News > Congratulations and Awards > Archie Swanson (1973G) achieves high honours in the AVBOB Poetry Prize

Archie Swanson (1973G) achieves high honours in the AVBOB Poetry Prize

Archie was the runner-up in the English category of the AVBOB Poetry Competition, which is by far the largest South African poetry competition both in sponsorship and entries. Read his poem here.

	8 Aug 2020
	Congratulations and Awards

Archie Swanson (1973G)

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Archie has been announced as the runner-up in the English category of the AVBOB Poetry Competition, which is by far the largest South African poetry competition both in sponsorship and entries. There were more than 15,000 poems entered in the English category alone.

Archie's poem was inspired by Pablo Picasso’s famous Guernica, which was painted in protest to the bombing of the ancient Basque capital of Guernica by the Luftwaffe in 1937, during the Spanish Civil War.

my guernica

the bell of santa maria sounds the alarm
junker and heinkel bombers clatter in
deliver death at 4pm

in the street leading down the hill from casa de juntas 50 lie dead
42 more on josefinas hospital floor
aronategui the priest still clutches the child he saved – eyes glazed
a flock of sheep lie scattered in the market place
in flowering fields the hearts of little children stain the ground
machine-gunned down
and in cellars below
snow-white ash of the incinerated

ox carts take the dead away
bruegel’s triumph of death has visited guernica today

there are no calls from mothers here
or stranglehold of fear
for all are dead
the fathers gone to war
just blind old men to see
and silent deaf to hear

what ghastly price this day has wrought
our consciences are burnt away

gather the ashes
sweep up the souls
grind charcoal graphite fine in mortar bowls
and mix a bitter paste
that i may paint my guernica
grey on grey and white on black

Well done, Archie. We are very proud of you and look forward to hosting some of your poetry readings.

To read more about the competition, click on this link: https://avbobpoetry.co.za/Blog/View/46

You'll find Archie on Instagram by clicking here