National Poetry Anthology 2010

Head Librarian Joanne Smith (right) and Carole Quinn of United Press (left) make the presentation of the trophy and £1000 cheque to Daphne at Bedford Central Library.

Below you can read Daphne Warrick's winning poem, The Swan.

THE SWAN

Late in the dusk, in the quiet ways
Where the leaves lie thick in a carpet
Where the boughs overhang of the willow and birch
And the warren is home for the rabbit,
There shimmers the lake, in a silvery sheen
Beneath the April moon
And the mute swan glides to her mountainous nest
With reeds and sedges strewn
And snug in the hollow are four little bodies
Soft covered in pale grey down
Awaiting the warmth of their mother’s form
And the weed that the pen has found.
They will sleep cocooned in the rippling dark
Under the lofty sky
And the night wind’s breath will quiver the leaves
And the towering grasses nearby.
But soon as the rosy hue of dawn
Lights up the woodland track
She will sail in grandeur over the lake
With the cygnets on her back.

Daphne Warrick

Daphne was voted the overall winner by the 250 poets published in the National Poetry Anthology 2010, every poet published in the book is also a winner in their own right. Below are links to press cuttings for some of the other published poets in the book.