It has always struck me, standing on Station Platforms or in Bus Queues, that we are all there together, but definitely living in our own heads, and I always wonder just what it is that everybody else is thinking of.
This challenge is simple then. The idea is that you are stood among a crowd of people, but with the unlikely ability to hear one thought from each of the people around you. The random and the meaningful, the mean and the petty alongside the trivial.
So with your new power you should write a ‘found’ poem, comprising multiple lines, where each line is another person’s thought.
There are no limits to the scope, style, or sanity of this, but the title should be where you are – e.g. “Waiting for the 7.47am from Birmingham New Street to London Euston.”
There are no limits for the poem in terms of length or style, so it is entirely in your own hands.
To be clear:
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- Write a Poem that is made up of the imagined thoughts of others
Rules:
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- There are no length constraints
- You must be a Cult Member to submit your poem – sending it to competition@hedgehogpress.co.uk
- Send the poem by 11.59pm on the 30th of April 2025