QUALITY over all
Judge Alison Chisholm highlights the outstanding winners from our unthemed annual Open Poetry Competition
Alison Chisholm
Poetry WINNERS
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS,
1st prize Winner
by Gillian Dunstan
Mist slinks like a cat round deckchairs, eases through alleys to the town. Sinuous, insidious, it draws in a grey shroud from the sea, to muffle and obscure the pavement. A woman trips, falls softly, lies too still. Folk gather. Someone gives mouth-to-mouth. An ambulance howls through the fog. She’s stretchered off. Dampness clings like soot. The crowd shivers, mutters to each other to take care and melts away.
In the bright lights of the department store, Salli, make–up immaculate, nails gelled to perfection, womans her counter. Her offers prove a draw; folk gather.
‘Looks grim out there,’ she smiles, ‘remember Jack? He lurked in London’s fogs – thank you, Madam, that’ll be twenty pound. Gutted them, didn’t he? Blusher was it? Here’s our new range of gorgeous reds. All those entrails - doesn’t bear the thinking. Still, I doubt we’ll find his like in our small seaside town. Here’s your receipt. Enjoy.’ She turns to serve again, remarks, ‘But you never know what’s out there or when your card’s crossed through, that’s what I always say.’
A frisson of dismay runs through the crowd – you never know…
The open competition presents poets with the easiest and the hardest challenge of all. Easy comes from the fact that you can submit a poem in any form on any theme, with only the line limit to restrict you. Hard is for the same reason. The selection of theme, and style you use to explore it, must be organised with meticulous care.