I’ve never won a contest for an individual poem before, so I’m still pinching myself at the news I received last month that my poem, “A Duplex for Nerve Root Signature,” won first place in Sweet Literary’s 2026 Poetry Contest. This morning, the journal’s special contest issue went live, and it’s a thrill to be able to finally share the poem and see the work of the other winners and contributors.
It’s a “sweet” win, too, because working in the duplex form has showed me that — pardon the cliche — it’s still possible for an old dog to learn a few new tricks. The duplex form, created by poet Jericho Brown, was one of several taught during a masterclass I took last year from the poet Jen Karetnick. I had just retired when I took that class, and I recognized that I wanted to immerse myself in something new. I’ve never been a formalist poet, and the class was an opportunity to experiment, and play. I’ve found that the constraints of form can be useful in wrestling with difficult subjects; sometimes the excess of emotion that take me to the page need taming in fresh ways.
Once again, I’m so grateful for this honor, to Sweet: A Literary Confection and to judge Meghan Sterling for selecting this poem as the contest winner. Here’s what the judge had to say about it:
So much skill in this beautiful poem! The duplex form is difficult to master, but here the poet makes it seem effortless. How fitting for the poet to use this form for this particular topic, as Jericho Brown, the inventor of the Duplex, called it a “mutt of a poem.” This poem brilliantly expresses the agony of witnessing the pain of an aging dog with its use of repetition and white space, and it is woven with such tenderness, such exquisite imagery, the poet’s anxiety becomes palpable. Powerful work. –Meghan Sterling, Judge
I’m grateful, too, for the fact that my 12.5-year-old black lab, Finn — whose bout with neuritis inspired this poem — recovered and happens to be doing very well these days. (This is the first poem I’ve ever written about him…)
Congratulations to the other winners and finalists! Read their wonderful work in the special contest issue of Sweet.