Literary LEO is here again.This year, our entries seemed to really focus on what makes us human. The categories are Poems, Short Fiction, and Photography, both Black & White and Color. Cartoons had a particularly weak year and there were no cartoons we could choose as winners. The stories span experiences, settings, and tone, but they all share something that we’re all looking for: a way to connect to our experiences. We look for meaning, feeling, and understanding in so many places, and one of the ways literature helps us is by putting that experience into words and giving our humanity form. The writers in this year’s Literary LEO have beautifully captured the air of humanness and we are proud to share this with our readers. For next year, Louisville has an amazing number of cartoon, webtoon, and comics creators that we’d love to see in this category. We want more of you next year
Wild LightsLouisville’s premier springtime lights attraction, Wild Lights, returns to the Louisville Zoo for its fifth year. Bringing a new lineup of lanterns, Wild Lights will run Thursday through Sunday nights from Mar. 23 – May 19. Tickets start at $23 with special deals for families. Check out the link above for a sneak peek!Check Out PuttshackPuttshack, the world’s first and only upscale tech-infused mini golf experience is now open at the Oxmoor Center.The new space is equipped with four 9-hole courses, a dedicated DJ booth, extensive shareable menu, hand-crafted cocktails, and both private and semi-private event spaces. You can also enjoy playing nostalgic games like life-size beer pong, air hockey, roulette, and Connect Four. Puttshack Louisville offers a family-friendly setting during the day and shifts to an elevated nightlife environment for those aged 21 and up after 8 p.m.Sunday Easter BrunchEaster brunch is a holiday rite of passage. If you’re looking for a spot in Louisville that every bunny will love, look no further than the link above. We’ve compiled a few of the best options in the city for a Sunday meal that won’t disappoint!Literary LEO Poetry Honorable Mention
Wheat, Honeycomb, and Wine By Anna Liao
Sober for once,
for one moment.
Clarity through the fog
of the fog,
the second mist,
the squinting of your
bleary eyes.
In the dry heat of the summer,
begin again.
Push up through small cracks,
past rocks,
drain the gut rot,
despite, despite, despite,
the riot,
the terminus,
the sun in your eyes,
the heat on your neck,
the laughter of other kids.
Turn beneath the stars.
Hold hope like water.
Find a reason to leave the city
and swim in some river.
How terrifying the possibility of what you could be,
what you could say, or think—
that your mouth might be all teeth.
Everything is dog shaped when you’ve lost your dog:
every tree, every bike, every boulder, every animal on the street.
Every shape is a shadow of the thing you want to see.
Whether there’s a god or there isn’t a god outside of your mind,
wait for faith as a thing that’s touchable;
don’t pick a side.
Find hope in wind
through your fingertips.
Despite, despite, despite.Literary LEO Poetry Honorable Mention
Did You Know They Give Chocolate to Dogs Before Euthanasia? By Carly Fawcett
We joked that death was all you wanted
while you preferred to sniff for raisins than a milk bone
Maybe death was kind
or maybe you were strong
for you evaded his grasp day after day
and he let you sleep in my bed night after night
your nose finding the crook of my arm without fail
in a nightly dance of chasing sleep
until you caught it
and it was just you and me
I’ll always keep you warm
I’ll wrap my hands around your cold feet
and carry you wherever you want to go
because I want you to feel my warmth forever
in the way they said I could stay as long as I wanted
and I couldn’t let you go
because if I kept petting the spot on your neck
it wouldn’t get cold
I held you in my arms in the white room
the same way I did the night before
Restless, no spot on the bed was right
and you looked to me for answers
I wish I could’ve heard all your questions
but there is only one language we both speak
so I held you
and sleep was yours, love was ours
When we’ve known each other for all of our memorable lives
it’s strange to think I won’t know you tomorrow
but I will, won’t I?
My mind will play tricks on me
You’ll be a blanket in my sheets
the ends curled outward into legs
and I’ll hate to use it for fear of making you cold
before realizing you just want to keep me warm, too
They said I should put my grief somewhere else
so I’m putting it here
in hopes that the universe
or maybe a passing bird from your backyard
will pick it up and carry it elsewhere
so all that’s left is you and me
at home on a blanket
finally finding sleep.
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