WCCOA Announces 2023 Poetry Contest Winners
The Wood County Committee on Aging (WCCOA) would like to announce the winner for the 18th Annual Poetry Contest. Submissions were accepted from Wood County residents 50 years of age and over, with a theme of “Loss and Gain”. A total of 31 poems from 21 authors were submitted, and a BGSU writing professor read the poems and selected a winner and an honorable mention.
Karen Wood from Bowling Green received first place with her poem entitled “Manual for Life” winning a $100.00 gift card sponsored by Bowling Green Manor.
Karen has only written two poems, and has not previously entered the WCCOA poetry contest. The other poem she wrote was for a contest in Toledo. Her other poem focused on the importance of community gardens in urban settings. She wrote her poem specifically for the poetry contest, wishing to convey the loss and gain playbook of our lives. When speaking about winning the contest, Karen said, “This is only the second poem I have ever written. The first one is etched in the cement in a park.” Who knew this one would be a winner too.”
Honorable Mention was awarded to Scott Regan with the poem “An Ode to Sacandaga”. Congratulations to Karen and Scott and thank you to everyone that participated in this year’s contest. We received many fantastic entries and look forward to more next year.
A note from our judge, a BGSU Writing Professor on the winning poem:
1st Place: “Manual for Life”
As its title portends, the winning poem reads as lyric instructions for operating one’s life. Through cascading indented lines reflecting the outward-to-inward shift in perspective that accompanies aging, the poem imparts much insight to the reader: the wisdom each of us might have benefitted from sooner; the revelations that come to those fortunate enough to see their life span beyond middle-age; and essential directives for navigating the inescapable losses accompanying life’s gains.
Winning Poem for 2023
Manual For Life
Karen Wood, Bowling Green, Ohio
When You’re Young, No One Tells You To
Start a 401(k) ASAP, or
Major in something you love, or
Not hold grudges or make enemies, or
Say I Love You to your grandparents twice a day, or
Always have 5 bucks in your pocket for the unhoused guy, or
Know the good life is not a boat or diamond ring or Gucci.
And When You’re Old, You Figure Out That
AARP magazine is going to come on your 50th birthday, and
The first thing you do each day is read the obituaries, and
Time goes really, really fast and there is no slowing it down, and
Losing friends and loved ones never, ever gets any easier, and
The young do not want to hear that you walked uphill in the snow to school, and
Doctor appointments take up more and more space in your daily calendar.
If only we were issued instructions at birth that told us
Be Bold
Love Fiercely
Stay Strong
And that even though we might lose our friends and loved ones and money and
maybe our minds and eventually our very lives,
If we do it right, and with a lot of luck, and a little help from our friends,
We may have everything we need. And that’s all that matters in the end.
Honorable Mention
An Ode to Sacandaga
Scott Regan from Bowling Green, Ohio
A hairpin turn off the lumber trucking highway leads down a magic trail.
Past becomes present as cabins compete with forest and granites along the shore.
Campers mingle with residents: chipmunks and squirrels, eagles and loons.
Morning mist rises over the ever-peaceful lake.
A paddleboarder and a family of ducklings sail by in silence.
Morning sun brings walkers and joggers battling the gnats that surround the fields.
Laundry chores compete with unread chapters to engulf the morning hours
until, slowly, inflatable dolphins carry towels and treats to the beach.
Children rediscover the joy of wet toes in the sand, rebuilding castles of their dreams.
Grown ups, armed with fly swatters, lose themselves in racy novels, and with the endless task of solving the mysteries of the world.
Evening falls early in the mountains and wine, food, and flashlight-tag frame the day.
But the new day will no longer dawn.
Let the school bell toll one last time.
Sacandaga summers have passed but the memories remain.
Loss and Gain
Lisa C. Chavers
Envision a life with no
losses and gains.
What
would become of our celebrations, deep griefs, and pains?
What
if we could obliterate perpetual losses or endless gains?
Our
existence might be imbalanced, or, some might say, “insane.”
Together
they make us stronger, and shift our perspectives for sure.
Both
may cause us to pray and ask the Lord for grace to endure.
Losses
could cultivate a spirit of patience, deep within our souls.
Gains
can create a spirit of gratitude that may never grow old.
Losses
and gains flavor our lives, and stretch our human souls.
And
prompt us to set balanced, tenacious, and flexible goals.
A
life without losses or gains is, quite frankly, unrealistic.
These
two elements help produce a journey that is wholistic.
Gain and Loss
Tessa
Sworden
With age There is growth.
We All have experienced pain
And Loss.
But; yet; we have gained the
Ability to Fully experience
Joy; Love; Friendship.
Good Health is our Friend.
Moreso when we survive illness.
So; my Fellow Life Travelers
Embrace sorrow and Loss.
For with it comes Joy and Full
Appreciation of our Families and
Friends still with us.
Exude the pure exileration of
Being Alive and well. We are
All aware of how This Life ends so;
Experience Loss and Gain as
Friends
As Fellow Travelers in our Journey.
Rejoice!
My spirit says,
This is My Life; My Time.
FINALLY, FREEDOM
Donald F.
Czerniak
From the day I was born,
Someone has been giving
me orders:
My parents, priests,
nuns, and teachers.
Then it was the Air Force
for four years.
Afterwards, the tech
school instructors,
And finally from
management where I worked.
I married at forty-six
and stayed married,
Until my wife passed away
after I retired.
For the first time in my
life I lived alone,
Without taking orders off
anyone.
It was great after being
ordered around
After seventy-two years
of being
Browbeaten into
submission.
So I finally got freedom
as an elderly man.
It is wonderful and
beautiful, too.
NEW
FRIENDS
Donald F.
Czerniak
After my wife passed
away,
For a while I felt so
alone,
But gradually I made
New friends who filled
The void of emptiness.
Now I am no longer alone,
Seeing my friends and
talking
To them quite often,
Good for my mental
health.
Untitled
Pattie
Brown
The innocence I once knew
has been replaced with
resilience.
I believe change is
coming.
I now see a brighter
future.
Judgement will be
replaced
with tolerance and
objectivity.
Kindness will become
contagious.
Faith will strengthen our
trust
and confidence.
Hope will make things
happen.
Love will be the glue
that
endures and unites us
all.
Untitled
Pattie
Brown
Aging is not for sissies
We only lose when we
cling to the past.
Pain is unavoidable,
suffering is optional.
We deserve our own love
and affection.
Shaping our thoughts
with compassion and
forgiveness will brighten
our path.
Untitled
Marshall
J. Ducat
HARSH ARE THE COLD WINDS
OF DECEMBER
TO THEM I SURRENDER!
MY SONS MY SONS
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER!
Ode to Decomposers
Lee
Meserve
Even when they’ve
died and they’ve fallen down
And they’re layin’
there on the brown cold ground
Dead trees still
have a function I suppose
‘Cause decomposers
gotta have sumthinta decompose.
Fungi and mosses
and ferns and vines
Semi-botanical
things of many kinds
Depend on those
dead trees I suppose
Because
decomposers gotta have sumthinta …
(wait for it) …..
DE … COM … POSE!!
IT’S ONLY A NUMBER
Lee
Meserve
When young I
thought one was old at eighty.
As I approach that
number the years aren’t that weighty.
I still walk a lot
To minimize brain
rot
And enjoy days
with my 55 year matey.
Since retiring
Marge and I have travelled lots.
Out west and
European spots.
A Seine riverboat
cruise
Was the first
Marge did choose,
And we stay
flexible by doing some squats!!
In the words of my
sainted mother
“Keep putting one
foot in front of the other!”
Enjoy every day
With some work and
some play,
And something new
try to discover.
So remember IT’S
ONLY A NUMBER!
Do something new,
learn how to rumba!
Enjoy all your
days
In old and new
ways,
And don’t let that
number your joy of life encumber!
Camera
Happiness
Barbara
Gould
There once was a
Puffin
Who sat on a hill
But for me to
shoot
He had to stay
still
There was a
twinkle in his eye
As people admired
this quiet guy
It seemed to pose,
so time to try
Till a glistening
fish swam by
Flew off for lunch
with no good-by
But always the
Puffin will be
there in my minds
eye
The
Cost of Loss
Frank W.
Day
What is the cost
of loss so black?
When the days seem
dark not shining.
Where the parks
and fun and sun now slack.
The sparkle gone,
the laughter not driving.
When does the sun
rise again in the east?
When do the stars
and moon return to the sky?
Where does the
pain come from? The beast!
Eyes red, body
sapped, hurtful cry.
Time passes and I
laughed today inside.
I walked the
morning forest glen.
The bed now slept
in dreams a better ride.
Is this a glimmer
of hopeful when?
Now I think of
good things time past.
The bad recedes
from last year’s river course.
Yet loss rebounds
but less a blast.
The sun shines
more, the moon and stars now a force.
The
Songs Became Silent
Frank W.
Day
The songs became
silent.
With time I heard
them once again.
My
Time
Carol
Kinsey
It’s time
There were other
times it was time
Marry, leave the
religion of my youth, have babies, move to new places, move to new thinking,
find others to
seek with, cut a path to better
Life holds us in
its grip along the way, not clear in the moment where going
But time tells
It really does
Has brought more
and more clarity
The delights, the
losses,
the questionable
decisions, the absolutely unquestionable decisions
All woven into my
story
It’s the right
time to take it all in and say
Here it is – full,
flawed, fabulous, mine
It’s been about
time for awhile.
Fog
Days
Betty
Winslow
Grief, like fog, wraps
round my heart
And make it hard for me
to see
Or safely walk.
Take my hand, O Lord!
Lead me through the
densely opaque clouds
That fill my days
And chill and dampen me
Clear to the bone.
Cling to me, O Lord,
For my numb fingers
Cannot tell
Whether You are there or
I’m alone.
Don’t let me go or I will
wander
Too near the abyss that
yawns
Below my grief and waits
for me.
You are my hope.
Eventually we will find
The light of day,
But don’t let go, O Lord.
Don’t let me walk alone.
The
Captain Sails with Me
Betty
Winslow
My timber’s weak, yet I
do not fear,
For the Captain sails
with me,
And we will weather any
storm
Over any kind of sea.
So, when circumstances
darken
And begin to overwhelm,
I just hold onto the fact
That it is Jesus at the
helm.
Though I sometimes long
for harbor
When I hear the snapping
sail,
And mt decks and masts
cry protest
As they battle through
the gale,
My heart rests in the
knowledge
That soon the storm will
cease
And the winds will die
(and so will I)
And my ship will dock in
peace.
GOLDEN
YEARS
Shirley
M. Kingsley
We
may have aches and pains
Yet
all our years are golden
Still
it seems it is our bladders we are a hold’en
We
may walk slow take our time
Got
there faster in our prime
Arrive
at our destinations so very proud
May
be the last one there but still welcomed by the crowd
We
may say what more often to our peers
They
understand because they also have bad ears
We
laugh more often this is true
Keep
others laughing whatever you do
Our
journey has been long still more ahead
Enjoy
each day and keep taking your meds
WHERE
DID THE YEARS GO
Shirley
M. Kingsley
When
we are born
We’re
very small you know
Then
before long
We
began to grow
Childhood
moves
Kind
of slow
If
we could look ahead
We
wouldn’t think so
You
turn sixteen
Learn
how to drive
Wow
you feel
Like
you’re really alive
The
next thing
You’re
a big twentyone
We
are adults now
We
can have lots of fun
Where
did thirty years go
It
went so very fast
It’s
behind us now
I
knew it wouldn’t last
Forty
and Fifty retirement
Is
not far away
No
way can
We
keep it at bay
It’s
not all that
Big
of a deal
As
we soon will be
Getting
Meals on Wheels
Time
is All We Have
Pam Day
Careers close as
offspring fly
Bodies betray and losses
multiply
Death suddenly snatches
away
A child…a spouse…a friend
Terrible losses that gray
hair brings
Alongside solace in newer
things
Yearnings for life to
slow down
Now granted, ahhhhh…just
breathe
Breathe freedom of
spontaneous
Smell-the-roses garden
strolls
Park yourself beside
friends
Share memories, make new
ones
Experience talents
unexplored
Nurture faith…question
everything
Risk it all…for all we
have left is time
WATCH
YOUR STEP!!
Dru
Cunningham
I stand in amazement
When I look around,
Could it be that I’m
standing
Upon holy ground?
Ground that provides both
food and care
For everything living. .
.
If we only will share
But change makes a
difference,
We must decide.
Should we enjoy walking,
Or just step aside?
We live in a place where fine
people abound,
Caring, sharing so much
good to be found!
We must count the cost. .
.
What could be lost?
To think with our heart
Is the best place to
start.
If a change will take
away joy in a life,
Should we be a maker of
loss or strife?
What do we care about. .
.
To give our all?
Should we stand up now
Or just watch the
wrecking ball?
We must think of what’s
best,
The good for all. . .
With eyes wide open,
We must make that call!
The past must be saved,
But we learn more each
day;
We will know our next
step
If we let Love show the
way.
Age
Sharon
Bronsink
In
the quiet of the night
You
said “I’m too old for you”
I
have heard that phrase before
To
me it wasn’t new
To
me you are so special
Age
doesn’t mean a thing
You
still have the gift of eternal youth
With
all the joys it brings
You
always have a cheerful word
A
smile upon your face
A
cloud of joy engulfs you
Your
world is a happy place
The
time we’ve spent upon this earth
Began
the day we met
Everything
before that day
Was
you and not us
If
my age bothers you
Yours
doesn’t bother me
I’m
proud to be with you
For
all the world to see
Mother
Sharon
Bronsink
You
saw to it that we did things right.
Our
values and goals we learned.
Because
you set our sights
In
the right direction early in life.
Now
we are mothers same as you.
Often,
I wonder.
Do
my children feel about me as I do about you?
Your
once golden curls are now a silver crown.
The
years have been kind.
They’ve
not let you down.
Mom,
we all love you.
I
hope that you know.
It’s
just sometimes,
We
forget to tell you
Loss
and Gain
Lisa C. Chavers
Losses
and gains can make us vulnerable in a way.
At
least, that is what ancient and contemporary philosophers say.
Whether
you are un-noticed or notorious:
You
may be vulnerable, yet victorious.
Throughout
the seasons of this experience that we call life,
Personal,
financial, social losses or gains can run rife.
Despite
gains and losses, choose to be content!
‘Cause
they don’t determine what makes you significant!
Significance
is larger than the things we experience.
The
true source of significance is not so mysterious.
Losses
or gains may seem like uninvited trouble.
They
remind us that we don’t live in a bubble.
The
rhythm of life includes losses and gains,
recognition,
rewards, plus struggles and pains.
LOSS:
LEADING TO GAIN
Karen
Witte
Sometimes one person’s
loss is another
person’s gain. In spite of all the sorrow,
suffering and pain.
Losing may seem very hard
in life or in a
game. But if one bears it bravely, he is a
winner just the same.
He will gain persistence,
faith, hope and
Strength, that conquers
fear. He will gain
the will to carry on no
matter what the cost.
These qualities of heart
and mind are never
to be lost. The things we lose seem quite
small, for they are of
the earth. The things
we gain, are priceless
for they are heaven’s
worth.
In
His Hands
Marty
Almanson-Reffner
As
I progress to “sunset years”
And
journey on through life,
I’m
more aware, as time goes on,
That
there’s both joy and strife.
One
can’t assume that every day
Will
be a bed of ease.
We
truly can’t expect that we
Will
get just what we please.
You
may be in a season
Filled
with heartache, loss and grief.
You
may begin to wonder
Will
there ever be relief?
Just
when we think our days are filled
With
sadness, gloom and rain,
The
Lord can turn around our “loss”
And
change it for our “gain.”
So
if we trust our Father
Right
through the ups and downs,
We’ll
find that in the valley
His
awesome love abounds!
My
Child
Robbin
Click
As seasons change, so do
we
Like the leaves that fall
from the autumn trees.
As the sun comes up, it
must go down
It warms us up and cools
us down.
As youth we grow
With that comes knowledge
Of what we know
We have family and
friends
Who come and go
How long they stay
We do not know
We lose patience
We lose sleep
But we have memories
That we can keep
Like grapes, we wrinkle
And age like fine wine
Just as we lose daylight
We also, lose time.
Gain
and Loss
Dorothy Ellis
As life unfolds with
happenings,
Gains and losses we’ll
call them.
Do we gain from loss or
lose from gain?
Only you can answer that
question.
As for me, I’ve gained
from both.
Let me tell you how it
happened
I’ve learned to be
thankful for all that I have,
Not letting my joy to be
dampened.
In the process I’ve
matured in life
accepting each day as it
comes.
Looking for good in
others as well
Keeps negativity on the
run.
Live your life with gain
and loss,
There is no other way.
Yesterday is gone,
tomorrow is not here.
You only have today.
LOSS
AND GAIN
Barbara
Gould
Sitting
on top of the world
and
everything is going fine
When
“plop” a loss drops into our laps
And
suddenly its a downward line
This
can be deterred by us
But
it takes guts and will
Look
at the better side, don’t cuss
Time
to take an attitude pill
That
attitude pill is a smile
Sometimes
its not easy
The
road may seem a mile
The
effort may not seem breezy
Actually
you even gain
friends
who help to ease the pain
Keep
on walking in the rain
The
sun will shine once again
Look
back at what you’ve done
You
may gain, as its just begun
You
can gain joy and peace
Those
hidden songs will release
Songs
of strength and the bad news will cease
Keep
looking and your gain will increase
Infinite
Gain
Martha
“Marty” Hogle
When
I arrived on this earth
Was
my destination determined from birth?
Will
my life be counted a loss or a gain
No
need to achieve great fortune or fame
Only
footsteps to follow in your family name
I
will stay on a pathway of virtue and trust
Choose
good friends not money when I must
Good
friends will be there, in good times or bad
Money
will be gone, with you feeling sad
The
loss of your earnings will be a tough blow
The
loss in the stock market will fall and rise
But
the loss of a friend will break all ties
It
will pain you forever, the hurt will remain
Good
friends you should try hard to sustain
When
you lose your health, for long term or brief
When
good health returns it’s such a relief
When
you lose your keys or a valuable item
They
are only misplaced, no need for nerves to heighten
If
your garden crop is not the best
You
may need more sunshine, rain or rest
When
did you pray last thanking God for all He has given
For
friends and family and all things living
What
a great gain what have I enjoyed most
No
losses I can count, of the gains I’ve had I will boast
Grandma’s
Tears
Martha
“Marty” Hogle
There
is a tear flowing down her wrinkled cheek
It
is staining her face, it’s a heart filled leak
Those
cloudy blue eyes now filled with pain
She
is the “Rock” of our family What caused her such strain
What
caused these precious eyelids to flicker and flow?
Was
it something I did or said, I don’t know.
Or
my unspoken word, or no place to go.
Just
a few minutes of my time would that have been enough?
To
have made her less lonely and her life not so rough
How
much I love her, yes those tears told so much
I
long for her hugs and kisses and her gentle touch
Was
our last conversation filled with anger and remorse?
Was
I thinking of my feeling and plans, of course
The
theft of that visit and our precious time
Was
the theft of the moment and truly a crime?
Can
I ever give back what was wrongfully taken
Can
I now dry those tears or is my heart forever shaken
Will
she be able to forgive my insensitive actions, I hope
Now
I have sustained a great loss and I must cope
Can
I dry her tears with love and kisses
Or
it’s only my time and visits that she really misses
Grandma’s
tears will soon vanish
But
her special love you can not banish
Grandma’s
tears are now in the past
And
her hand was so cold when I held it last
Her
joyfilled eyes were not to be seen
I
waited too long now wasn’t that mean
Such
a great loss what did my absence gain
Precious
moments together all wasted in vain
