By ZHENYA YEVTUSHENKO | Sarah Stecher Prize, student poetry contest

after Miles Davis & Adrian Matejka

When a poet tells you to listen

to Jazz you listen to Jazz in a silent way
like Miles dancing in the trumpet of my pen, as we

remember how we howl with the unwritten, while someone else sells the world,
and the pen flourishes unfurled in furious fusion, like the modern fashion.

To think I could learn to listen like a coin listens to a lotto ticket,
or a toothache to a fang, its coyote stares as someone pours

cheap champagne onto a grave. God is a coincidence,
but also gives with each refrain, listen—shhh,

peaceful, another coincidence in the books.

Ω

Zhenya Yevtushenko is one of the sons of the poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. Zhenya aspires to become a public school teacher after graduation. He is a writer, occasional food service worker, and a literary event organizer. Zhenya’s work has recently appeared in eMerge Magazine as co-winner of the Woody Barlow Poetry Contest. He owes his inspiration to his mother, his brothers, and the love of his life, Olivia.

Paul Acevedo is a Mexican American artist known for his large scale drawings that explore and celebrate his heritage. He was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and his work reflects his experiences growing up in a Mexican American community. His drawings often feature images of traditional Mexican folklore and imagery, as well as scenes from daily life in his community. He is particularly interested in exploring the cultural blending and bicultural experience of Mexican Americans.