Poem of the Month – February 2026 – Fred Willett
The Poem of the Month for February 2026, selected by 2026 Anthology editors Elizabeth Salna and Erica Jolly, is Semaphore Jetty by Fred Willett. The commended poems are Escape by Nigel Ford, Some thoughts of somebody who hasn’t sailed solo around the world by Bruce Greenhalgh, The Doc Said by Susan O’Brien and Final crossing by Valerie Volk.
Semaphore Jetty
Fred Willett
Mum died
She’d gone years before, of course
An empty husk
A house long deserted. No one inside
We took her ashes to Semaphore Jetty on a crystal day
Ice wind. Kites flying
Kids on the carousel
And let her go gently into the turtle water
To start her next journey
Escape
Nigel Ford
With the staccato fire of the machine guns overhead
and the rumbling of heavy artillery in the distance
I bunker down prepared to ride out the storm
as flashes of brilliant light blind me through my window
but despite this cacophony of violence surrounding me
far removed from the company of family in our old home
I am at peace with the situation I find myself in
My fingers kneading the armrests of my recliner
I listen to the rain on the tin roof of my new house
the music of my own song
an anthem to new found independence
and escape from their quarrels
Some thoughts of somebody who hasn’t sailed solo around the world
Bruce Greenhalgh
I could fly to Rome;
I won’t.… Click for more