This week we have the second shortlisted poem in our 2015 Creative Writing Competition, ‘In the City of Drawers’ by Maren Nygard.
We admired this poem for its bold voice, and strong, moving visuals.
Our judge also felt that the voice in this poem was really strong and commanding, and drove it with energy and gust. She liked the deceptive simplicity of this poem, delving into the darkness of sexuality, and found it a pleasure to read.
In The City of Drawers
In The City of Drawers,
my chest was a locked commode.
I knew keys were for fools or masochists
so I threw mine in the sea
She wore fur sometimes,
and howled in her sleep
had claws of lust
that scratched my back
‘Some drawers are meant to be locked’
I told her.
But she huffed and puffed
and blew them open.
She liked the first one
enjoyed the second one
the third one made her weep.
The fourth one she skipped altogether.
‘Some drawers are meant to be locked’
she told me
and I was left to discover what was left of me,
sunken down, midst fish and kelp
She wore fur sometimes,
but I don’t want her to be happy.
About the Author
Maren Nygard is a second year student on the Creative Writing undergraduate program at Kingston University. She enjoys writing poetry first and foremost, but has as of late got into writing for screen as well. She’s originally from the land of fjords and snow (Norway), but left the Norwegian countryside in order to pursue her passion for writing. She is always up for new challenges and has plans of venturing into the scene of spoken word and slam poetry in the foreseeable future. When she is not writing, she enjoys travelling and a good stand-up show.
Join us again next week for our next shortlisted piece of short fiction!
Words, Pauses, Noises 