The Locket

You hang from my neck,
like my mother's before me,
swinging freely,
like a pendulum
attracted
to
gravity.

Your outer shell is smooth and shiny.
Reflecting.
Protecting.
A tangle of forest flowers
encrust your face.

When opened,
time stands still.
I am pulled, then entranced
by the magical memories and moments
you so carefully preserve.

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This poem was awarded REX Prize Teacher for Poetry Object 2018

Judge's notes:
In ‘The Locket’, an everyday piece of jewellery becomes a dense capsule of ‘memories and moments’. The poet’s use of clear, resonant language unfolds the object’s story, line by-line. There is a sense of continuity across generations; of reaching across times and places to bend and stretch specific moments (‘time stands still’). This is evoked by the poet’s use of pausing and spacing (‘attracted / to / gravity’) to bend the poem’s linearity – line lengths ebb and flow like the pendulum itself. The narrative voice, speaking directly to the object, draws the reader in with its intimacy.

~ Red Room Poetry Team
Watch our Poetry Object 2018 Winning Poems Animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvzpzwhQsx8