Amidst all of the wonderful submissions we received, including our Honorable Mention, I am so pleased to announce that the winner of Lit Shark Magazine’s September Poem of the Month contest is Ursula McCabe, who writes thoughtful, visceral, and blatantly beautiful poetry.

Her winning poem, “Today’s Morning,” is a gorgeous example of a poem throwing you into a moment. This poem beautifully captures a fall day, the brilliance, falling, and crispness of the leaves, and the sunlight cutting through the remaining leaves and tall branches of a sycamore tree. It’s a beautiful poem about time passing, being in the present, and enjoying every moment, and it’s an irreplaceable edition to Lit Shark Magazine.

For each contest, the winner will receive a unique digital broadside of their winning poem, and the one I created can be found below. When I read this poem, I was thrown back to my life growing up in the Midwest, specifically into its burnt orange, red, and yellow skies between the leaves fell in mounds, and the corn stocks foiled and gnarled, ready to be plucked. More importantly, this poem felt like a moment and reminded me of the importance of being present and appreciating every moment we have, as life is not guaranteed. Though those feelings cannot totally be captured visually, I wanted to focus on the beauty of the moment captured in the poem and suggest time passing through the falling of leaves. I hope you enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed creating it.