Congratulations to the winner of the Abbie Copps Poetry Reading contest, Liberty Tetzlaff!
For winning first place, Liberty received $200. The runner ups, Hanna Sauve and Faith Fowler, both won $100.
Special guests Dennis Hinrichsen, Sarah Carson, and Andrew Collard helped judge the competition. In addition to the contest, all three poets performed as a part of the event.
Read Liberty’s winning poem below.
“Healing Comes in Waves” by Liberty Tetzlaff
They told me grief was like an ocean
I pictured the days I spent at the beach…
The joy from jumping in the waves
Breezy, cleansing, exciting, & inviting
The refreshing water
Blue, calm, clear, & fresh
The relaxing sound
Serene, inspiring, consistent, & faint
Eating the fruit and sandwiches my mom brought in coolers
Blissful, happy, joyful, & relaxing
The games I played with my friends
Friendly, grand, energizing, & boundless
The sunshine on my skin
Dreamy, gentle, peaceful, & constant
I pictured all the things I knew to be true of the ocean
I forgot all the things it also is…
All the things that healing is
The aching of my chest when I felt my heart physically break
Deep, heavy, crashing, & humbling
It’s the nights I spent crying myself to sleep
Consuming, sleepless, restless, & exhausting
The anxiety attacks that I couldn’t control
Shaking, disorienting, unpredictable, & frantic
The constant wondering of why I wasn’t good enough
Unyielding, raging, intense, & confusing
The waiting for them to come back
Aching, crying, distant, & secluded
Trying to figure out how to make it stop
Unconquerable, desperate, vast & endless
I am here in this ocean of grief
The waves constantly hitting me
knocking me down
leaving me unable to come up for air
I’m lost
I’m drowning
I’m sinking
But the water is quiet
the feeling is healing
and hurt is forgiving
Maybe it is true that with the waves comes healing
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