DASH & Office of the Arts Announce Poetry Contest Winners

the sky sits low
over our shoulders.

We hunch slow
out of the house.

Stumble crunch
down the sidewalk

and watch

the bus glide
up the avenue.

Jennifer Veech is a writer and editor. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Radar Poetry, American Religion, The Comstock Review, and Hayden’s Ferry Review. She has been nominated for Best of the Net and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize. Her first book manuscript, which is in progress, was a semifinalist for the Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize and The Journal/Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize.

My daughter’s feet dangle
from the seat, her gaze
outside, sleek city bustling by.
Too small to walk Alexandria
edge to edge; instead,
this bus makes our journey
possible.

Kate Lewis’ work appears in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many more. She was the Perry Morgan Fellow at Old Dominion University, where she earned her MFA, and she lives in Alexandria with her husband, their two young children, and a mischief-making dog. Find her online @katehasthoughts

Buses hum through city streets,
Where strangers meet, where neighbors greet.
From stop to stop, our paths align— Connected by each shared line, In
Alexandria, we all shine.

Deb Antonini Retired from a career in book and magazine publishing, Deb Antonini spent 20 years at the National Geographic Society, immersed in storytelling as a researcher, writer, and editor. A lifelong lover of the written word, Deb believes in its power to engage, inspire, and connect—whether through prose or poetry.

Difference
In speech
Gait,
Eyesight,
Appearance,
Weight,
With wheels,
Service animal,
Prosthetic,
Or you can’t see My disability.
On trolley or bus-
Let’s smile, Nod, “Hello.”
We are all us.

Caitlin Fitzsimmons is a resident in Braddock Heights, and proud member of the Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities. She writes poetry in her spare time.

I turn for dreamer’s
Chasing dawn’s promise.

I hum for builders With hands stained by
labor’s grit.

I roll for wanderers Seeking comfort
in motion.

I carry the city forward.

C. Alexandria-Bernard Thomas is a Queer Black Non-Binary poet and advocate celebrated for their captivating performances, community organizing, and pioneering achievements in poetry. Their work empowers and inspires, championing positive change and amplifying marginalized voices.

I help an old man load his
double bass onto the bus. He
asks if I have any requests for
his setlist that night. I
recommend “Fever.” He
accepts.

Alex Carrigan (he/him) is a Pushcart-nominated editor, poet, and critic from Alexandria, VA. He is the author of Now Let’s Get Brunch (Querencia Press, 2023) and May All Our Pain Be Champagne (Alien Buddha Press, 2022).

“Stop requested”
The robotic voice intones

Life never stops moving
Sometimes we need a stop
To sit still
And let the world
Take us where we need to go

Sean Morrissey is originally from Idaho, but he moved to Alexandria this past summer after graduated from college in Massachusetts. Sean loves public transportation, and he takes the DASH bus on almost every day. He enjoys outdoor recreation, sports, food, music, reading, spending time with his church community, and having new experiences.