2024 Nature & Place WINNER: “Sometimes—there’s God—so quickly.” by Zachary Scalzo
It’s time to congratulate the WINNER of the Frontier Poetry 2024 Nature & Place Contest, Zachary Scalzo. Their gripping poem, “Sometimes—there’s God—so quickly.” was selected by our judge, Flower Conroy. Here’s what Conroy has to say about the winning poem:
“Clear and tender, perceptive as it is receptive, this poem abridges what is place and what is nature. Juxtaposition, imagery and sonic webbings ripple down toward an ending that gestures back at its beginning—the ear becomes not only organ for listening but an intimacy of touch. In fact, the poem unfolds through its transformations—the cicadas as boxes of chiclets, pinecones as blackberries, a man transferring the speaker’s ring onto his own finger—all of which are heightened through the possibility of a quick appearing God.”
Bask in their poem below.
“Sometimes—there’s God—so quickly.”
after Tennessee Williams
The cicadas rattle like boxes
of chiclets in the tops of the
bark-nuded trees. A grasshopper
presses its lips to the crosswalk.
It takes the crossing in one.
The pinecones fall in the run-off
from the café on the corner.
They plump to overripe blackberries
in the fists of a raccoon nearby.
A sparrow walks into the 7-11
and the man in front of her
orders two Buffalo Chicken Taquitos™.
In Chicago, the coyotes look both ways
before crossing the street. Their tin-foil
teeth get as far as the L. A man takes
a ring from my hand and tries it on
his. His pointer finger blushes
as it presses the lobes of my ears.
Zachary Scalzo
Zachary Scalzo (he/they) is a queer writer, translator, and theatremaker. They can be found at azachofalltrades.com and on Instagram at @zjscalzo. His poetry has appeared in journals including Dear Poetry, Ghost City Review, and &Change.
