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  • Every line is imaginary
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Every line is imaginary

William Letford

a jumble of bodies bobbing and shifting
there is sweat, and rhythm, and pain
one turn from the end
he is last
i wish he already knew
that finishing lines don’t really exist
that the trick is not stopping
but he is twelve years old
full of summer
and would you believe it, coming up fast


William Letford

We were delighted to commission William Letford to write this poem to celebrate the close of The Written World project and the handover to Glasgow 2014.

Tags:

childhood competition running the body

About this poem

This poem was commissioned in celebration of The Written World – our collaboration with BBC radio to broadcast a poem from every single nation competing in London 2012.

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William Letfordb.1977

Billy Letford is a Scottish poet now living in England, with two collections published by Carcanet.
More about William Letford

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