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Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2025: I tell Dad The Pope’s died
by Liz McPherson
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2025: I tell Dad The Pope’s died
We switch on the news, watch the crowd in St Peter’s Square. Dad informs me he’s been chosen, will take the name Hadrian. Why you? I ask. Well, he says, it’s been established, I’m the oldest male Catholic in the world. I nod. He adds, and the only English Pope died in 1159. They think it’s time there was another one. So, what about the smoke thing? I say. Formality, replies the new Pope. I’ve already got the role. And, they’ve agreed I can work from home. They’ll put up a screen, Zoom me into Rome for blessings and so on. How do you stand on Trump and what about Mum? Convent, he replies. I agree, cheaper than a care home. And as for Trump, I’ll cut him a deal. I heard he wants a Sainthood but it’s a long process and he’ll have to be dead first. I leave him practising his sign of the cross. See you next week, Your Holiness.
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