Voters loved the spareness – ‘concise and succinct’ – and ‘the absolute enormity of restlessness conveyed’ through the poem’s structure as well as its language. So for these reasons, and more, the excellent ‘He grows’ by Maxine Rose Munro is the IS&T Pick of the Month for July 2019. Huge congratulations to her!
Maxine is a Scottish poet who writes in both English and her native Shetlandic Scots. She is widely published in the UK, in print and online, including Ink Sweat & Tears, and her work has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. Find her here www.maxinerosemunro.com
He grows
I gave birth to Restless, and oh how
he prowls this house, testing, testing
the strength of my walls. Pushing
at limits to find weaknesses he
stores for future use, careful
with his words. He knows
soon will come his
time, not mine.
I gave birth to Restless
and, oh! how he grows and grows.
Other voters’ comments included:
A simple encapsulation of what every parent goes through as they realise what they’ve brought into the world.
I like the abstract/personification ‘Restless’ moves through the poem. I also enjoy how the word lends itself to more than one significance in the context of the poem.
She captures a feeling of anxiety associated with restlessness in so few words. Spare. I like spare!
Her alliteration captures attention
An interesting way of exploring this topic.
How clever to turn the poet’s own restlessness into a third-person (male) entity to complain about, whilst acknowledging that she created the condition herself. And I love the poem’s concision.
I knew exactly what the writer was saying.
I love this poem, lots of lovely tension, it verges on eery for me. A snapshot in a big story.
For me, it captures the vitality and curiosity of a spirit that can’t be constrained.
The structure and language of the poem really gives strength to the feeling of restlessness.
It intrigues me. One of these hauntingly beautiful poems that leaves me wondering if I see the same as the poet in its words, or are we divided by a common language. Wonderful.
Her poetry is so fixed in the real emotions of everyday life.
The poignancy and relatability of it
A poem about the other self. I liked the layout, fretful lines getting shorter and then growing uneasily.
Her poems take me into my dream world
an instant connection from the first line
instant and vivid