22 FEBRUARY 1986, Page 41

No. 1411: Tough assignment

The USA will soon have its first Poet Laureate, who will be expected to respond to requests from government agencies for verses on such subjects as the unveiling of a new anti-tank missile, the cleaning up of a toxic dump, or the annual offering of a Christmas turkey to the President. Please oblige with a poem (maximum 16 lines) on one of these subjects, or a similar one, by a named American poet, dead or alive, or an unnamed typical one. Entries to 'Competi- tion No. 1411' by 7 March.