[Birthe Myers]

Well, I don't know about you, but I think the two poems that won are not nearly as clever or as amusing as the two from here.

[Martin Parker]

Jayne, Thanks for posting that. For the record I must make clear that I am a stickler for apostrophes and the last line of v 2, as sent to the Lit. Rev., was " .. in AN almost winner's eyes." They have now published my stuff twice, each time with an error.

Birthe, Thank you. I agree, of course!

Incidentally, here in rural North Devon my favourite local Bakery sells "Sandwich'es." And I recently saw a display of "Tomatoe's' " -- sadly, a failure at attempted bet-hedging, I suspect!

[Jayne Osborn]

Martin,

Is it an error in that line - or have they made an executive decision to change it? I've heard of comp winners many a time who have had lines altered by the judge(s) - an outrageous practice IMO (with the exception of an obvious little typo that's been missed in an otherwise brilliant poem).
Would you like me to change it?

I agree with Birthe - "We You was robbed!" as some of the footballers say. Your poem's great

... and don't even start me on the misuse of apostophes! One of my students wrote 'The teachers' book's were on the table' and 'the bird was in it's nest', prior to the lesson on apostrophes, I hasten to add, so I didn't have to lock her in a cupboard for a week, after all.

[Martin Parker]

Jayne, If they had decided to make the winners plural they would have needed to change my apostrophe. So I suspect they have simply been careless. Whatever happened to Copy and Paste?

And on apostrophes -- (i've started, so I'll finish.....)


Greengrocers Apostrophe’s


Potatoe’s and Tomatoes’?

Why make a fuss?
Soon nobody will care,
not even us.

Or us|