I am ready for attachment now. I have come so far. I have prepared. I am prone to possession by what I don't believe in, or cannot see. You are not ready, so I cannot see you, though you are all around me. Invisible in my mind you keep pace with me.

I belong in an Ideal. I walk in amongst the absent things; valley and river; river and yard; yard and man. I have located my self and I know what I imply.

I have seen how visible I am, yet people look through me - so what do I become? I know that I exist in their minds only - spectacular mutant - an image before sleep, seen through closed eyes.

By Agnes Adobe, Eastleigh.

Daily Echo writer-in-residence Polly Clark says: "Agnes won first prize in the Daily Echo poetry competition, and this second mysterious poem about not belonging echoes many of the qualities that won her the prize. You can read Agnes' winning poem in the forthcoming Daily Echo Creative Writing supplement published on December 15.

You can e-mail Polly on polly.clark@soton-echo.co.uk