Kingston Writes! Poetry
A contest for UNPUBLISHED poets in Kingston and Frontenac County
Congratulations to our TWO winners (!) who won 2 tickets to see Margaret Atwood, an invitation to the private reception, a signed copy of Ms. Atwood’s book and tickets to three KWF poetry events.
Sheer
I am weeping
because my new neighbor has hung paper cranes in his window.
He was mad at me
on Wednesday.
He needed help installing curtains.
I said, maybe tomorrow.
My mind was elsewhere. I was annoyed.
Sometimes it is a terrible burden to be seen.
But now the kitchen light is on
and I am looking for a screwdriver.
Maybe tomorrow
I will learn how to fold paper cranes.
by Alexa Elder
Juror’s citation:
“Sheer” presents a seeming simplicity in its appearance and language, but great depth in what it evokes of being human, being honest, making mistakes, and good intentions both missed and yet planned. The flow of this poem and its final lines are brilliant.
Alexa Elder | Bio
Alexa Elder (she / her) is a Canadian poet and multi-disciplinary artist living in Katarokwi-Kingston. Her work is an attempt to express big feelings about nature, family, community, and the unavoidable joys and losses that mark our short time on earth.
Alexa would like to thank the organizers of Kingston Writers Fest for all their effort to bring this community together and for the opportunity to share her work.
You can read more on her website alexaelder.com or on instagram @itsaelder.
For the Journey
When you set out toward a new life,
hope the road is long,
full of mornings that surprise you,
and evenings that return you to yourself.
Take your ticket, your passport, your boarding pass —
but know these are only talismans.
The real baggage cannot be weighed:
the sound of your father’s voice,
the cool watermelon,
the hot afternoons meant never to end.
The past will feel like a dream.
Do not chase it, though it will follow you —
a flying fluorescent blade
cutting the night into another day,
several thousand miles away.
Look forward,
lest you turn into salt.
Distances are only mirrors.
From one shore to another,
you will find the same shoreline in a different light,
the same dear voice in your heart,
the same fruit, the same heat.
“Surely, God’s earth is vast” —
but vastness lies only between you and yourself.
You will keep leaving.
Perhaps you will never arrive.
Belonging is a country of the mind,
mapped in the cartography of wounds,
marked from frontier to frontier,
stamp to stamp,
in search of a balm.
But every territory has its wars,
and every war its casualties.
Whether you should remember or forget —
this no one can answer.
Forgetting is a tragedy.
Remembering, a curse.
And still —
may the road be long.
May the days open before you like doors.
May your heart return to you
as something you recognize,
and something you have never seen before.
by Hussain Azam
Juror’s citation:
“For the Journey” has a meditative quality reminiscent of the best spoken word. The poet unabashedly leads the narrative, guiding the reader through powerful imagery to the last two lines and their unexpected—and profound— wisdom.
Hussain Azam | Bio
Hussain Azam is a student in the PhD in English program at Queen’s University. His creative work explores identity, migration and memory. His academic research focuses on modernist literature’s preoccupation with eastern spiritual ideas. His avocational interests include hiking and painting. He loves to spend time in the lakes around Kingston.
A special thank you to our judge
Our judge is Bruce Kauffman, poet, editor, workshop facilitator, and Kingston’s poetry promoter par excellence. He produces a weekly radio show, finding a voice on CFRC 101.9 FM, hosts a monthly open mic reading series, and every summer he organizes an outdoor poetry series of poetry in the park at Artfest. He himself is a noted poet, with two chapbooks, five collections, and a new book of poetry promised for early 2026.
Thank you to all the poets who submitted their work to our Kingston Writes! Poetry contest. We received more than 160 entries!
We hope to see you at KWF’s poetry events in September:
Play with Poetry, with Sarah Tsiang »
Projections & Reflections with Paul Vermeersch, Callista Markotich, and Terese Mason Pierre »
How to Read a Poem with Paul Vermeersch »
