Popular Triumph

Am delighted to say that my poem 'Night Sky' has been voted 2nd in the Orbis 159 Readers' Award.  Orbis is edited by the indefatigable Carole Baldock, and is well worth a subscription. Issue 160 is just out.  Details here.

And here is the poem, or at least a version thereof:

NIGHT SKY

Occasionally, I am adrift. Look up:

the star-splintered sky is full of time,

whole generations speeding away.

On a warm evening you can hear a beat

rising and falling on the breeze;

drying my sweat, there’s a gust of Welsh

through the open window. Look up:

Gandaberunda in flight above Kilburn,

a phoenix rising above Edgware.

North west London is alive with wings.

Astonishments, I suppose, but this happens

when looking for gods or reasons.

Note: Information on the magical, mythological Hindu bird Gandaberunda, here.