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Poetry competition 2023: Results
This was the first year GWT have held a poetry competition and we were astounded with the quality of entries we had. It made it very tough for our house judges and our Head Judge Jason Conway, Chair of Gloucester Poetry Society, to choose an overall winner.
Congratulations to all our winners and a huge thank you to everyone who entered. Keep your eyes peeled for a printed anthology entries from all our poets, available soon from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
Overall Winner
"I hold the fragile sphere" by JLM Morton.
The head judge had this to say on their final decision:
"Choosing an overall winner has been a difficult task due to the quality of writing submitted. This poem stood out for its softness, depth and wisdom. This is a wonderful poem reminding us of our ‘tender bonds on this tiny sphere of earth’."
Winners
Overall Winner and Winner of "Climate Change" Category
'I hold the fragile sphere" by JLM Morton.
"This poem speaks in tender rhythm of the interconnectedness of nature. It reminds us how privileged each of us are to exist on earth, ‘a miniscule speck on the sphere at the end of the day at the end of the world’, and the existential threat of climate change. There is so much to hold dear in these words." - Jason Conway, Head Judge
I hold the fragile sphere
of earth
and sit up on the long barrow
to see myself a miniscule speck
on the sphere at the end of the day
at the end of the world and tell
myself there could be more time
and the waters of the Severn promise
me they’ve always been to sea
and the neolithic souls promise
they’ve forever crossed between worlds
and that evening the larks crowd in
with the brome grass and molluscs,
the bee orchids and oolite undoing all
the binaries and bringing the outside
inside out and for a few hours
I feel completely held by the intimacy
of our strangeness multiplying
in tender bonds on this tiny sphere
of earth.
JLM Morton
after Joe Carrick-Varty
Winner of the "Nature Recovery Zones" Category
Crickley Hill,October by Judith Green.
"This poem is full of life and imagery, set in contrast to ‘the quite pulse of things’. How life goes on through a season of loss. The last line, ‘...and it heals’, for me, speaks of how nature can serve as therapy, and how these words capture the purpose of a Nature Recovery Zone. Where the land and its biodiversity have the space to heal.." - Jason Conway, Head Judge
Crickley Hill, October
It’s all still here, the quiet pulse of things
beneath the tunnels of trees,
in the kestrel’s quivering dot above the stubble,
and the straggling swallows,
it still pulses through the greenness
revived by recent rains
and in the fringes of October turning leaves,
still in the lore that cows lie down to save a dry patch,
the holly bearing berries early,
in hedgerow-tangled seed heads and twining bryony
knitted by a flight of tumbling sparrows.
And on the Hill
I walk the woods and see you pass from tree to tree
a finger’s length away,
still with me here where we once walked together
… and it heals.
Judith Green
Winner of the "Gloucestershire Wildlife" Category
Barn Owl by Corinna Board
"This poem, full of atmosphere, is rich in musicality and steeped in barn own symbolism. A majestic creature of the night, in search of prey while humans dream. This is as much a joy to read as it is to speak." - Jason Conway, Head Judge
Barn Owl
We met on the route to Monday.
You – colour of dusk, mapping out
the boundary between road and hedgerow.
Wings like an ache, pale heart face,
feathers of autumn bracken.
Like prey, I was held in your talons,
but it was late – I was rushing for my train.
I left you at the turning,
half-expecting you to follow.
That night you flew into my mind –
quiet as shadow, eyes full of knowing,
fading at the crossroads
between dream and deep sleep.
Corinna Board
Joint Winner of the "Youth Competition"
Gone by Martha Vickerman
"This poem succinctly places you in a domestic setting then expands its viewpoint rapidly to have the reader look into the implications of our day to day lives on the planet. The final line in breaking the scansion, really hits hard and gets the message across " - Rhys Howell, GWT Judge
Gone
The heater is on.
We’re all nice and cozy,
Sat in the car,
Cheeks a little rosy.
Our planet goes through this every day,
We never stop to think of the way,
We destroy our home as we know it today.
We live in a city, a town, or a street,
We breath in pollution wherever we meet,
Don’t notice the way we defeat,
The world not everyone will meet.
The countryside is different,
You’re in for a treat,
Less poison from the busy street;
But still, we do not retreat.
We do not stop,
We never cease,
Adding to this growing beast.
Fast fashion,
Diesel power,
Landfill growing by the hour.
If we don’t start to care,
The Earth we live on will soon be bare,
In despair,
Never there...
Gone.
Joint Winner of the "Youth Competition"
Weather Wonders by Walter Ebam Jr
"Walter has written a playful poem about a serious subject. I love the imagery conjured up by Kerplop."- Rhys Howell, GWT judge.
Weather Wonders
From sunny weather to shadowy skies
There always is a big surprise
Wet weather be annoying
But you have to keep on going
Thunders big or small
All can pop a ball
Sunny weather
No better
All are hot
Just like pot
By our hands came this mess
The truth we must confess
Climate change needs to stop
So icebergs don't kerplop.
If you missed this year's competition and are waiting for next year's to come around, here are some other actions you can take for nature in the meantime.