Winners: July Poetry Contest

The Chattanooga Writers’ Guild is excited to announce the winners of the July Poetry Contest. This month’s theme was “Invisible/Invisibility.” The First-Place prize goes to Sherry Poff with the submission “Crows.” Honors for second place go to Ray Zimmerman for his entry “Moon in Hiding.” Thanks to all who participated and special thanks to our talented Poetry Judge, Cynthia Young!

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First Place: Sherry Poff

Crows

On hillsides of my youth, they called
from the woods, harbingers of doom
according to some, out of sight among
the green of surrounding oak and pine. 

In a country cemetery, I wandered
among headstones of neighbors, pondered
the brevity of life with raucous cries
sounding in my ears. 

Down the years, the crows have followed,
announcing their presence from field
and forest, familiar companions
on this ever-shortening trail.

Now they sit down boldly in my back yard,
five or six at a time, taking counsel,
I think, planning my introduction
to the unseen guide of life’s home stretch.

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Sherry Poff grew up in the hills of West Virginia. She now lives and writes in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Sherry holds an MA in Writing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is a member of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild and Poetry Society of Tennessee. Her stories and poems have appeared in Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Artemis, Salvation South, and elsewhere.

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Second Place: Ray Zimmerman

Moon in Hiding

The evening air has gone
From hot to warm
With a chance
Of cool by morning.

If the night were clear
A waxing crescent moon
Would grace the evening sky.

But it is covered with
Thick viscous clouds.
No stars or moon will
Peek through to
Brighten my evening.

This is a night
For thunderclaps
And lightning bolts.

Distant ancestors
Might have offered
Prayers to a thunder god.

I offer silence
And a listening ear.

Tomorrow will bring
More rain

With a small chance
Of birdsong.

The rain will not be enough
To flood the highways
Or my workplace.

The beauty of clouds
Reaches out to my soul
As a chariot
Rumbles across the sky.

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I live to write in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I also work in tourism. I have published my work in online and print newspapers. My poetry and/or prose appeared in Number One (Volunteer State Community College), the Mildred Haun Review, The Avocet, The Walnut Branch, and Substack.

The Monthly Contests rotate through a pattern of Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction throughout the year, with a new theme each month. Go to the 2026 Monthly Contest Series Info page to view the genre and theme for each month.

This contest is free to enter for members of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild. To become a member, click HERE