Calling poetic word spinners of all ages. In addition to its Sooke Region Communities Clean-Up, the Planet Earth Party team has organized a poetry competition that will be adjudicated by celebrated Sooke region poet Wendy Morton.

Participants are invited to email Wendy their best 10 lines (maximum) by the deadline of Sunday, April 15. Depending on their age, poets can enter either the children/youth (under 16) or adult categories.

Entries must be inspired by one of the competition’s two themes:

i) Any earth and environment-related subject the poet chooses;

ii) A poem based on the international Earth Day 2018 theme of plastic reduction.

There is no cost to participate. Everyone is welcome to be as serious or funny, sober or romantic, idealistic/hopeful or grim/pessimistic as they wish.

Wendy’s best-of-competition picks will be read at the Planet Earth Party on the evening of April 22 at the Sooke Community Hall. Prizes will be awarded in all categories.

Ms. Morton has lived in Otter Point for 45 years. She grows an organic garden that feeds her all year long. She is also a raven watcher and founder of Canada’s Random Acts of Poetry.  She has been honoured with many awards, the latest of which was the Order of British Columbia in 2017.

She has shared one of her works as inspiration to entrants. It is reproduced here with her permission.

I Walk on the Beach with Jenna After Watching This Changes Everything

We find two sandals: a Nike, a Fila;
a Catchit, a green tennis ball, broken nets.
Styrofoam everywhere.
We load up: giant pieces washed in from China
or Japan, or tossed by a tanker crew. Fish food.
Fish death.
We find a broken frisbee,
a log boom raft dog,
a painted stone,
blue as hope

Read more of Wendy’s work at Canadian Poetry Online.