Annus Mirabilis

In Competition No. 2525 you were invited to submit a poem in which the opening of Philip Larkin’s ‘Annus Mirabilis’ was adapted so that ‘two thousand and seven’ was substituted for ‘nineteen sixty-three’ and ‘sexual intercourse’ replaced by whatever you considered appropriate. Many of your entries had a Larkin-esque bleakness and grim humour. Here’s William Danes-Volkov, man of few words: My writing career began/ In two thousand and seven/ And ended.

At the other end of the spectrum Alan Millard’s verse about the joys of retirement was a drop of golden sun, with some nice Larkin references but an effervescent, celebratory tone which contrasts starkly with the mounting fear and despair that seemed to consume the poet from middle age onwards.

The winners, printed below, get £25 each. The bonus fiver goes to David Silverman’s revolutionary Teddy Bears. Happy New Year. 

Led astray by his email address, I wrongly attributed the lead limerick in last week’s competition to Bill Leith rather than to Bill Greenwell.