In Competition No. 3266, you were invited to reimagine one of Philip Larkin’s poems in the style of a poet of your choice.
This challenge was a nod to the centenary last month of the poet’s birth, the response to which – though the Philip Larkin Society was upbeat: ‘so much is happening!’ – seemed somewhat muted. So the enthusiastic response to this invitation was heartening.
Congratulations and commiserations to unlucky losers Terry Parsons, Kit Wittering, Paul Freeman, Ann Drysdale, Atar Hadari and Joshua Kulseth. The winning entries earn their authors £30. Leading the way is Bill Greenwell’s John Betjeman, who described his friend Larkin as ‘tenderly observant’.
I am a busy ambulance. I scoot through midday traffic: Behind my quiet curtains, you may think the action’s graphic, But actually, old fruit, I am as private as the clergy, And one day I’ll be round to yours, my siren sounding dirge-y.
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