Third Place Winner: Katherine Martin   The Adrianna Poems   I dreamt once that Adrianna threw her Arms around me crying. And then she kissed me Soft on the mouth.   And because she was crying it seemed natural That I should cry too. So I tasted the salt Of both our tears on her tongue.   When I woke up I wanted to comfort her somehow. So we sat th the end of the bed forever Staring at our picked raspberries in their silver bowls.   They were fat and they fell from the branches. They were red and they were raspberries, They stained my band-aid like contour lines of a map And they plunked into the stainless steal mixing bowls like coins. She was picking them with me Her blind hair drying in the sun.   Later, She said to me "they taste like happiness" And stirred red handfuls of them into whipped cream. The boy, watching through the balcony rails, Squished us between his stained fingers.  I don't remember the rest.   So we just sat and were happy. And we ate and were real- I was real once. Wholly and completely, Sitting in rooms and staring at things and breathing in and out.   I feel I should always hold onto you. Always and forever until my feet won't part And my shoe laces are tied together with time. Paint me a face that will last with me forever, The raspberry stains have faded from my fingers.  Back to July/04 Winners Home