Festival Submissions Call – ‘Montol – Penzance Winter Solstice 2025’ by Ian Cave
Festival Submissions Call
We are beyond excited to share with you our selected poets from our ‘Festival’ themed submissions call, ahead of our 2026 Launceston Poetry Festival.
Starting today, we’ll be featuring one poem each day, along with a spotlight on its author. Follow along, and don’t forget to book your tickets to the Launceston Poetry Festival to hear the selected poems read aloud by the poets.
by Ian Cave
Following the dying sun
through the longest night,
dressed to the nines
in hand me downs,
we go in search of Montol.
Nine feathers of crow
and seven rays of hope
hiding in my top pocket.
Adored, the Lord of Misrule
courses here and there,
drawn by the heart beat
drumming out of sight.
The band piping and hooting,
Gods in search of guilds,
intoning spells to mesmerise the host.
The snake dances down Chapel Street,
folk running amok, raising flaming torches
under a nonchalant moon.
Revelling in this darkest night,
the fire ablaze, the old Gods honoured,
we rise to a new dawn
as the serpent of Montol
makes room for another day.
Poet Bio
Ian has lived and worked as a tree surgeon in Cornwall for over thirty years, only coming to writing in his fifties. He is inspired by the Cornish landscape, nature, prehistory and mysticism. Many of his poems feature themes of family and belonging.
Instagram: @caveian