"Update on that poetry thing I entered" :) - Dark Phoenix

Hullo fellow USMers. A while ago i posted a poem of mine which had been shortilisted in a national poetry competition (this is in Ireland btw).
Turns out that I came joint-second, which isn't bad consdiering they received over 2200 entries, so I'm happy :) Got fifty euro and a shiny medal!

Anyway the best part is it gets published in the new year along with all the other shortlisted poems.

Bad part is the embarassment when my school found out and it ended up in the local paper and such. Also I found out today that another English teacher in my Mom's school is actually doing my poem with her class which is pretty cool (if also extremely embarassing as i know most of those girls)

Anyways, here's my joint-second place poem:


"The Poppy Field" -




We hid our cache of weapons-
Bamboos pillaged from the garden centre
In a daring daytime raid,
To rid the poppy field of its oppressors
And be home in time for tea,
The palette-palisades
Stood firm beneath the trees.


Two armies lined the battleground-
A phalanx of dustbin lids and bonfire fuel,
Some brandished Cúchulainn’s sword,
Revelling in the wilderness beyond their mother’s call,
Tied their ties above their eyes
And waited for the opening skirmishes of words
To simmer into stones.


My cohorts claimed their victory-
A hero’s portion, the mottled field
Waved its thanks to weary soldiers
Marching home in time for tea
Carrying epic stories
And a fistful of dock leaves.


In winter we retreated
To eat the lotus leaves of
Hallowe’en and Christmas.
The urban fathers had laid their shield before the gates.
And the powerful runes of heritage,
Would repel the only enemy
Daring to dislodge us.


In April we returned to find
The barbarian beast dug in,
Scaffold skeleton encased
In corrugated armour and chain link fence.
The Poppy Field Retail Park
Drowned the world in noise and drained
The wonder from our dreams.



-Dark Phoenix

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