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Journeying Poetry Competition 2024 - Winner
Sunday 15th December 2024
We are delighted to announce that Jason Clark from Oklahoma City, USA is the winner of the fourth annual Journeying Poetry Competition with his poem "Longing", on the theme of Longing - to go on pilgrimage:
Longing
The city recedes into the rear-view mirror,
a hushed echo of life left behind.
My soul stretches toward the cathedral of nature,
where trees rise like sacred columns,
and the sky arches - a hallowed roof over my path.
This is a pilgrimage in which the trail is the teacher,
each step a rosary bead,
whispering mysteries of stone and wind.
My longing to see where waters weep
and willows standing watch in silence - is more than I can bear.
With faltering steps, as if on a pilgrimage for mercy,
I bow my head to the heights with their crowns and to the meadows with their velvet,
and here, where earth gathers me to her bosom,
in every leaf and every root I discover
the holy site I was searching for,
an altar prepared by God.
Jason Clark is a poet, educator and contemplative, living in Oklahoma City. Inspired by nature, spirituality, and moments of quiet reflection, his work explores the intersection of the sacred and the everyday. When not writing, he enjoys crafting natural products and nature walks).
The competition judges write:
We enjoyed the variety of poems and would like to thank everyone who made the time and effort to submit an entry. The winning poem is characterised by its metaphors and rich language in phrases such as 'trees rise like sacred columns', 'waters weep', 'willows standing watch', 'whispering mysteries of stone and wind', 'heights with their crowns' and 'meadows with their velvet'.
The pilgrimage is portrayed not just as a physical journey, but also as a learning experience 'in which the trail is the teacher'. The longing to reach the goal is intensified by contrasts between the urban and rural, noise and quiet, struggle ('faltering steps') and fulfilment. The reader is drawn in by the vivid imagery of the soul stretching 'toward the cathedral of nature' to find its yearning satisfied in discovering the sacred wonder of the natural world ('in every leaf and every root I discover the holy site'), as well as by the realisation that the motherly God has prepared this altar for us, so that we can be embraced by our very surroundings ('where earth gathers me to her bosom'); is there perhaps an allusion here to the time when we will leave this world and return to where we came from?
The writer's longing to complete the journey is complemented by a striking humility in the face of creation's majesty, beauty and peace ('I bow my head'). The overwhelming identification ('more than I can bear') with the sadness and stillness of the weeping waters and silent willows depicts an evocative and poignant reflection of the mercy sought by the pilgrim. Letting God have the last word brings solace and resolution, because whatever our journey and wherever it leads, we find comfort and courage in knowing that 'there is a hallowed roof over my path'.
David Arkell and Gill Page, Competition Judges.