FSP is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2019 Satura Prize for the best poem in the Anthology 43 is Steve Evans for his poem Darkness. The winner of the Nova Prize for the best poem in the anthology by a previously unpublished poet is Val Smith for her poem Together.
We thank Keith MacNider for judging this year’s prizes, and everyone who submitted poems to the Anthology.
Here are the winning poems.
Satura Prize
Darkness by Steve Evans
Even a dark room has light in it,
always a little,
whether from moon or mirror,
skin or whispers,
the slow and delicious friction
of being here
that starts the small fires,
and before we know it
our hands are cupping flame,
carrying it to each other,
bearing the future before us,
where I see your face fully lit
as if for the first time.
Nova Prize
Together by Val Smith
On extreme days
when the sun scorches
I step back in time.
In the early morning cool
before the blistering heat,
earlier than the bird’s dawn chorus,
Mum and I pick ripe, juicy plums.
In the sweltering kitchen
we wash and stone purple globes,
add measured sugar
then watch the slow simmer
of sticky, glistening aromatic mush.
Mum is bent over her
ancient stewing pan.
The wood in the old stove crackles.
She stirs with a big wooden spoon,
her lovely face, beet red.
We take turns stirring.
Sweat soaks our cotton dresses.
We wrap cool, wet towels
around our necks.
Reassure each other
a cool change is coming.