Aptos CA – The Times Publishing Valentines Day Poetry Contest for 2013 was an opportunity to reward our local poets (and their sweethearts). We had so many great poems – the best selection we’ve seen – that Times Publishing has awarded a Grand Prize along with First, Second and Third Place awards for each of our newspapers. Here are all the winning poems on our website at www.TPGonlinedaily.com
Our readers proved just how romantic a place Santa Cruz County truly is! Poems entered in the 2013 TPG Valentines Day Poetry Contest were passionate, touching, and (of course) romantic.
We had so many poems submitted from out of the area – places like Cedar Falls Iowa, and Old Bridge New Jersey – that we created a new category – OOTA (Out Of The Area).
Poets from all over took the time to compose and submit their odes of love expressing love and affection for their special valentines. Once again, our staff had the pleasure of selecting the three winners for each of our three newspapers and the Grand Prize Winner, Alice Keys of Capitola whose Grand Prize was a romantic night at the Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley Hilton Hotel.
We want to thank our local businesses that provided the following fabulous prizes. For our TPG Grand Prize, a night’s stay at the Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley Hilton Hotel. First Place Winners; for the Capitola Soquel Times – a $75 gift Certificate from the Shadowbrook Restaurant, for the Aptos Times – dinner for two at the Seascape Resort’s Sanderlings Restaurant, and for the Scotts Valley Times – A $75 Gift Certificate from the Hilton Hotel’s Stonehouse Bar & Grill.
2013 Grand Prize Winner – Alice Keys of Capitola
First Place Winners • Capitola Soquel Times – Dana Orlando • Aptos Times – Jacqi Holmstrom • Scotts Valley Times – Linda Foster • Out of the Area – Michelle Swanson of Cedar Falls, Iowa
Second Place Winners • Aptos Times – Tim Kubrock • Scotts Valley Times – Dayne Sonntag/McMillen • Capitola Soquel Times – Boaz Vilozny • Out of the Area – Krista Lyons of Old Bridge, New Jersey
Third Place Winners • Scotts Valley Times – Tess Ciara • Capitola Soquel Times – George Drazic • Aptos Times – (Tie) Heidi Durbin & Joanna Niland • Out of the Area – Imania Margria of Kearney New Jersey
TPG 2013 Grand Prize Winner
Alice Keys – Capitola
My love.
I wait for you on the beach
as the silver moon lifts and pales
into iridescent dawn.
One diamond glitters
then rises and fades
above dark reaching branches.
Perhaps you’ve forgotten me
here in the mist
wrapped in the last veils of night.
White foam shushes near and kisses my feet.
Cold and away.
The ocean’s whispering touch is your lips on my skin.
Cold and away.
How like your breath, this kelp salt metal air.
I wait for you.
I wrote this poem for my first love. He died 40 years ago last August third. I was 16.