Listen to the world’s best poetry read out loud.
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2023: Son of the Morning
by Amanda T McIntyre
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2023: Son of the Morning
Naked by the standpipe in the early morning,
bleeding blue adventures down the drain,
his foil wings leaning against the wall,
the pitchfork cooling, the flambeau put out,
the crown of horns removed from his head.
An autobiography in wire that bent lost years
into a twisted tail; a narrative unbuckled
from his waist. Wasted too, in the ephemera,
was the story of how he heard his true name
roaring after the rebel’s flight across flames
that cultivated then burnt histories of power;
that articulated its revision, setting fire to the sky.
Then he, the archangel of those vengeful hours,
began the Carnival, playing his mas to the max;
a dread Romeo chasing the devil, who was himself,
lost and found, in and out of space and time
folding around his other life cast on the stage
of the burgeoning day, passing his dreams away.
A special thank you to our WordView 2023 poets.
Here's what our PAN Wordview 2023 judges have to say about this year's competition. Robert Seatter, says "ever a joy and a privilege to co-judge the Poetry Archive Now annual competition, tapping into a pulse of thought and feeling from around the globe, condensed into intensely crafted poems. The entries came from all continents, covered myriad themes, spoke in different voices, but all shared a fundamental belief in the power of poetry to speak from the soul."
Courtney Conrad says "the poets who participated in this competition reminded us that poetry is a tool for change, a medium for reflection, and a source of inspiration. These poets have left an indelible mark on me and the world, and I can't wait to see how their words continue to shape our collective consciousness in the future."
Merrie Joy Williams says "The Poetry Archive is such an indispensable resource - the idea that a poem read in a poet’s own voice can outlast those seemingly endless moments tinkering until a poem feels right, or at least robust enough to convey a memory or insight - so exploring these entries was a privilege and joy. Selecting a final twenty was tortuous. So many captured the spirit of these times, when so many things are at risk of erosion or at a critical juncture: the environment, the misuse of AI, truthfulness, the modus operandi of those who run our countries, and issues of social justice and humanity. Others captured personal moments of reckoning in bold and intimate and surprising ways. Somehow we’ve managed to narrow them down and here we have, I think, a wide range of voices and approaches, personal and political, national and international, witty and wise, often proving that these dialectic notions are one and the same."
See the collectionWatch the full Wordview 2023 playlist