The "Good Things Happen Here" Poetry Contest Winner
Editor’s Note: Originally published May 3, 2019. Republished January 14, 2021.
We’re proud to announce the winner of our “Good Things Happen Here” poetry contest!
And the winner is…
Joshua Glasgow! Congratulations, Joshua, for crafting the winning piece, “Everett Echoes”.
Here’s what Joshua wrote about his poem:
The premise of “Everett Echoes” is that the generations who settled here and defined this town, all the way back to its original inhabitants, are the foundation it was built upon. Everett is flanked by the Cascade Mountains on one side and Puget Sound on the other; these timeless titans bridge the present and past, binding us.
The city, from the “sound” of its past echoing into the present, remembers each “wave” (generation) and appreciates how each one left its mark, transforming Everett into the “hallowed ground” it is today.
The sea and mountains, as Everett’s eternal witnesses, are wise enough to understand that good things happen here because of the people whose stewardship of this land has made it what it is.
This poem was written as a Tri-fall: three stanzas totaling 18 lines with a 6-3-8 / A-B-C rhyme scheme. The title can be read alternately as a noun naming the phenomenon—Everett’s echoes—or an active verb, declaring that Everett does now and will continue to echo, to reverberate into eternity.
“Everett Echoes”
Land named and sustained by
Snohomish
between the mountains and the sea,
two totems true to tie
the vanished
voices with those heard presently.
The city by the sound
remembers
each wave with all its sediment.
They formed the hallowed ground
which nurtures
the soul of every resident.
Good things happen here for
a reason.
The sea and mountains know it well:
the ones who came before
aren’t leaving—
their stories are the Sound’s to tell
Thanks to all who entered. Congrats again, Joshua! Thanks for sharing your poem with us. We’ll be in touch about your winnings soon. 🙌
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