This month another Moon Prize, the 131^st, goes to Shaun R. Pankoski's tender poem "But My Heart Still Held A Sadness."

But My Heart Still Held A Sadness

by Shaun R. Pankoski


I felt like a little mountain goat
that day we hiked Maroon Bells.
Nothing could stop me
as I scampered here and there 
along the trail,
breathing alpine-flowered air.
It was crisp. It was perfect.
I felt invincible and young.
Great grey boulders, 
veined in white, rose up 
from churning water, 
and I danced upon them,
my face a tiny flower,
seeking your sun.  


* * * * *   

Shaun R. Pankoski (she/her) is a poet most recently from Volcano, Hawaii. A retired county worker and two time breast cancer survivor, she has lived on both coasts as well as the Midwest as an artist’s model, modern dancer, massage therapist and honorably discharged Air Force veteran. Her poems have appeared in several literary journals and blogs including Verse Virtual, ONE ART, Poetry Breakfast and Sheila-na-Gig.