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Spirited Poetry 2019

Mystery of life.

EssenceWinner

Bethan (Age 14)

Stratford Girl's Grammar School

Essence

I was born of nuclear fusion.

A compound of Hydrogen and Helium.

I was auroral and aglow,

An incandescence in the abyss,ablaze

Reduced to ashes and adrift

I floated through universes,

Abandoning fragments of myself,

On innumerable stars.

Particles settled and became dust

Collecting and forming planets

Creating and destroying

In spiritual synchrony

I became the earth and sky,

Mountains, valleys and oceans.

I became the very molecules of life

And the bonds holding it together

I am the cracks in a rock face

The carpets of forgotten forests

The depths of dark trenches

And the eminent sky

I am the laughter of newborns

And the anguish of grief

The cacophony of silence

And the betrayal of love

I am your bones and their strength

Your muscles and their power

Your brain and its logic

Your heart and its passion

I am you

Click here to hear this poem read by guest judge Paul COokson.

SearchingWinner

Tom (Age 12)

Sexey's School

Searching

There is a girl,

Searching,searching,

Looking for it,

The reason,

The meaning,

She searches far and wide

But always comes back empty-handed.

A teen by now,

She still searches,

She still seeks,

There!

Over there!

A boy.

Looking at her,

Watching her,

They start to talk.

A spark is born,

An energy,

A connection.

Late twenties now,

Still together,still happy,

She asks, he agrees.

An old woman in age,

She no longer searches,

She no longer seeks,

For she has found it,

Love.

Click here to hear this poem read by guest judge Paul Cookson.

The Mystery of Life!Winner

Ava (Age 11)

Engayne Primary School

The Mystery of Life!

The mystery of life isn't really a mystery...

It's just a code waiting to be broken

an equation waiting to be mastered!

The real mystery is,how do we make the most of Life?

How do we squeeze every opportunity in?

How do we live with no regrets of the things we didn't do?

The answer is simple...

You have to know there will be ups and downs,

Going round and round.

Have laughing, have cringe

Have friends and have fun!

Because the mystery of life isn't really a mystery...

It's just a code waiting to be broken

an equation waiting to be mastered.

Click here to hear this poem read by guest judge Paul Cookson.

What is Our Present?Winner

Avneet (Age 6)

St Helen's School

What Is Our Present?

"Our present is a gift from God

without Him life would be odd.

Look after your body - it is your tool

Be healthy and work hard at school.

Our present is a gift from God

Without Him life would be odd.

Our family support us everyday

And friends we love for fun and play.

Our present is a gift from God.

Without Him life would be odd.

Our past we can learn from

And our future we must work on.

Our present is a gift from God

Without Him life must be odd.

Don't waste your time here

Take on every challenge and never fear!"

Click here to hear this poem read by guest judge Paul Cookson.

An Angel For A DayWinner

Raka (Age 14)

The Queen's School

An Angel For A Day

If I were an angel, I probably would

save the world and its people (if I could!)

I'd get a toolbox - on the wings of a prayer

And fix the hole in the ozone layer.

I'd collect all the money so I could be sure

That each of the rich had as much as the poor.

I'd make sure that all the quests for power

Would gradually lessen, diminishing by the hour.

I'd stop the countries who constantly fight

And make them see sense with all my might.

If I were an angel, I'd try to rescue

The world from its problems, solving a few!

Mysteries of Life!Winner

Flo (Age 12)

Sexey's School

Mysteries of Life!

"The mysteries of life

Can cut you like a knife

Fill your world with strife

And yet we pursue the answers.

Did God create the world

From darkness was it hurled

And then our world unfurled

And still we want the answers

What motivates us

To get on the bus

And leave our towns of lust

And Lord what are the answers.

And when we're feeling sad

When things get really bad

What makes us truly mad

Is that we don't know the answers.

What are our joys

As children play with toys

Talk of their little ploys

They don't know the answers.

The puzzles of the Earth

Not known for what its worth

The beauty of the hearth

When will we know the answers.

The mysteries of life

Can cut you like a knife

Fill your world with strife

Will we ever know the answers?"

Suffering Winner

Colin (Age 13)

St John's School

Suffering

Suffering

Suffering is life, suffering is us

Can we escape the cycle, or will we never be at rest?

Suffering is eternal,suffering without end

We have two eyes, yet we only see half the picture

Suffering lets us see, do we stop it

Suffering isn't bad,suffering may be for the greater good

Will you suffer in silence, or will you tell the world

Will you be remembered, or will you be forgotten

Suffering may be for good, will you ignore your own thoughts and be ignored

Suffering lets you stand out,suffering is good.

The Day The Bush BurnedWinner

Priya (Age 14)

Stratford Girls Grammar School

The Day The Bush Burned

I didn't believe it at first

I thought it was a curse

But then He spoke words so true

You all would be moved too

He gave me an order I couldn't refuse

Nor did I even want to

For as I cowered in fear,

He spoke words I wish we all could hear

It was more than just a sign

The great green bush alight

With colours of orange and red,

So fiery hot, the leaves were shred

But I was full of doubt still

My lack of faith was shameful

But then God made a stick into a snake

The sheer miracle making my hands shake

My own hands then turned white

Yet in seconds he had healed the blight

He did all this to prove

That what He spoke was true

So that day I left home

All the way to Egypt alone

But God was by my side

For the rest of my life

The Running RaceWinner

Tobias (Age 13)

The Duke Of York's Royal Military School

The Running Race

"Bang! And the race is off.

Many are sponsored already.

All against all.

Hell breaks loose

A few trip and end their race early.

Hurt and sad not to finish first.

Some, like me,pace themselves out.

Waiting hoping for the next drop out.

To get their place in the running ladder.

Others sprint ahead, like the hare.

But only to get passed by the tortoise, he is there.

With a bear.

Some form groups to knock others out.

Most segregate to their own race or pack.

Some don't like this and want to take revenge. But all is halted when the marshals are at hand.

Those who followed me in pacing themselves. Don't really know why the others did that. Maybe for the place.Or maybe something darker.

But we all rejoice at the end with laughter. For no one is first and we are all here together

Some stood with banners as we passed through the gate, some were cheering on the Nords shouting Valhalla.

Most hailing God. Some praising Allah.

A few restarted their race and re-entered to finish first place.

Some ran in with many clung to them for support. They were the most praised out of all.

But many didn't finish. So how could that be? That those that took part never broke the ribbon free."

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