Casey Shelley, Canada's National Honour, August 2026
Casey Shelley wrote the highest-scoring poem from Canada in the Writory International Poetry Contest, August 2026: Quickening, scored 70 out of 100 by the blind judging panel across five published criteria. The poem was read in English.
Quickening
Two little lines make you mine: already, running out of time. Pink or blue who are you? A million second-hand shoes try to make it true. Not a mother then, a flutter. No sign of red: full speed ahead. It’s one last chance or cancelled plans. It’s dark, quiet rooms: all eyes on you. Balloons, ribbons, and bows: a model posing for the show. Showered by a sea of should, just like her I wish I could. Minutes fly, it’s time to go: together, trekked the rugged road. Fluorescent lights and one last push: a love straight from a storybook.
Every country's leading poet each month is named on the August 2026 National Honours. The contest is open to poets in Canada and everywhere else: enter the current round, and every poem receives a score out of 100 and a certificate.