Hugo Jeudy – The certainty of your goodness

Posted on January 19, 2022 | Comments Off on Hugo Jeudy – The certainty of your goodness

Last night a boat came in to Ramadi.
Blindfolded with rocks, I dreamt of my sisters.

There is a rash in this desert
a wind in your gaze.

Along the edge of your absence, the warm
forehead of a child had followed me.
It is always so cold in the staircase of our names.

Beloved, the word erases
the hand.
The snow beats the measure of our love
and it is a life which uncovers its shadow at last.

My throat knots up; and the pontoon forgets your hand,
but you lie down, and the dried blood of my bird
comes to huddle against your life.

Braid your tears to the fields that will not come
and whisper this blue star before kissing my wrist.

Your tears are in Ramadi.
How I would have liked to make a hem to your distress.
Your tears are in Ramadi.
I was so scared you would return.

‘The certainty of your goodness’ by Hugo Jeudy received a special mention in the Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition (October 2021) judged by Rachel Long.

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Clare Starling – Pokémon In The Cemetery

Posted on January 18, 2022 | Comments Off on Clare Starling – Pokémon In The Cemetery

Pokémon In The Cemetery

At the grave of Blondin Tightrope Walker
You got two Great Balls and a Pinap Berry

At the Mausoleum of James Morrison
You battled with a Growlithe
You beat it easily with your Sandslash

At the Soyer Tomb
Grade II Listed by English Heritage
You evolved your Woobat
Into a Swoobat

Walking west, the canal was there
Beyond the railings
And woodland sheltered older graves

A woman passed us with wrapped flowers
I did not raise my head in time
To meet her eyes with an apology

Me and you, spending this morning
Smelling the turning leaves
Feeling the misty rain
Wiping it away from the bright screen.

‘Pokémon In The Cemetery’ by Clare Starling received a Special Mention in the Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition (October 2021) judged by Rachel Long.

CLARE STARLING

Clare Starling has written fiction for many years but only recently fell in love with reading and writing poetry. She writes a poem every day and loves using words to capture a moment of life. She is an expert in equalities policy and a Goldsmiths graduate, and lives in London with her husband and Pokémon-loving son.

Enter the current Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition. Prizing poetry…since July 2009.

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Eve Chancellor – Home Sweet Home

Posted on January 18, 2022 | Comments Off on Eve Chancellor – Home Sweet Home

EVE CHANCELLOR

Home Sweet Home

This is the kitchen, the estate agent said.
This is where you will have breakfast together
at the weekends. Scrambled eggs
just the way you like,
with a knob of butter,
the toast almost burnt.
She will tell you she enjoys cooking here
more than at the old house,
now that she has a nice view out
over the garden.

During the week,
this table will get used for letters and bills.
It is where you will sit every evening,
after you start your new job.

When your son gets into university,
you will talk about it here:
what day you are driving him up to
Sheffield, how much he should pack,
while she mentally sets aside pots and pans.

Next, your kitchenware will become compartmentalised
into boxes: knives and forks
wrapped up in tea-towels,
the non-stick saucepan from the collection
at John Lewis (the one you will say
is too good to give him);
you will argue about it here,
in front of the window,
where she used to enjoy looking out
over the garden,
clutter pooling at your feet.

Later, when she wraps her arms around you
to apologise, you will freeze
in the middle of washing up-

Yes, I can just picture us here, she said,
already hanging up their wedding photos.
The husband slipped out his wallet and said,
We’ll take it.

‘Home Sweet Home’ by Eve Chancellor received a high commendation in the Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition (October 2021) judged by Rachel Long.

Eve Chancellor is a Teacher of English in Manchester, and she has previously studied in Liverpool and Melbourne. She has a MLitt in Victorian Literature from the University of Glasgow. Her poems have appeared in ‘Fly on the Wall’ and ‘Ink, Sweat and Tears,’ and she has a short story published on ‘East of the Web.’ She is a member of SCBWI, graduate of the Golden Egg Academy and enjoys writing fiction for young adults.

Enter the current Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competiition
Prizing poetry…since July 2009 SLQ

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