By Ben King, 4 May 2001 17:05
NEWS Inspired by the creative use of language demanded by the 160-character limit for SMS messages, the Guardian invited readers to submit a brief poem from their mobiles.
4,700 mobile phones entered the Guardian's electronic Eisteddfod, sending in some 7,500 entries.
The top prize was scooped by Hetty Hughes, with a brief lament describing the damage her text messaging habit was doing to her language skills.
silicon.com's choice only came third, a moving meditation on mistaken identity from Charlotte Fortune, who may have limited her chances of winning by including lines like:
"no, i am not linda,
I hv not slept w/yr sis,
+i wd nvr call any1's ma a slag"
We also enjoyed one entry which ran "They phone you up, your mum and dad" in an affectionate homage to a highly unaffectionate poem by Philip Larkin. However, the poet missed out on a gong because his entry contained only this phrase, and was hence not long enough.
But with one winning entry and another runner up award, Melissa Terras must be the unofficial poet laurE8 of terse verse.
The Guardian's list of winners can be accessed at http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,481985,00.html
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