Poetry and Creative Writing for All

The Top 5 Poems of the Month

February 2009

	Gerald Parker is now a Featured Poet! Read his biography and more of his poems

Paperweight

He passed it round the class:
a piece of Roman pottery;
expected them to gasp,
to marvel at something so old:
part of a handle, red fired clay
with traces of ancient paint;

wanted them to imagine
the potter at his wheel,
his black curly hair,
sitting in the sun,
turning the glistening jug,
attaching the curving handle,
adding delicate grooves
with the tip of his wet finger,
for a pleasing effect
at the height of the Empire;
a potter who would not know
how many hands would grasp
this handle and carry the vessel
which would serve its purpose
(for how long?) until it broke,
and a piece of the handle
was inserted in mortar
between blocks of stone
at the base of the temple wall,
in Municipium Augusta Bilbilis,
in Hispania, for two thousand years;

thought they might wonder
if a thirsty builder placed it there,
after drinking from the jug
which slipped from his grip and
broke because he was drunk, perhaps;
or a cheeky child or a passer-by,
sneakily pushing it into place,
like carving initials for a laugh
or something to be remembered for,
before finally the mortar went dry;

hoped they’d ask themselves
what things of theirs would someone
find in two thousand years,
what legacy would they leave?

Poor misguided teacher;
assumed he’d left them his.

Gerald Parker

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Here are the other four winning poems for this month.

Love in His Grandaughter's Eyes

When he closes his eyes
And lays his head to rest
He dreams of her
Old memories relived
A smile that makes the sunshine
And eyes that
Could see his soul
Wrinkles that showed their life together
Lain across her face
He smiled deep in sleep
As he dreamt of hands held
On a cold winter's night
Under the starlit sky
His smile suddenly disturbed
As he watches her limp hand fall
As well as his tears

She looks peaceful
Against the white of the hospital sheets
A long life lived
But not long enough  
He lived for her love
And now he waits
Till the day she’s in his arms again
He wakes up
And sighs as he gazes at the empty bed
Wiping the sleep out of his eyes
He stands up
Ready to face another day
The door creaks open
A sleepy eyed head appears
And runs to his feet

He sees her in his granddaughter's face
He holds his granddaughter tight in his arms
And thinks how proud she would have been
He looks into the little girl's eyes
And can feel his heart warming everyday
They say time heals
But for him it’s the laughter and love
Of his granddaughter
And now the waiting doesn’t feel so hard

Imogen Box

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Shadows

Each time I close my eyes I feel the weight of my worries drop to the
base of my heart,

The pain that was so clearly evident in my glazed eyes falls to the wall within me,

The wall that surrounds me,
I'm unsure of my own actions,

Unsure of my own feelings,

feelings that  betray the words I so easily speak,
Each time I close my eyes,
I feel the weight of my worries reach my soul,
The very soul which tries each day to find the strength to live 
another day,

To face yet another twenty-four hours of agony as to how someone can still breathe when the air was taken from them so long ago,
Glazed eyes, Strained smiles, Broken laughs,
Everything seems to be tainted with the aura of darkness surrounding 
ones steps,
Where once who's shadow used to be seen behind them,
Now seems to walk step in step with them.

Palvisha Iqbal

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IN MEMORY OF MY SON 1975-2001

Karen Fowler

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Emotional Affair ...

Graham Hollingdale

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To submit a poem to the Online Poetry Competition, email inbox@forwardpress.co.uk (Enter Top 5 Poems of the Month in the subject line, including your name and postal address)

Or post your poems to Top 5 Poems of the Month, Forward Press Ltd, Remus House, Coltsfoot Drive, Peterborough PE2 9JX (Write your name and address on each piece of work you send)