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Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2025: Swapping riders on The Clothes Horse
by Steve Harrison
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2025: Swapping riders on The Clothes Horse
Swapping riders on The Clothes Horse
Three weeks after a wardrobe clear out
I saw myself manniquinned in the window
of the British Heart Foundation charity shop.
That discarded cardigan and those tartan trousers
had never looked so good on me;
and now even better, coordinated with a stranger’s scarf.
And will strangers recognise themselves in me
now I’m costumed in their cast-offs
and this season I’m wearing Air Ambulance, Oxfam, Samaritans ?
And what of those closer friends who give
me first dibs at their sadly recently departed partners’ stuff
and I expand my muscles lie Harry Houdini to fill Pete’s extra large German Flying Jacket I always fancied
or wear a t-shirt un der his Paul Smith 1980’s bobby dazzler shirt.
This is Rare Bloke’s garb that escapes the normal relegation to dirty jobs and painting kit
or the final demotion to the plastic charity bag for shoddy.
These are the pre-loved costumes,
swapping riders on the clothes horse,
measuring up ,awaiting the next body.
A special thank you to our WordView 2025 poets.
Hear from some our winners this year on what the Archive and winning has meant to them:
"I feel deeply grateful to be taking part in the chorus of voices honoured by PAN Worldwide 2025. Leonard Cohen famously sang that “every heart to love will come, but like a refugee.” For me, the same might be said of poetry. I came to the writing of it late, and thank The Poetry Archive for providing the encouragement to continue being brave in sharing it." - Michelle Robin Visser.
"I think it shows the importance of live spoken word to share poetry as equally as the printed word for some audiences." - Steve Harrison.
"Being part of the PAN Worldwide 2025 collection alongside 17 incredible poets from across the globe is both an honour and a reminder of the unifying power of poetry. Moving forward, I think this experience will stay with me, it has encouraged me to continue writing with honesty and openness, and to remember that my voice is part of something much larger than myself." - Panya Banjoko.
See the collectionWatch the full Wordview 2025 playlist