14 OCTOBER 2000, Page 75

No. 2160: Light touch, heavy topic

wish I had the voice of Homer/ To sing of rectal carcinoma,' exclaimed J.B.S. Haldane, a sufferer, and wrote a poem which has found its way into anthologies of light verse. You are invited to write a light poem on the subject of a serious or painful medical con- dition. Maximum 16 lines. Entries to `Competition No. 2160' by 26 October.