Judge Ella Frears awarded 3rd prize in our annual members’ Folio competition to Last night I dreamt I was Emily Bronte, by Satya Bosman.
Last night I dreamt I was Emily Bronte
after Emma Conally-Barklem
I was hanging linen on the line, washed the old fashioned way. I had
walked up a steep hill and could survey the valley unchanged for
generations. The wind was in a rage, expressed what I could not. Lines
everywhere you can’t see, can’t cross.
There are only a few hours left of this dream. Pinch a loaf from the
bakery, kick a rock creating an avalanche down the hill. Learn the names
of flowers – wild angelica, flowering rush. Tame a hawk and call him Nero.
You might not get another chance Emily Bronte.
Ella Frears commented: I loved the voice of this poem – funny and odd and charming. Often other people’s dreams can be so boring but this felt alive, it carried me along and left me wanting more. I liked details such as ‘the old fashioned way’ and ‘tame a hawk and call him Nero.’ Also how the second stanza picked up pace, became a lovely list of things to do before the time runs out – ‘Pinch a loaf from the bakery, kick a rock creating an avalanche down the hill.’ A fun poem that I loved spending time with.
The Kent & Sussex Poetry Society 