In the last of our Shakespearean Sonnet competition winners, Philippa Barker contemplates her desktop. All winners will receive a copy of Litro #133: Shakespeare, and a copy of Ben Crystal’s book Shakespeare on Toast.

Hazel trenches graze the surface
Splinter and scratch through oaky wood,
Inky ballpoints bored of scrawling
Chalk white pages, misunderstood
And meaningless constrained by pinstriped
Lines that stunt the flow of words.
Indigo veins that have no boundaries
Seep through grains like uncaged birds,
Chipped into the umber desk the
Webs of doodles cluster, clutter;
Scrape away old flecks of varnish,
Carve the words you could not utter.
Time has passed but love still lingers
In woody grooves beneath my fingers.

About Philippa Barker

Philippa Barker studied English Literature, Creative Writing & Practice at Lancaster University. She now lives in Birmingham and writes short stories, flash fiction and poetry. She is currently working on a poetry anthology with Birmingham based arts charity Theatre Ark, which comes out in July.

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