First Prize, Poetry
A shot, in the dark
by Nigel Aung
There was, this kid, clothed, in rags, and he was running, wild, cycling, on a bicycle, rickety, old, silver one, running wild, and wild, and wild, and do you know, the kid, was growing, old, and the kid, had, some news, to deliver, to somebody, and new roads, were built, in front, of him, and the dark seaside, besides, him, changed, to nothing, he could, recognize, and arms sagged, and eyes, withered, and longyi, so loosely, fitted, they don’t, even, seem, to fit, no more, he had not a waist, he had, out, croppings, of bone, and then, he looked out, and he moaned, last, and he stopped, and he, did not, pedal, no more, and he was gone, the news, were, never, delivered…
About the author: Nigel (Nayt Linn) Aung is a first-year Undergraduate student at Lingnan University. He was born in Mandalay, Burma, and moved to Rangoon at the age of ten. He has been writing since he was sixteen, and he is now twenty years old. His main ambition had always been to tell a good story, regardless of genre, conventions, and mediums, and modes of writing, or any other form of expression. His hobbies include watching old movies, interesting bits of anime, and any other educational/entertaining media, and reading whichever books he can get his hands on. He wishes to be remembered under a good name.
Judge’s comments: “‘A shot, in the dark’ is a poem that unpacks its painful subject matter carefully, giving each phrase its due weight. The fragmented syntax creates an abundance of pauses in the piece, forcing the reader to stop and consider every component of the scene — the bicycle, the dark sea, the ‘out, croppings, of bone’. The images are meticulously chosen and deftly communicate the undercurrent of danger. This sense of volatility builds with each new direction the poem takes, culminating in the harrowing final lines.”
—Natalie Linh Bolderston