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
Third stanza (possibly, will update once we have the text):
It wasn’t easy, but it sure wasn’t hard to get here.
When I laded, I said I bet there will be too much going on
to not give me the neighbourhood’s seeming trademark freeze
Mission Command? That was not true.
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.