Foreword
Any anthology of writing is like a treasure chest. You
know it will be full of good things, and every time you dip into it, you bring
out something unexpected, unique, rich and glorious. The treasure chest you
hold in your hands has another bonus. The writers whose work appears here have
two advantages over contributors to other anthologies. First, they belong to
Lancashire, a county of contrasts, coastline, countryside, bustling towns, wide
open spaces, and characters with the warmth, wit and wisdom to cheer and
inspire. Also, they belong to an association that has been in existence for
more than a century, putting into practice its intention to promote the study
of Lancashire literature, history, traditions and dialect.
The association provides fellowship and support for all its
members - practising authors, readers, and anyone who loves literature, history
and the Lancashire experience. Its meetings are lively, with interesting guest
speakers and a platform for airing work. Its magazines and newsletters are
crammed with features, stories and poems. Its competitions encourage members to
extend the range of their writing and produce top quality material.
In this book you will find a wealth of contemporary writing,
the winning entries in various competitions, including the latest winner of the
Writer of the Year award. This is your treasure chest. Lift the lid - and
prepare yourself for a treat.
Alison Chisholm
BATTY CUP
Any free verse in Standard English
(Not exceeding 100 Lines)
Adjudicator: David Lythgoe
1st On
the Verdant Banks of the Ribble by Peter Foster
2nd Chromosomes
by Frank Gibson
3rd Remnant
of War by Frank Gibson
On The Verdant Banks of the Ribble
Peter Foster
What was there before?
Before the war birds
Came to the verdant
banks of the Ribble:
Hedgerows, meadows, hay
crops and pastures
Silence;
Broken only by
bird-song or the chattering of the
Mowing machine knife
and the thrum of a tractor;
Out on the marsh the
report of a fowler’s gun,
Or in the early mist a
fog-horn’s bellow from the river.
First came theodolite,
then the dozers and graders
Gouging out a gash
through the Fylde coast clay, making way
For Uncle Sam’s
horsemen riding out from Savannah
Through clouds and
waves the cavalry came to save the day
An ocean apart, bound
by a fractious history and blood:
Good ol’ boys from
Dixie to the red rose county coast:
Symbols from other
wars, or maybe it’s the same war!
Yes, the cavalry came,
the ‘boogie woogie bugle boys’
With fire and fear in
their hearts and death in their sights,
America’s finest, sent
into the war-stormed skies of Europe
Their mission: to
liberate the innocent from evil, but when
A storm ceased to be a
metaphor on those verdant river banks
A Liberator became the
unintended executioner of innocents
And a generation found
the eternal silence of the grave.
On the 23 August 1944 a B24 Liberator bomber crashed
into Freckleton village school during a violent storm, destroying the infant
class and causing damage to surrounding houses and a café. Two planes had taken
off on a test flight from nearby Warton USAF base (now BAE Systems) at 10:30.
One escaped the storm, the other crashed and the school clock stopped at 10:47.
After the storm it was a beautiful summer’s day.
In total 61 people died that day: 38 children, 2 teachers, 7
civilians, 4 RAF servicemen and 10 USAF servicemen including the pilot and crew
of the stricken aircraft.
No comments:
Post a Comment