It was quite by accident that I've ended up with another poem in an anthology. I decided I'd take a chance and submit the poem that I'm most proud of (so far) to a poetry competition a few months back. Recently I got a letter saying that I hadn't won, but they were asking permission to print some of the entries into an anthology, to be called Whispers in the Wind I think, I've misplaced the letter. Anyway here's the poem (which I've published at Zeph's lovely Other Stuff blog previously).
Scent of the Rose:
Sorrow masks the scent of the rose
Pulsating in my clenched fist
Crushed like a strangled artery.
Velvet petals, laid layer on layer
Curl tightly to its sweet core
In intricate simplicity.
Its beauty threatening to fade,
Now plucked from its source of life,
Blood red congealing into black.
Its silky skin soothing and cool,
As cold to touch as the stone
Under which you lie. Withering.
And as I place it on you its
Shape springs back immaculate
And unspoilt, as if never touched.
To enter a competition go to United Press - they are always running at least one competition and the prize is £1000...
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Storm Room - Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller
14 years ago
I think it's a great poem. I like the way the scenario gently unfolds. The complete picture only hinted at through imagery - like a picture in a frame.
ReplyDeleteUnited Press? I know them well - and Forward Press, too. I've lost count of how many of my poems they've published, but I know it's only one short story though, for that's all I ever sent in! They do enable you to see your work in print, but I think the quality of some of the submissions is occasionally a trifle suspect - present company excepted! :)
ReplyDeleteWell I was wondering about that really Jinks, mainly because they seemed to offer an awful lot of extra things you could pay for - dedications, a biography etc which made me suspect that they are not necessarily expecting much revenue from the book sales. I've asked for one copy of the book and then I can judge for myself. I mainly wanted to tidy up my blog and put this poem on here as I'd only had a link before, just thought I'd mention the anthology whilst I was here - got to celebrate those little victories haven't we!?
ReplyDeleteUV Ray, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I like that you see it all unfurling (like a rose itself perhaps). I actually thought it was quite stark, but then I've "lived" this poem and read it a lot so it's good to find out what other people think. I tried to use quite harsh words like "congealing" amd "crushed" - things to reflect death I suppose, plus I tried to connect the person and the rose by swapping around the words you'd expect to see - the rose's blood congealing and the person withering. Also the "as if never touched" was supposed to apply to both flower and person through establishing that connection.
I don't know whether it worked or not...
Bravo Pinks! Really happy for you and mightily impressed. Don't think you need to qualify it as a 'little' victory at all, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a etc.
ReplyDeleteThanks File:-)
ReplyDeleteHey, your favourite topic over at Mish's heh - the sky... where the clouds live. I'll have to have a good think for some inspiration as the sky above me at the moment just seems to be very angry!
I felt such pity for the poor rose clutched in a death grip...well done!
ReplyDeleteSandi
Sandi - you'd have felt very sorry for the poor rose which was sitting on my dining table minding its own business when it got grasped roughly so I could work out how it felt... method poetry you know.
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