I done good
 

You sure did. Congratulations!

Congratulations, Ann. I'm looking forward to your poem surfacing, hopefully soon.

Best,

Ed

Ed, scroll down the page.

Congrats, Annie.
Ed, wait no longer...

Ann Drysdale, Commended

Tench

Pale lips, Ophelia’s, kissing the cool surface
before the grey-green turn, the disappearance.
A swift glimpse of an unsuspected tench
left in the depths of the abandoned pond
the day I shut the gate and let it be.

Now, decades later, I’ve reclaimed the land,
stepping back into the old shared vision,
renewing my acquaintance with the trees,
keeping our promise to the unseen creatures
that have made homes among the dereliction.

I am restoring our beloved pond,
wondering if I’ll see those waxy lips,
wishing I might, hoping I don’t, believing
that for as long as I remain unsure
the old tench will be safe among the lilies.

Taken for granted, hypothetical,
my faith will save it, like applause for fairies,
like the imagined cat of every colour
preserved forever in a lidless box
as a beloved possibility.

Congratulations, Ann,
and thank you Jayne for posting the poem.
It is lovely!

Best,
Vera

Congratulations, Ann! Good poem. I just finished reading your collection Vanitas, which my sister Mary brought me, and I enjoyed it very much. I was good to see some old favorites that I remember from your earlier postings, as well as many that I do not.

Susan

Congratulations, Ann!

Lovely poem, Anne. Applause!

Cheers,
John

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Nice one, Ann. I had brought your "Vanitas" to Mexico to read while there and forgot to pack it when coming home. It is now likely a part of the still-life on the bookshelf of the casa we stayed in, and hopefully is picked up from time to time by those unsuspecting of the wildlife within.
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