Winners 2005 : Second Prize

Summer School 2012

The 8th Tower Poetry Summer School for young poets aged 18-23 will be held in Christ Church, Oxford from 28-31 August 2012. The tutors will be Alan Gillis (University of Edinburgh, Scotland) and Kevin Young (Emory University, Atlanta, USA).

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Poetry Matters

Poetry Matters is an exciting on-line poetry magazine which provides a fresh, dynamic perspective on poetry issues through a mix of news, reviews and comment.

Craig Farrell

The Fall

Even the sights of Eden now seem changed:
The day that drips like liquid green through leaves
And spills on the fresh grass; the trees arranged
In perfect patterns, resting on the head
Of perfect hills; rivers that idly laze
And match the tranquil sky while a cloud weaves
Its way across the void - all these things blaze
With different lights, their shadows gored with red.

Last night my dreams were full of many things:
I saw our heaven crack along its length
And hurl an angel, bright with burning wings,
Down from the wound. Like some dropped sun it tore
Through darkness black as sin, and as it fell
It lit the universe and shone with strength
Enough to kindle all the fires of hell;
Never was such a sunset seen before.

Nothing, it seems, can stay aloft forever.
There's heavy forces snaking through the hearts
Of all creation, pulling minds to sever
Their string-frail stems, and let themselves fall free.
Through Eden's perfect orchards, daylight lingers,
Clutching at branches as the sunset starts,
Grasping with desperate, crimson, fire-tinged fingers.
The apple seems so fragile on its tree.

About Tower Poetry

Tower Poetry exists to encourage and challenge everyone who reads or writes poetry. Funded by a generous bequest to Christ Church, Oxford, by the late Christopher Tower, the aims of Tower Poetry are clear: to stimulate an enjoyment and critical appreciation of poetry, particularly among young people in education, and to challenge people to write their own poetry. Creative writing should be a central element in literary education, and learning about writing poetry can help students to think about ways of reading poetry.

Publications

The Twelve:

Poems from the 7th Tower Poetry Summer School 2010
Edited by Daljit Nagra and Jo Shapcott
The Twelve contains 56 poems from the 12 young poets who attended the Summer School.