| InterBoard Poetry Competition | |
SWOON
Lauren
(Writer’s Block)
The first time I fell back,
hit my head on the pew.
No more than a plum-sized bump
but Mother dragged me down
to the empty bathroom,
woke me up with icy water.
From then on, overcome,
the world often spun.
At the children’s Christmas pageant
I watched my younger sister lead
the winged procession to
a little Mary, veiled and expectant.
My father struck a match
and lit his cigarette. Outside the car,
snow fell white and fast. Night
closed waist-deep and held us.
He called me histrionic.
Judge Anthony Robinson’s comments: “Though slight at first glance, ‘Swoon’ rewards multiple reads; its seemingly plain construction and narrative are a foil for many small pleasures. The beauty and accuracy of language (‘plum-sized bump,’ ‘Night / closed waist-deep and held us.’) and the slight mystery of the story--the switch from church to car, the uncertain passage of time, the characterization of the young speaker as ‘histrionic’ by the father--elevate this poem from mere anecdote to an almost-chilling, but strangely peaceful family drama, full of the sort of emotional ambiguity often missing in such poems.”
About the InterBoard Poetry Competition
Archive of IBPC Winners
2nd Place Winner, September 2004
