Poetry & Poets in Rags blog
We lead off this week with stories of poets either in prison or in exile unjustly: Aung San Suu Kyi, Normando Hernandez Gonzalez, and Taslima Nasrin.
The wrongful treatment they receive not only highlights, at the very least, the incompetence of those who have taken rule of those countries, but it also makes the wronged parties world citizens. For instance, in the case of Suu Kyi, the general who has arrogated to himself the charge of the Burma, Than Shwe, comes off looking like an evil fool, who is holding one of our loved ones hostage. Our lead story has the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, traveling to meet Suu Kyi in the notorious Insein Prison where she is being held, the Burmese prison famous for torture and filthy conditions. Than Shwe is saying "no".
Congratulations are in order. Duncan Mercredi has selected the winning poems for June's IBPC competition. And thanks to him for a remarkable spring stint as judge. Here are his results:
1st Place: you think you’ve seen everything by Justin Hyde of Salty Dreams
2nd Place: Castle Hawk by Brian Edwards of Poets' Graves
3rd Place: 5 o'clock by Divina of Pen Shells
Honorable mention: The Sweat Lodge, As I Know It by Steve Meador of FreeWrights Peer Review
Honorable mention: Angling by Allen M. Weber of FreeWrights Peer Review
Honorable mention: The Big Easy by Bernard Hamel of About Poetry Forum
Thanks for clicking in.
Yours,
Rus
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