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Love Poems Sound Good! Read the Top 10

Thank you to everyone who sent us a love poem as part of our First Ever Love Poems Sound Good Contest. We hope to make it an annual tradition, so be sure to keep us in your minds and hearts. Today, on a special Valentine's Day edition of Sounds Good, Tracy Ross and BecFeldhaus read the ten finalists with much adulation and affection. The top ten poets received a box of chocolates from The Chocolate Factory in downtown Paducah! ...And here they are in their printed glory:

"Ode to WKMS (with apologies to Pablo Neruda)"
By Constance Alexander-Murray, KY  

Bedfellow,
I wake
with you
each morning.

Faithful partner
throughout
the day,
running buddy
cooking companion,
bearer of news
and information,
you give me
your all,
even when
I’m not
paying attention.

When insomnia
strikes, you
serve up the
sweet milk
of BBC to
lull me back
to sleep.

You make me
a better person. 
Because of
you, I can be
smart
witty
hip as Terry
Gross,  
suave as 
Sylvia Poggioli,
droll as that
nasal-voiced
dweeb on
Talk of the
Nation.

I never get
tired of 
saying,
What would
I do without
NPR?  

My husband
suspects something
is going on
but when I
start to confess
he says, 
Wait, wait,
don’t tell
me.

Truly a friend 
for all seasons
you make me
laugh and
cry. Sometimes
I linger in the
car to hear
the end of 
a story. I hang
on your every
word.  

When I need 
a pal
a partner 
another opinion
you are there
solid as a 
Snicker’s Bar
but never
fattening.

We’ve taken 
long trips
together 
you and I. 
Invariably|
my spirits
lift around
Beaver Dam.
When I 
pick up
your signal
again I know
I’m almost
home.

----

"Lonely Companion"
By Brandon Crews- Boaz, KY

If the day turns dark
The news from Lake Wobegon
Makes bright the world again

----

"Be Mine: A Shakespearean Sonnet"
By Elizabeth Hammonds- Murray, KY

When morning comes and I set out for work,
My heart echoes a thousand joyous cries.
For morning has a truly special perk
Besides the one wherein my coffee lies.
It’s then when NPR doth meet my ear
And me the musings of its own do greet.
And on that station, I’ve nothing to fear 
For where else can I hear the Foxes Fleet?
On Morning ‘Dition I learn many things
Of places and of faces near and far,
And later in the evening I grow wings
(Or so it feels with jazz on in my car).
For public radio my heart does pine.
So, WKMS, will you be mine?

----

"My Radio Love (Love Poem)"
By Dottie Kendall- Springville, TN

My 5 O’clock alarm is Steve and Renee
With” Morning Edition” to start my day.
Throughout the week, they keep me abreast
Of the  news and weather.  They’re just 
the best!

On weekends, I couldn’t function without WKMS.
Scott Simon relieves my housework stress.
“Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” is so hilariously done
“Music from the Front Porch” and” Juke Joint Shuffle”, fun, fun, fun!

“Prairie Home Companion” airs as I’m making dinner
And on Sunday mornings,” The Splendid Table” is the winner!
Who needs the hype? Turn off the TV,   
My radio love is ninety-one point three.

----

"a pirates favorite radio station"
Brandon K Lawrence- Murray KY

In the morning over coffee waking fresh from a dream
I take eggs over easy and news from Mrs. Rehm
with my zombie-like state I procure myself brains
from All Things Considered and the Fresh Air gang
I'm a very busy person so I admire Tracy Ross
who keeps me from searching through pretentious blogs
at the end of the day I can rest peacefully knowing
that WKMS has kept my ignorance from showing

----

"Bathroom radio"
Kathy Mowery- Murray KY

Bathroom radio
Loud enough to hear the news
Over shower noise

----

"Ode to an NPR Community"
By Debbie Owens- Murray, KY

Whose tunes those are I think I know
I’ve heard them on the radio.
But NPR has all the rest:
Great programs are as good as gold!
Quality-rich and nothing less—
Talented teams give all their best,
Providing something we can use
To help us ace our civics tests.
We’re kept informed of daily news
And armed with all the proper tools
To keep cars on the road for miles
Or chase away those winter blues.
At times their stories make us smile,
Laugh, or think deeply for a while;
Hosts even analyze our dreams,
Track stocks, and sports, and fashion styles.
WKMS—its teams
Broadcast throughout communities:
A radio listener’s “Love Supreme.”
A radio listener’s “Love Supreme.”

----

"Ode To A Wavelength"
by John Pasco, Jr.- Murray, KY

Oh wonderous dial, Ninety One Point Three,
Flavors for life you bring to me:
The joys of jazz, the Art of Zen,
Lake Wobegone, which might have been,
Eclectic mix - my heart soars free.
Flavors for life - Ninety One Point Three.

----

"The Sound"
By Julie Howard Price- Paducah, KY

I hear the sound.  It beckons me.
I find myself drawn in,
not yet knowing that which I’m hearing.

I get closer as the sound 
begins to take shape.
Words begin to caress my ears.
I am filled with wonder and 
curiosity.  

The world opens up to me.
My mind is awake and
my senses alert as I take in
all that is offered to my listening
ears.

The time is now.  The words I hear
stir me to action, to be a part of
the world as it unfolds.
I want to know, to love, to serve.

I am thankful.  Thankful 
for these words that inform
and enrich.  And thankful 
for the giver of such words: 
Public Radio.

----

"Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, that I must decide"  
By Toni Riley- Hopkinsville, KY

Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, that I must decide   
upon one WKMS program to pin my pride.

I must clear my head to help with my consternation,
because I want my decision to be the Talk of The Nation.

With my Prairie Home Companion, let me get a breath of Fresh Air,
there are so many  programs of which to compare

But here I still sit at The Splendid Table,
thinking I know I can, I know I am able,
to choose one , the one I can rely,
even if I have to move Earth and Sky.

But with All Things Considered,
I am Beyond the Edge, I must submit, must give in,
I can’t make a selection, can’t even begin.

Because all WKMS programs give me a Classic 24 hour high like a kite,
since every program is such a part of  ---  This American Life.

Matt Markgraf joined the WKMS team as a student in January 2007. He's served in a variety of roles over the years: as News Director March 2016-September 2019 and previously as the New Media & Promotions Coordinator beginning in 2011. Prior to that, he was a graduate and undergraduate assistant. He is currently the host of the international music show Imported on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.
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