Mary’s poem “Eternal” wins honorable mention and will be published in an international book titled Poems of a Modern Day Architect:
Awake too early again close eyes.
Churn the List in front of sunrise.
Label sensations Mind on Breath.
Thank cool belly where hands rest.
Grind and press organic brew.
Scroll Instagram count followers too.
Greet animals stroke and feed.
Salute the sun run the streets.
Check email, calendar, weather.
Stroll to work dog in tether.
Nod to in-house creative staff.
Shuffle stacks piled unable to draft.
Regard old friends curve triangle template.
Call in tight actions -it’s concrete pouring date!
Slip off uncomfortable stylish shoes.
Resume broadcast of daily dos.
I can still remember layers of yellow trace torn along the edge of the scale.
Rip! pierced the silence as each idea dissolved,
Black Prismacolor bubbles, tooling layer upon layer of hand musings.
This was the time when work filled my bones and breath as
Eraser shavings filled the scroll bar mounted to the bottom of the table –
The failings and evolutions of concept angst, ruts, slumps.
Salvation in Funk Soul Blues, a talk-walk alone, beloved coffee always coffee,
And most reliably just Stopping.
Congregate with co-workers prioritize tasks.
Grapple friction when words abrade the asked
Surrender magnetic grip of Chief Big Screen.
Bolt out late wrong jobsite shoes again.
Chuckle with guys wearing belted tools.
Annotate with button downs following rules..
Capitulate with guys who sign the checks.
Pursue the dream if the budget’s wrecked.
Flex as needed -errors omissions don’t lapse.
Reclaim first thoughts prevent collapse.
Hold the Vision, remember the job.
Shift. Let Go. Toggle and bob.
They used to think our drawings were bibles,
Perfect unchanging mandates from a holy author, all truths aligned,
But I say our plans guide us to the starting line.
Deeper Looking resulting in Betterment and so –
When sunrise spills on your back at coffee’s first sip,
When roof shapes shelter the inner court from coastal breezes,
When enclosure extols simple patterns of living,
When trees endure in their birthplace and underground courses flow unhindered,
When all elements remaining and brought here connect to Place,
Then I, beleaguered, gleaming, persistent, did a day’s work knowing
Design does not end.