Chez Robert Giron

Mike Zimmerman of New York, New York has won the 14th Annual Gival Press Oscar Wilde Award for his poem titled Summer Rainstorm. Mike Zimmerman received a cash prize of $100.00 and his poem is posted below. The poem was read and chosen anonymously by last year's winner Gina R. Evers.

Summer Rainstorm

I barely think of myself at fourteen, when, for
a summer, I walked to work trimming Douglas firs
into tender triangles. I recall the smell of wet pine,
the sticky sap, the squeaking shears, the aching pain
in my skinny arms. With a rag, I’d mop the sweat and dirt
from my skin then look at the sky. Clouds had begun to dart,
gray to black, then settle up above that day. After work,
though the rain was pounding, to get home, I had to walk.

Slopping through puddles, a ride home from an older
friend was a welcome thing. He found me on the side
of the road, honked twice, grinned. Sitting next to him,
I kept quiet. The car radio was on and he started to hum.
I can’t be the only boy he raped. I barely think of it, said
Nothing about his car’s backseat, his hand on my shoulder.

Copyright © 2015 by Mike Zimmerman.

Biography:
Mike Zimmerman is a writer of short stories and poetry, as well as a high school English teacher in the South Bronx. His previous work has been published in Wilde Magazine, Cutbank, and The Painted Bride. He finds inspiration and ideas from the people and places he loves. Mike lives in New York City with his partner and their cat.


Honorable Mentions:

Bonnie the Butch Cross-dressing Bartender
by Jeff Walt of San Diego, California.

The Mother’s Day
by Beverly Burch of Oakland, California.

Our Beautiful Names
by Dan Vera of Washington, DC.

Risk
by Shetachai Chatchoomsai of Mission Hills, California.