Congratulations to the winners of the Covid19 Poetry competition, shortlisted by me, and judged by the wonderful Roger Stevens of PoetryZone!
As usual the standard was very high!
The three main first prizes of hardback poetry books go to:
Abhinaya Bahirathan, aged 10, for her wonderful poem The School of Emptiness, containing sighing corridors and weeping stationery. Fabulous Abhinaya!
The School of Emptiness
In the school of emptiness I can see
Stationery weeping for children to use them
The books on the shelves stare uncomfortably at the ground
In the school of emptiness I can hear
The loneliness of the corridors sigh sadly
The head teacher’s office looks unhappily at the door
In the school of emptiness I can feel
The walls crying softly for their children
The trays in the lunch hall waiting patiently for delicious food
In the school of emptiness I can smell
The emptiness of the playground
The vast emptiness of the assembly hall
In the school of emptiness I can taste
The sadness of the certificates that have not been given out
The unhappiness of the school closure
© Abhinaya Bahirathan
Samuel Arthur, aged 10, for his excellent Covid19 Abecedarious Poem. It is much harder than it looks to write one of these! Congratulations, Arthur.
Covid19 Abecedarious Poem
About three months ago the world changed
Because of the
Corona Virus, which has
Damaged lives, families and companies, affecting
Everyone, and restricting all of our movements.
Friends can only meet up online or on the phone. We’ll be
Glad to properly say
“Hello!”
I miss my friends and sports, it’s no
Joke though, as people are dying.
“Keep safe!” they say,
“Look after yourself and your family, and
Make the most of every moment.”
No one is safe
On this planet.
People can enjoy spending time with their family in
Quarantine without
Rushing about like normal.
So stay inside and be safe.
Take the time you have together and
Understand the dangers in this
Very scary time.
Wash your hands especially well and use
eXtra soap to get rid of the germs.
You need to keep safe in your own
Zone.
© Samuel Arthur
And lastly Jacob Nicholas, 10, with his lovely poem The Rainbow and his skilful use of rhyming – never using a forced rhyme. Well done, Jacob.
The Rainbow
School is shut and I miss my family and friends,
I am bored, I am lost, will this ever end?
“We have so much to be grateful for,”
Says my mum one sunny day.
“We live amongst beautiful countryside,
And have a garden in which to play.”
We go for a walk, to get some fresh air,
But I’m not in the mood, I don’t want to be there.
My sister is chattering and she is really annoying me,
“But you love me dearly!” she says cheekily.
The road is still and quiet. The sky is too.
There are no cars or planes. How can we go to where we want to?
There is no school, there are no day trips or holidays,
I’m just at home doing schoolwork and there is too much time to sit and laze.
We walk past my school and it stands still and empty,
When I suddenly spy a rabbit and it looks at me gently.
Our walk carries on, it shows no sign of ending,
But then I spot a rainbow sign, a message of hope it is sending.
I stop for a moment, I need to stop and think,
Is my mum really right? I look up and blink.
The sky is bright blue, the sun is shining brightly,
The flowers are in bloom and the lambs are dancing lightly.
I then turn to mum and I quietly say,
“How lucky we are to be safe and well today.”
© Jacob Nicholas
And seven second prizes go to:
Lilly Nolan, 10, with her thoughtful poem. Lovely description, ‘delirious blue’, Lilly.
The Small Things
Before all this, I could
Lay upon golden grains of sand,
Glide along the deep, delirious blue,
Climb across limpet-spread rocks.
Before all this, I could have
A warm, comforting hug
From my old, loving grandad.
Before all this, I could
Laugh with my friends, while
Swinging in the playground, while
Dawdling, waiting for the school bus –
During lockdown
The only way to see a loved one
Is on a screen.
Before all this,
I think I took
The small things
For granted.
© Lilly Nolan, 10
And Iestyn Preddy, 11, for these wonderful descriptive images such as ‘casting dandelion clocks’ .
Things I Didn’t Know I Loved
I didn’t know that I loved the turn of a page
Whilst sat on an uncomfortable plastic chair
Neither did I know I adore the satisfaction of disrupting nature,
Casting dandelion clocks with their parachute-like seeds,
Floating through the air.
I never thought I’d miss the lessons of art,
Even though I can’t make a page explode with colour,
Explode with imagination, explode with detail.
I never, ever thought I’d miss even my family,
Even though we talk all the time,
I still feel a longing.
I thought I would miss the weekly games of football,
But it turns out I don’t, I miss other things.
I definitely thought that I would long for a proper maths lesson,
But it turns out I don’t, I miss other things.
But the most important thing I miss is
SCHOOL
© Iestyn Preddy, 11
Summer Janssens – well done Summer, we loved this detailed description of the sounds and sights in your school life, they really brought your poem alive!
School Life Before Covid19
Listening to the scribbling sound when we do our work,
Listening to the tweeting of the birds in our playground,
Listening to the munching noise when children eat apples at break,
Listening to the lovely voice of Miss Welch when she is teaching.
Missing my school, my teachers and my friends,
Missing my school life before Covid-19.
Playing basketball with my friends during PE lessons,
Playing fun games with Miss Harris at Sunshine Club,
Playing Hangman with a bunch of friends at golden time,
Playing Hide and Seek without getting lost in the playground.
Missing my school, my teachers and my friends,
Missing my school life before Convid-19.
Looking at the sugary doughnuts afterschool in Krispy Kreme,
Looking at the beautiful butterflies fluttering in the Prayer Garden,
Looking at the colourful posters hanging in up in the corridors,
Looking at the shimmering trophies on the shelves,
Missing my school, my teachers and my friends,
Missing my school life before Covid-19.
© Summer Janssens, 7
Euan Cameron-Mitchell – excellent use of smell to conjure a place, well done.
Quarantine
I didn’t know I’d miss the warm food smells of the school canteen
and the comfy pillow like the smell of the car on a long journey.
I didn’t know I’d miss the taste of my fresh packed lunch and a
warm Waitrose chocolate chip cookie.
I didn’t know I’d miss the sound of Fizz playing with her doggy friends
and the screams of school playtime.
I didn’t know I’d miss the sight of cars flying by on a busy road
and my friends’ friendly faces.
I didn’t know I’d miss the touch of the metal chain ropes when sitting on a swing
and my grandparents’ hugs.
© Euan Cameron-Mitchell, 9
Carys Davies, 10 – a wonderful wistfulness in this poem, Carys, and spare description such as ‘the splash on rocks at Angle’. We all know you mean the sea, it doesn’t have to be mentioned.
One Day
I didn’t know I’d miss the shouting at dinner time,
The deafening squeal of children.
I didn’t know I loved the boiling hot sand on the beaches,
Trembling across the shining gold, burning my feet.
Who knew that I’d long to sit by granny,
Chatting about my day?
I never thought I’d miss begging for ice cream,
Listening for the ringing of the ice cream van.
But I don’t miss the sudden shout, calling
WAKE UP!!! at seven in the morning.
And I don’t miss the many cars,
Rumbling up and down the road.
Nor do I miss the trudge around Tesco,
On a rainy afternoon.
Oh, one day
I will hear the splash on rocks at Angle,
I will smell a juicy burger heading my way,
I will stroke the fur of Rocky,
The new poodle.
I will taste fresh raspberries from the hedgerow,
And I will see my cousins once again…
One day.
© Carys Davies, 10
Ria Burton, 11 – very nice feeling of the freedom that is still there, waiting, in the culminating lines of this poem, Ria – ‘the gannets will keep on diving’.
Things I Long For
I didn’t know I loved the sound of lunch time bickering,
The little bits of chat catching in my ears.
I didn’t know I loved the taste of chlorine in my mouth,
Lingering long after lessons at the pool.
I never thought I’d miss the endless maths session,
The numbers speaking to me in a weird language.
I never thought I’d miss the lumbering school bus,
Its suspension always seemingly broken.
Who knew that I’d long for the ringing of the raspy bell,
Signalling the end of break?
But as I long to set eyes upon my friends,
I know the clouds will blow past
The gannets will keep on diving
and we’ll have these moments again.
© Ria Burton, 11
Arthur Davies – great close attention to the detail of a school day in your poem, Arthur – ‘The clunking of chairs and tables colliding’. Something we don’t really notice, let alone as something to be missed!
Things I Didn’t Know I Loved
I didn’t know I loved looking for a café in a small country town,
The comforting texture of fish and chips.
I didn’t know I’d miss the sound of pastries at dinner time,
And the cheering sound of lunchboxes opening.
I never thought I’d miss the annoying talking at the back of the class,
The clunking of chairs and tables colliding.
I didn’t know I loved sitting on benches,
with sparrows chirping in my ear.
I never knew I loved sitting on Granny’s old, patched couch,
With Pixie laying on my knee.
Although I miss hugging Granny,
I know that the benches will stay
And so will the fish and chips.
One day we will have them
Once again.
© Arthur Davies, 11
Huge congratulations to all our winners! Your books should soon be on their way.
Poetry Roundabout 