Poets Page 3
Grace Rose Culshaw is a poet from Parramatta, a member of New Writers Group Inc.
"Some Poems for Chris" won first prize in the inaugural
ZineWest competition, presented at Riverside Theatres, 10th June, 2007 by our judge thriller writer Prof Jane Goodall of the Writing and Society Research
Group (College of Arts, University of Western Sydney).
The judge's comments were:
"These (poems) are very spare and direct. They have an atmosphere, and a sense of restraint that allows the writer to trust the words,
instead of adding to them. The visualisations all work, and they communicate well."
SOME POEMS FOR CHRIS
©Grace Rose Culshaw
Sunday Church
In a pew
A tiny, frail boy fidgets
Pale skin, dark rimmed eyes.
It could be you.
Same curls, your Roman nose.
Darling of his Mum
In trendy tartan pants, baby Esprit
An angel down from Heaven
Checking out our luke-warm devotion?
Your Birthday Remembered
Your birthday
Thirty years on
Parramatta's gritty station
Platform one.
Swerve and duck
The black clad office commuters rush.
One tear escapes
No-one notices.
Did I call you darling
Often enough?
A Fantasy
Reverie
Strolling the cliff-tops
Above the sea.
My arm around his shoulder,
He looks up at me
Hint of a dimple,
Blue eyes clear
Healthy now.
A large bird hovers above
Soft brown, orange breast,
Russet tail feathers.
Chris is free,
They wheel and dive
'Why walk or run when I can fly'
He called.
Then they were gone.
The day turned cold
Alone on the cliff-top
I remembered he always wanted to fly.
The Writing and Society Research Group, in the College of Arts at the University of
Western Sydney co-sponsored the prizes in the ZineWest 07 competition. This group led by Ivor Indyk, brings together scholars in the humanities, writers,
and members of the publishing industry, who have a common interest in exploring the social power of writing. The group has doubled the first prize
of $200 to $400 and added a subscription of HEAT Magazine worth $60, to second prize.
