Earlier this month, my poem “Ripple” was shortlisted for the 4th Anniversary Contest by Canadian publication DarkWinter Lit. Now, my poem “Asphalt” is on the short list for a British contest, by The Poetry Lighthouse, an online and print magazine and publishing house, that will also publish my bilingual collection Drijfhout/Driftwood.
The award ceremony, during which the winners will be announced, will take place online on Sunday, July 5. The editors have asked me to read my poem during this event. Everyone is welcome to tune in. I’ll share the link here as soon as I receive it myself.
Asphalt
I walked toward the factory spills, the fumes
of diesel cars banned from the city center
gathering in carpool parking lots
like civil servants in a fire drill.
I followed the pushy cabs, the clatter of trams
and the bass tones of a local cover band’s soundcheck.
Five men with a midlife crisis, playing the same setlist
every week for the last twenty years.
Keep on rockin’ in the free world.
What I found was a spring afternoon,
stretching on the asphalt like a lazy cat.
Warmth crawling under my winter clothes.
Yawning bar staff fighting the remains
of a wild Friday night with brown soap.
Strong arms reaching for full beer barrels
from cellar holes.
Ice cubes clinking in a cocktail glass,
clear as a wind chime on a summer day.
The waiter who winked at me and said
it’s five o’clock somewhere.
And it hit me,
not for the first time, how this city
is an old friend I lost touch with,
but still embraces me without hesitation
every time we meet by accident.
(c) Leen Raats
Asphalt is one of the poems that will be included in Drijfhout/Driftwood. You don’t want to miss it? Fill in the form below and I’ll send you an e-mail when the book is published!
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