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Experience the thrills of the Weekly Poems Contest.
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January 15th, 2026
Vancouver Island Poetry Contest #1 – First Place
by Kohl Lawson
For Vancouver Island
Out past the edge where the seagulls cry,
lies a rugged island kissed by sky –
its spine a line of mountains,
shoulders draped in cloud and cedar,
always wet with yesterday's rain.
The pines grow tall with salted breath,
roots gripping cliffs of volcanic black
while ravens echo through the trees
and rain walks in on the ocean breeze.
The waves arrive like pilgrims –
tired, relentless,
breaking themselves against the same black rock
again and again,
and still returning.
The rain – it drums on cedar skin,
seeps slow and deep and sinks within,
till every stone and fallen pine
is soaked in something near divine.
Mist wraps around the trees
as if trying to remember them,
and the forest listens,
deep and old and quiet,
a cathedral no prayer could fill.
Sunsets come through like ghosts –
a sudden blaze between storms,
bleeding orange and regal
through the cracks in the sky,
then gone.
About the Poet
Kohl Lawson resides in Courtney, British Columbia, Canada.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art Publications on
Kohl Lawson's Artist Page.
This poem is also featured in Poetry World #14, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Keywords: Vancouver Island, island love, awe-inspiring
Previously published in Vancouver Island Poetry Magazine:
Chaos
by Stephen G. Lloyd
Vancouver Island Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
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