A Clear Crisp Morning

by Kenny A. Chaffin
Wild Poetry Forum
Third Place, April 2021
Judged by Sarah Carleton


The street racers are gone.
Only black marks and donuts
on the asphalt. Someone died
here last night. But you’d
never know.


"A Clear Crisp Morning" bundles a whole scene and backstory into five lines with wonderful sharpness of imagery. The poem is as brief and evocative as a skid mark. I love how the title makes us see early-morning sunshine and how each subsequent line takes us deeper into the story, moving from "black marks and donuts" to an ominous finish. A perfect little poem. --Sarah Carleton