Hi Everyone

I don’t know about the poetry competition being a challenge for you, it’s a pretty big task having to judge it and this month was closer than most. I’d asked you to imagine an empty photo frame and to fill it with a word picture about someone who means a lot to you. I’d suggested film stars or historical figures but over half of our entrants chose to write about their Mums. And as we’re close to Mother’s Day, that was particularly poignant. Our outright winner this month is David Konigsberg whose poem about Auntie Bertha most certainly painted a picture of this colourful lady.

AUNTIE BERTHA by DAVID KONIGSBERG

I miss you differently on different days

I miss you differently in different seasons

Your Autumn leaves were purple and aquamarine

Sure, sometimes you were cluttered

Sometimes you kinda stuttered

And muttered!

In Ruski, in Yiddish, in a rambled English

Your handbag was more fascinating

Richer and poetic than any far corner of the British Museum

the Met in New York

or the Prado in Madrid

and Dali was an ennui near you

Picasso was somewhat ordinary

In your milieu

There were stanzas, grouped words in your poesies

But a rambled zillion dimensioned octopus

of a primordial form and shade and style

I adore you

 

I just have room today for one more poem, and this is:

MOTHER by DON REUBEN

A pretty little lady

Always smiling

Hair well groomed

Neatly clad

Colours well coordinated

Skin as smooth as a baby

 

Full of goodness and purity

Kind and gentle

Trustworthy in all her dealings

Helpful to friends and family

Would not do anything wrong

Good moral conscience

 

Loved by most

Cares about people

A humble soul

A woman with dignity

Generous to those in need

Good religious values

Worth more than gold

That's my mother

 

Next month’s subject is The Library. You can widen it if you wish and write about your favourite book or author. From Shakespeare to Agatha Christie by way of Enid Blyton or a gripping biography - can’t wait to see your poems. The usual rule of no longer than twenty lines applies and I’d like your poems in by 24th March please.

I will be getting in touch with Harrow libraries to see whether they’d be able to display some of the entries.

But again, congratulations to David Konigsberg and honourable mention to Don Reuben.

We had some other runners up and I’ll be posting poems by Sukriti Bisht, Natalie Reuben, John Clarke, Michael Gerstein and Jeff Edmunds at a later date. Sorry not to be able to include everyone but keep trying.

Judy

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here