I’m still not totally sure about the Best Poem category, but I’m going to kick off my Hugo reviewing for this year by revealing my own votes, as follows.
1) “Landing: Seattle” by Brandon O’Brien, text on this page
Third stanza (long one, sorry):
Mission Control, you told me not to be shocked.
I’m just an envoy among these meetings. A pleasure
just to be invited and all that. And you told me
not to sell myself short, I know I am neither peerless
nor no less a peer as the others here,
but you don’t get it. I… get emotional.
When we gather here, we consensus the stars.
We draft the laws that carve diamonds fine,
we dictate the portent paths, we school
and are thus schooled; in a ten-minute parley
between panels we broker treaties that move
stories through the digit-lines; in a brief passing
twixt moving platforms two colleagues will draft
new craft guidances for new worlds; in a barcon brokerage
tomorrow night two lords will strike delicate business
firm; all weekend we will declare truces—
sparing doubt without relying on fear,
holding sorrow without swelling to hopelessness,
saving our blades for the armies of capital growth
and the rattle of the badly impersonating clanker swarms
and oh God the fascists why are there still fascists
but that’s why we have these meetings in the first place.
I would risk a rank or more
if I could fellowship here forever.
Because are we ever still together
if we can’t break bread or ice or our own bad habits
of not being personable?
Aren’t I allowed to dream of more realms
being let into our commonwealth?
A witty depiction of a space explorer visiting a Worldcon.
2) “Care for Lightning” by Mari Ness
Third-ish stanza:
Bitch got stuff done. Lightning hits
a bit different now. Still pounds
against the clouds, of course. Still kills
when it lands too close. But doesn’t
pierce the way it once did, or leave
half-orphans in its wake. And
those temples. You’ve seen them, right —
still gleaming over broken fields. And
her hands, a sudden gentle touch,
slicing through the sharpest pains.
A riff on Hera.
3) “How to Become a Sea Witch” by Theodora Goss
Third (and final) stanza:
You can spend your days
sitting on the rocks, stirring the tidal pools
as though they were cauldrons,
causing shipwrecks if you want to,
granting wishes, stealing
the voices of mermaids and seabirds
to make yours especially shrill,
screeching like a gull,
or sonorous, like buoy bells
ringing far from shore. You can gather
and store the treasures of the waves—bits of glass
worn smooth, coral and pearls,
gold vessels from Phoenician ships.
How rich you will be!
And how deeply you will dream, sea witch—
as deeply as the dark hidden depths
of the sea.
The other side of the Little Mermaid story.
4) “The World to Come” by Jennifer Hudak
Third stanza:
Jerusalem calling—demanding—
fingers on puppet strings pulling me in
forcing my return to where I’ve never been.
The resurrection of the dead, in Biblical terms.
5) “Hex Supply Customer Support Log” by Elis Montgomery
Third stanza:
Hello! I’m Rune, your aid today.
Have code and date at hand.
I’ll check our logs without delay
so this can go as planned.
Sorry, I just found this a bit silly, about an AI agent dealing with customer service for a magic shop in Common Measure.
6) “The Mourning Robot” by Angela Liu
Third stanza:
bones, hands over our eyes,
aluminum sheets over our hearts.
Didn’t really get what this was about, though I think it is about anthropomorphic robots which I don’t usually like as a theme.