Poetry contest winners to read at Liberty Theatre
Pulitzer Prize winner
will headline the event
BY M.J. CODY
Friday will be a big night at the Lib-
erty Theatre for poets Elisa Carlsen, Emily
Ransdell and Rocky Rub, as they share the
stage with Pulitzer Prize winner
Jericho Brown.
The three were winners of The Writ-
er’s Guild of Astoria poetry contest, writ-
ing on the theme of “Tradition,” inspired
by Brown’s poetry collection of the same
name. Contestants submitted their poems
in separate categories that included college,
community and high school.
‘traditions, curses’ by Rocky
Rub
seasonal changes mark a timeless tradition,
mimicking patterns of the sun and moon,
retrospection, juncture,
reliving a timeless tale.
annually depleting the color of my skin,
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veins that begin to look like tattoos,
or even marks from a highlighter to highlight
the lack of energy I somehow run on,
my mind and body now an avalanche, in-
stinctively fi zzling out greatly, dramatically.
until there’s nothing.
this, the fi rst tradition I’ve made for myself.
such as the leaves of trees diminish and grow,
my personal meets these demands.
almost like an off ering to the universe.
paying my respects to mother nature may
mean giving up the strength I start to build
in May.
letting the guard down that once honorably
protected my castle from depression.
seasonal depression
SAD
Rocky Rub is the winner of the high school
Writer’s Guild of Astoria poetry contest.
it’s funny when traditions look nothing like
when you were a kid.
immortal words.
it’s funny when traditions no longer invoke
the excitement of seeing grandma at Christ-
mas,
how petrifi ed wood tells a story,
it’s funny when traditions become dreading
seeing grandma at Christmas,
similar would be my body mummifi ed,
valuable to the looker,
it’s funny when traditions become curses.
wrapped with the words left unsaid and the
words said to kill me.
how silly it is to curse yourself.
I have the same name as my father,
creating your own traditions
and two generations of fathers before him,
creating your own curses
tradition is kept with my namesake,
to live is to carry an antique, to die is to break
it.
Brown will sign books after the event.
how the word “fuck” is supposed to be a
“curse” word but when i yell “fuck” all i can
think is thank god curse words exist.
Tickets range from $10 to $65.
I guess that’s what this all is,
a ticking time bomb, unknown is my demise,
Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required.
words,
but for the sake of tradition,
libertyastoria.org/
mummifi ed words meant to be heard forever,
I beg to live.
‘An Evening with Jericho Brown’
Friday at 7 p.m.
Liberty Theatre
1203 Commercial St. in Astoria
Doors open at 6 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception.
Jericho Brown will
perform a live poetry
reading at the Liberty
Theatre in Astoria
Friday night.
fantasizing of splendor in the great beyond,
MORE THAN YOU IMAGINED
3D Theater • Museum Store • Model Boat Pond
OPEN DAILY 9:30 TO 5:00 • 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR
503.325.2323 • www.crmm.org
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