Sophia Rivkin
Southfield, MI
for
“Conspiracy“

In her poem “Conspiracy,” 2006 Rattle Poetry Prize winner Sophia Rivkin confronts how we divide living from the dead and dying, and the dissonance borne from that process. This is not a poem of easy answers; it is a poem that forces the reader to ask questions about morality, mortality, and responsibility. Rivkin implicates all of us—herself included—in appeasing the inevitable, in confronting the cold with what could be seen as coldness. Unflinchingly honest and vulnerable, “Conspiracy” is that rare and insistent poem that grips both emotionally and intellectually and refuses to let go, a poem which seems to consume rather than be consumed. For these reasons and others, we are proud to introduce “Conspiracy” as winner of the first annual Rattle Poetry Prize.

Honorable Mentions

Malcolm Alexander
Kingman, AZ
“Beginner’s Lessons“

Steven Brown
Lake Charles, LA
“Whale Bone“

Tony Brusate
Lexington, KY
“Becoming an Island“

Carey Fries
Boston, MA
“Asylum“

Douglas Goetsch
New York, NY
“Recess“

Marcia LeBeau
Brooklyn, NY
“1:43 PM & The Making of 1:43 PM“

Ken Meisel
Dearborn, MI
“Car Accident“

Glenn Morazzini
Cumberland, ME
“Sonny’s Song“

Richard Vargas
Albuquerque, NM
“and yet, another nature poem“

Elizabeth Volpe
Bloomfield Hills, MI
“Brewing in Eden“