Second Prize Peter Sears Poetry 2023-2024
Julian Zeigler – Second Prize
4 AM
Sable blue
paints over the sky layer by layer
imperceptible until undeniable.
My head rests against the passenger door,
truck vibrating alive.
I watch the lights on the wind turbines as we pass.
A sea of red flickering slow,
blinking in multitudes.
We have fallen out of the world.
Radio notes hum in softly,
static warmth, while
the hills open
like alien life.
The sun is rolling closer under the Earth–
but for now
deep blue and vivid red thrive,
and grass sways in the headlights.
Sleep exchanged for this shifting landscape
breathing in isolation.
