Colin Anderson Memorial Award
Poetry
Strawberry Cream Puffs
One Sunday, the rain poured
And your mother slammed the door in your face for the last time
You looked down at your drenched sneakers, mud stained the seams
More puddles surrounded you as you lingered
Staring where she had stood
Behind the torn screen door
Her face behind the mesh sunken and unnerving
You blinked to force the image to fade
And then you ran
I thanked everything it wasn’t a school day
You ran to my door
And I held you
The drops of water from your hair and eyes bled into my sweater
I snuck you up to my bedroom, still pink from childhood
I shared my strawberry cream puffs and we talked of sweeter days
The sun’s gold pried through the storm, seeped into my window,
And blended with the paint on my walls
You kissed me
And we sat on that floor with mouths full of sugar
Meagan Conway is a 2023 graduate from SUNY Cortland with a BA in psychology and a minor in Individuals With Disabilities. Writing poetry was not something she saw herself doing or enjoying until she took ‘Writing Poetry’ at Cortland. Poetry soon started to feel more important as she wrote about her life experiences, feelings, and stories about people she had come to know. She loved the process of meticulously selecting the right words for each line. To her surprise, her professor commended her work and encouraged her to share some poems if the opportunity came. She is immensely grateful for his compliments and encouragement that led her to submit her poem.