The Weight of Glass by Sue Spiers

For the last two years, and going forward, we’ve had three categories in the the Hysteria Writing Competition; Short Stories, Flash Fiction and Poetry. I’d like to share the winning entry in the of the Hysteria 2015 Poetry Category. It’s called The Weight of Glass and is written by Sue Spiers.

The Weight of Glass

A glacial cylinder with its thumb-thick base,

its circumference weighted to balance a hand’s span,

mazarine reflections of the fjord’s ice.

The fire-pit spits out sparks of moonlight.

My tongue courts the contents of the glass;

A dalliance of lakkalikööri, a sting, a glow.

glabrous swirling coats its inner skin;

reminders of cold nights encased in your arms.

****

Each year, the cover of the anthology is inspired by one of the three overall category winners, and the cover for Hysteria 4 was given over to Sue’s fabulous poem.

Hysteria 2016 ends in August so you still have plenty of time to enter, but if you entry is ready now why not Enter Now and let our wonderful judges read it.

If you are still curious about what might make a good poem, then why not have a have a read of our post advice on Submitting a Poem to the Hysteria Writing Competition from Bridget Whelan, a previous writer in residence.