McMaster Alumni Poetry Contest 2021 Winner

Rashna Wadia

On the Cusp of Spring

with waterfall spray

she dampens the prickly straw

buried beneath the ice

of yesterday;

unveils the ground, shamrock

green

after the last patch of snow

recedes

into the cycle of dying,

feeding

the breathing

beneath the earth, inside

the mulch

of cracked foliage

that once hung from the maple,

a delicate crimson

before surrender

& metamorphose;

with mist & warm breath

she gives us winter’s eulogy

& wakens

the worms from sleep;

they are hungry just like us,

open mouthed newborns

molting, inching upward

towards the sun, ready —

for the dandelions to burst

…

Thank you to our judges:
Ross Belot
Richard Carter
Haider Khan