cw

Many thanks to all who entered this year's competition, and to Helen Ivory for adjudicating.

The winner was Antarctic Winter (2) by Ian Marriott. Helen also chose eight commended entries.

Antarctic Winter 2

by Ian Marriott

We are anchored by steel
We are wrapped in fibreglass, sheltered by alien fibres.
We are cocooned in feathers.
We are muffled by fur.
We are living in treacle.
We are living in treacle.
We are managing to cope with physical improbabilities.

But the underarm smell of my mother
carries like a pang over the snow and ocean.

My father’s awkward advances
cut cleaner than this chill wind

The memory of a woman
knots me as she un-knots me.

I am a Gordian bundle of bone and muscle.

Judges Comments: What struck me about this poem is that it is in two parts which almost act like they are in conversation. The first part is a list of seemingly contradictory materials - part man-made, part animal which build up an overall feeling of claustrophobia.

The second part of the poem marks a change of pace, which until now has been controlled with the listing device. The poem is now almost an outpouring of the visceral nature of belonging, alienation and the complications of human relationships.

The power of this poem grabbed me as soon as I read it, and I kept coming back to it. You get the sense that something very real is happening, and as with every good poem, it improves the more you read it.