2026 Poetry Challenge - Poems

Circles

I weave in and out
of black asphalt
grey medians
and raised sidewalk.

After a long day
of raising humans
setting the bar at work
and racing about the town
I'm off on a circuit of my own.

I am encircling
and crossing back
over my path
on an undulating cycle.

I am on a quest
to complete my Circles.
I wanna reach
that little satisfaction
of a feasible To-Do,
that I've To-Done.

With much expectation
and mixed with elation
I hit that molecular moment
where my Stand, Move and
Exercise goals align at high noon.

My wrist vibrates,
haptic applause.
I look down in haste
to glimpse the full effect.

Fireworks shoot forth
from my lime, raspberry
and aqua bullseye.
A celebration in miniature.

Despite my claimed achievement,
I keep walking in loose circles.
Time for a little victory lap,
I reason.



Poet, writer, photographer and slightly distracted day-dreamer who muses on (gestures at everything) from the petty to the profound. On a semi-serious, fully earnest search for meaning in the mayhem. Perimenopausal, melanin-deprived, irony-enhanced recovering perfectionist Type A+ millennial woman. She balances the ever-continuing quest to Know Better/Do Better, with the distinct ego-death of parenting a smart, full-throated child who was raised to know the power of her voice. Mothering a teen means catching a side-eye in almost every interaction. Diana navigates the minutiae of everyday life through seeking the magical in the mundane. Follow along and laugh with her as the world flames out!

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