A supplement with my package came from The Poetry Society titled: Fools: Love: And: Salt, Foyle
Young Poets of the Year and at the back of the cover of the little book is an entry form 2O12 and anyone between the ages of 11 and 17 can enter to have their work chosen and the poems have to be entered before
the deadline which is 31 July 2O12: So that is an exclusive for the Young Poet!
The Foyle Young Poets Awards are an important beckoning points for younger writers .... they recognise a poet's
first adventures into a public space for their poetry - writes David Morley Professor of Writing University of Warwick!
There are 25 selections so I have selected to discuss: Polly Fullerton with "Burnout Ballad" .
with its 9 stanzas and its emphasis on sentiment rather than equanimity coupled with a reference to
La Belle dame sans Merci and here one can chart the influence of great poetry on this youtful writer.
But not to overlook .. Philanthropy or the link with sanguine love - writing about the activities of a
courtesan the line "blackened air around a flame .. " is a collective metaphor for this notion of the
fancy lady which appears to be well handled by this young writer whom one might imagine would not
still be stretched at the drawing board of love of the flesh ............ not so the Young Poet holds position
with tenacity and has a grasp of the language of the bedroom ......but lets not overlook this young writer's
finishing line of "True celibacy" which rhymes perfectly with "rude delicacy" so the juxtaposition is
apposite as we can talk the poem through from sexual love to absence of sex almost like the
flowering of youth into the fully engaged world of the adult poet!
Thanks: to The Poetry Society and I did enjoy reading the others which created a slim vol book of delightful
poems: Hard work pays UP!