The Poem of the Month for June 2025, selected by 2025 Anthology editors Val Braendler and Ben Adams, is Enter Rapture by phil saunders. The commended poems are i only dream when i’m asleep by Geoff Aitkin, Patterns of Being by Margaret Fensom and The Homeless Man’s Dog by Maria Koukouvas.
Enter Rapture
phil saunders
enter rapids steamboat stability
romance blossoms in face of competition
flowers chocolate wine sideways glances
coffee
sweet kisses deny pretence
softly softly into the night
lovers’ steps shimmer united
lovers’ steps sparkle in step
eyes
lovers’ steps gleam
early hours
disorientation of place
sunlight through window an omen
darkness descends
spot rain fog diminishes viewpoints
trucks sound moody horns
fires and slippers inside
mood overtakes into tears
seek comfort does the bell toll for thee
doors open to opportunity
walk the lane should you dare
walk the cobbles slide over the smooth
walk the cobbles should you care
future steps fix the date
rain drops intermittent will not disturb
tears unbidden rest below for their time
walk the cobbles when you dare
walk the cobbles when you care
the finish is your rapture if you care to dare
the finish is your rapture if you dare to care
open the curtain
your love talks through the panes
language I know not for Cupid’s barbs to accompany
sailing boats and steamships wait
tug boats guide delivery
wild seas will not hinder finding motion across the calm
carousel roundabouts Cupid rides the circus
elephants and clowns as his handmaidens for the task
no need for ringmasters
audiences will applaud Cupid’s finesse
in awe of his capture of language
strong slow the wind
variations dip weave curve the air
drive tears to the surface
join wind’s raindrops
carve a path into heart’s homeland
dispel shadows for all who inhabit
make steps without fear
make short long journey home
strong slow the wind for another lifetime
Enter Rapture prepared with notes taken during a performance of the Australian String Quartet: Beethoven String Quartet No.11 in F Minor, Op.95, Serioso; Perica String Quartet No.1, No Feeling is Final; Janacek String Quartet No.2, Intimate Letters; Golijov Tenebrae for string quartet.
i only dream when i’m asleep
Geoff Aitkin
i need a box
of crayons
pastels
or paints
water colours
to splash the canvas
instead of going down
for the count
as i reckon
with my tiny bank balance.
saved money
pays extreme wealth
for a profitable shopper trolley
a pumped tank of fuel
power costs
living expenses
as if business as usual
is the best way
to secure art supplies
for therapy that reassures me, i am sane
Patterns of Being
Margaret Fensom
Patterns of being repeat
reflecting physics’ laws
bringing strange beauty.
Such is the sphere:
a mighty white hot sun,
exploding, seeding
the universe with elements for life,
the moon, that rises full above the hills
gold, then silver as the night wears on,
earth’s flattened globe,
blue, streaked with white
patches of barren brown,
but hiding earth’s fruits,
glossy ripe olives shining black
tiny blueberries, red ripe apples
and the purple fruits of the lily pilli tree.
But what of spirals?
The twist of galaxies
spirals of stars curving into space
are mirrored by the double helix
carrying the genes that make us who we are,
and our finger tips bear spirals
unique to us.
Whelk shells and fern fronds
sunflowers spiral too,
whirlwinds and water spouts,
wind systems girdling the world
bringing storm and rain and desert dust.
Staircases to the spires
of great cathedrals, lead us to the stars
as we press on, and hope must not be lost
for that dark spiral leads us to the light.
Maria Koukouvas
The Homeless Man’s Dog
doesn’t know she is homeless, that his
Woolie’s trolley is her nomad’s cradle
her skin senses the season’s roll,
icy ground and ant-bitten sod in summer
her stomach speaks a small vocabulary:
empty often, sometimes full,
her paws perform routine begging
by muscle memory at café back doors
where she rests on her donated blanket
with the faint scent of shampooed poodle.