Poem - MAG Poetry Prize 2010

The Purest Morning

by James Brightman
Milton Keynes, UK

The day I wake up and smile at the sun
I will hold no contempt for man and his machinations
The day I wake up and breathe in the stale air
I will help the man on the ground I turn my nose out
 
And here, in dreadful vertigo
My laughter subsides and my sweat is ice cold
He only knows when it’s time to go
When all the tears are cried and my soul is sold
 
Today I woke up and I looked into his eyes
I saw the whole world was begging me to come back
Today I woke up and I felt his breath on my skin
I saw the whole world and the farcical joy that it contains
 
Asleep and not breathing lightly
Our eyes are red and our lips turned deep blue
What is it worth to a figure so unsightly
For the sentences from my lips to be wholly true?

Added: 16.04.2010

Judges' comments on this poem

06.05.2010

If you use end rhyme, it's best to be consistent - here some stanzas rhyme and some don't.'I turn my nose out'is difficult to visualise

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