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Nova Prize 2016: “in the wake of e e cummings” by bruce greenhalgh

The Nova Prize is awarded by the Anthology editors to the best poem by a poet who has not been previously published in an FSP anthology. This year’s winner is in the wake of e e cummings by bruce greenhalgh.

in the wake of e e cummings by bruce greenhalgh

what no punctuation he cried
without an exclamation mark
without quotation marks
hovering over his words

but words remain
and fall like rain
from grey verbose clouds
onto grey receptive roads
at first the worddrops make
distinct marks
then patterns
then spreading like gossip
they join together
and whole discussions tumble along gutters

and dive noisily
into the mouths of drains

while i’m…
i’m feeling lower case
splashing iambic feet through prolix puddles

as conversation forms on cooling windows
i peer into a distance obscured
by the mists of cliché
and feeling a non sequitur coming on
i take a line break
to consider the meteorology of enjambment
the syntax of clouds
full stop

Satura Prize 2016: “Courage” by Elaine Barker

The Satura Prize is awarded to the best poem in the FSP Anthology according to an external judge. This year the judge was Richard Tipping and the Prize Winning poem is Courage by Elaine Barker. See more of Elaine’s work here and read Richard’s award commendation speech here. (pics: Martin Christmas and Ian Gibbins).

Courage by Elaine Barker

Like his mates he slept upright night after night.
The sheepskin jacket was not enough to warm him –
even his bones were racked.
The whale oil he rubbed into his feet
never enough to stop the rot.
A mild-mannered man, he was always last
over the top, then he’d charge like a barbarian
shouting obscenities as he ran,
all of them madmen shooting and stabbing
in the red fire, rolling smoke and the filthy mud.

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Gala Launch of Anthology #40 – Nova and Satura Prize winners

Front Cover of Anthology

The FSP June City Meeting was devoted to the launch of Friendly Street Poets Anthology 40 “Many Eyes, Many Voices” edited by Murray Alfredson and Margaret Clark and launched by FSP founding member, Richard Tipping.

 

The Nova Prize for best poem by a poet not previously published in an FSP anthology went to Bruce Greenhalgh for his poem, in the wake of  e e cummings.

The Satura Prize for best poem in the anthology went to Eileen Barker for her poem Courage.

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