LYME

Winner of our 2019 Poetry Pamphlet Prize

These poems were written in the wake of Carnie’s partner falling seriously ill with Lyme Disease. What’s unusual about them is that they are written from Carnie’s point of view so that his partner appears only occasionally as hands, tubes, a smile. Carnie skilfully avoids all the potential pitfalls of writing about such a tragic event, into which lesser poets would surely have fallen headlong. These poems aren’t angry, yet, they are just numb.

Richard Skinner (Judge)