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The annual National Poetry Month Brian Lehrer Show Poetry Slam took place today. WNYC's Poet-in-Residence Bob Holman was the judge. Response was overwhelming and Below are the winners (and lucky recipients of the Brian Lehrer Show T-Shirt):

Listen to the poetry readings on the show

Poem to My Right Hand

by Susan Varon
Alien one that I am learning to make my god
You are beautiful
In your attempts
To return to your destiny, as in
Human as in, making fire

When you succeed in grasping
The glass I want to drink from
My thirst intensifies
While you draw it closer, closer

Things I have taught you to pick up:
My fairy wand
The candle, unlit
The silver bell, the match box
Things I can do with you:
Ring Bell, Wave Wand
I am trying to retrain you
To know your loveliness
To be proud of what you can do
I believe in the new pathways
The brain is forging in itself

The alternate Rube Goldberg connections
Around the dead matter
I can see them
And hear the voices of instruction
And encouragement
The brain talking to itself
While it does its work

In a notebook, I practice
The new penmanship
Submitting to the spasms
That wildly jig the pen
Breathing into the letters
emerging new and wet

Every one crashes
Every one worth fighting for
They come forth like children
Arriving at a party
Newly born, for just this moment
Shining.

BEST POLITICAL SATIRE

Drilling ANWR
by Gail Keith-Jones

As Propogandists could explain,
“Conserve”, the word that means “maintain”
“preserve”, “protect” and “keep from harm”
is used as decoy from alarm:
Conserving anything is what
“Conservatives” today do not.
“Compassionate” claiming they protect?
Instead it means the Rich neglect.
to help the poor to homeless housing.

We will not moderate our greed,
will give ourselves the Fix we need
of easy energy we waste –
resources not to be replaced.

To hell with everyone! We will
transport their oil in ships that spill,
rip up our wilderness for more,
heedless of smog and ruined shore.

As climate changes spread despair
we sneer at warnings, foul the air:
sea-level rises, Venice sinks –
Who cares? we do what business thinks.

Ideals are trimmed to “IN”, the fix,
pragmatic global politics –
which spreads a common view abroad:
our Morals are a filthy fraud.

Conserving anything is what
“Conservatives” today do not.
“Conservatives” camouflaged by name,
pirates by disposition, Shame!
Exploiting everything you can
you injure Earth and God and Man.

BEST IN UNDER 30 SECONDS

Haiku
by Albert Kaufman

Black and golden striped
Brave bees in summer’s last days
Swarm to gather life