November 16th, 2025
Winner: Weekly Poems Contest #20
by Addison Richards
Wind howls through clattering bells,
over boat masts on closeted yachts and sailboats.
The Olympics are dressed in a fresh blanket of snow.
The beach is clear of children, laughter, and bonfires.
It's quiet and still – only seashells, driftwood, and sand.
Long gray beard fishermen drink Folger's crystals in an old Studebaker.
The salt spray has clung to the side of the truck and rusted away the edges,
fusing the blue and brown.
The scent of woodstove chestnut fire drifts down from the hill.
Seagulls dance like roman candles over whitecaps,
diving for sardine flotsam.
Autumn is here. Sea lions call, birds cry, echoing off the evergreens.
A color scope of blood orange, balloon red, sandalwood, and school bus yellow.
The light shines over the city, mountains clear and stark.
Through grief, struggle, laughter, and hope.
The dark is coming, Nature doesn't care.
Wind is new, sun is new, waves are new, love is new.
The natural world is bright, alive, and turning.
No matter the music people play,
she keeps dancing.
Note: The Olympics are a mountain range in Washington state, USA.
Biography of the Poet
Addison was raised as a hippie in a leaky log cabin in Oregon.
His work represents the misfits, characters, and loners of the Pacific Northwest.
He performs his work at spoken word venues throughout the Northwest.
He can be found in the historic fishing village of Ballard in Sealttle, Washington, United States.
Keywords: seasons changing
Previously Published in Weekly Poems:
"Return With the Tide" by Theresa Shaw
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