16 JUNE 1990, Page 45

No. 1632: Epidermic lyric

Jean Hayes has brought to my attention this sentence from the anthropologist Pro- fessor Ashley Montagu: 'Poems have been written in celebration of every part of the body, but the skin unaccountably appears to have been slighted, as if it did not exist.' You are invited to remedy the neglect in a maximum of 16 lines. Entries to 'Competi- tion No. 1632' by 29 June.

There is a special bonus prize for the top winner of this competition — a bottle of Strathisla 12-year-old single malt whisky, one of the essential ingredients of the Chivas Regal blend.