Kerrod Trott 
We’ve just received another submission to the Aldinga Village Voice Poetry Prize, which will go into the running for a $25 gift voucher from one of our fine, local coffee shops.
Submissions of 300 words or less are preferred, and should be sent as a Word Document or Text File to info@aldingavillagevoice.com.au
The Judges’ decision is final.
Winners will be announced by return email.
Thank you, Tony!
Hopeless Rack
Found an old scrabble board yesterday,
foolishly challenged my wife to play.
Seriously I should have known better,
knew she’d follow the rules to the letter.
The oracle to be used only in need
for contested words we both agreed.
When she took the sim card from my phone
I realised that I was on my own.
Getting the maximum score was my strength,
it’s all about placement not about length.
My wife’s vocabulary was very strong
and the words that she placed were never wrong.
With an open board I started alright
but my wife caught up as the game got tight.
She dared to show a victorious smile
as she smugly placed down her final tile
With just one last chance to take the game back
I looked in dismay at my hopeless rack
I had a ‘Z’ and a ‘Q’ but not a ‘U’
Frankly I really hadn’t got a clue.
I excused myself for I had to pee
I’d drunk far too many cups of tea.
When I returned, I made my last play,
victory was going to be mine today
Placing a ‘T’, cover became covert
my two-word play was a sweet dessert
‘Tzaddiq’ alone scored twenty-seven,
and on a double was scrabble heaven.
My wife knew that word did not come from me
and wondered about my need to wee,
the hidden Webster was hurled my way.
A lot of new words hit me that day.
Tony King
5 July 2021
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