a tear?
You say hurtful words
But what I say is worse
Why do you ask me why you hate yourself?
Tell me if you wish to be somebody else
You look at me with sad eyes that never change
I always make you feel ashamed
Why do we hurt each other again and again?
I thought we were supposed to be the best of friends
Dear stranger looking in
When you're fighting with yourself you can never win
When did I start believing in reincarnation?
When it was presented to me in fiction.
Truth is reality itself is stranger than fiction.
Atoms are only a made-concrete projection.
When did I come to reach this conclusion?
When I finally see we co-create the simulation.
All is light and sound, all of it is an illusion.
"Illu" as in illuminated, "sion," as in confusion.
We're all victims of our own subtle delusion
That we are less than God's ultimate fusion.
When we realize we are one, we'll reach union.
We'll see God is all of us if we just look within.
We exist eternally, always worthy of affection,
But at times we must earn through reflection.
So when did I start believing in reincarnation?
When I seen cycles of time through divination.
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