Under 18s National Poetry Day competition entries 

WINNERS

 

Lily Houghton

               Counting

 

I’ve got 1 brother and 1 sister,

We have 6 different relationships

between the 3 of us.

 

Although my 19 year old sister is 19 roads away

And my 14 year old brother’s bedroom is 14 inches from mine

I struggle to feel close to either

I often feel the outcast

My sister growing further

My brother growing faster

 

But I know that we’ll always meet –

In the space between.

 

 

Erica Franca
               Counting

 

I’ve got 1 brother - but not full

We have the same father, that’s all.

We have one connection between us

Nothing more

Four hours of distance

Four years of no contact

One story – three sides

Yet it feels like three lifetimes

He got out of this life, yet he left me behind

We both are so forgotten in one another’s lives.

 

 

Fin Toner

                  Exile

 

The cracking of the gears

The toil of the tallies

The pain in my stomach

The fog in my mind

I was in exile.

When I thought of torture

I thought of the contraptions that pull you apart

But loneliness is the worst pain of all

It’s the pain in your heart that no doctor can heal

It’s a wound so bad that stitches can’t seal

The flocks of feet that walk on the streets

While down here, I wallow

I was in exile.

With each new day I count a new tally on the wall

My suffering reaching through this endless hall

Finally, when night’s at its brink

I retreat to my room before my mind breaks

I am in exile.

OTHER ENTRIES: 

1. Counting - By Sam B 

Tick Tock

Hands spin around the clock

Life drains from the sands of time

 Sailors say “Oh I’ll be fine.”

Little do they know to fear the duck.

Oh wait,

Too late

Their time has struck

 

Quack! He says

With his feathers all black

His beak is yellow

You shall hear his bellows

Before life goes black

You will see his attack.

 

The duck fears no man or woman but yet

The duck has left

More souls to let

It’s he who steals your final breath

How many lives now?

Too many to count

You know the story of the duck

Looks like your life is out of luck.

 

 

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2.  Counting - By Raphael 

 

Raid and warrior:

 

The dust sets, the sun rests,

The tea brews, the trees grew.

Soon is dawn and daybreak

Perhaps a raid or jailbreak

 

Mouths of every land bringing forth every man

Mountain passes and valleys

Strategy and rally

Pass down and raid

It is 3:00, summoned are the men of my gates.

 

 

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3. Counting - By Caden

 

Cristiano Ronaldo, My favourite player ever No. 7

One dream succeeded through passion and dedication

Uno, dos, tres: his career began of 22 years and still counting

Numbers he wore: 28, 7, 9, and 7 again – many memories made

Trophies, awards, medals and records all broken by Ronaldo

Italy, Spain, England, Portugal, Saudi Arabia: 5 countries and 5 clubs

Never stopped dreaming, never stopped achieving

Greatness resting in the game through his hard work.

 

 

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4. Counting - By Kacie

 

I hate numbers

The hatred grows 10 x more once letters are added

Even worse when you have to turn the letter to a number

I’m talking about algebra.

 

Why can’t we go back to counting?

Counting counters, counting coins, counting cubes.

I’m 4/5ths through senior school

I’ve nearly escaped the 24/ 7 pressure

 

Yet I wish to go back

Back to the start

Those early years of education

When you have 0 care for anything

Apart from fun

 

Though I cannot go back in time

That I wish to, every hour

I have to switch back to the present

Because right now…

 

I’m in maths.

 

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5. Counting - By Natalie 

 

My Grandad fought for 4 years in war

And lived another 52

My Nan spent 60 years mothering

And 24 without one

My father met Mum too young

And grew up 49 years too fast

 

My mumma spent 19 years unhappy

And 5 years free as a bird

My sister has had 5 years of happiness she deserves

And continues to live across the river

My older brother drives grandad’s car 9 to 5

And lives without a care

My youngest brother doesn’t know anything yet at 5

And spends so much of his life outside.    

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6. Counting - By Tamsy

 

I’ve got 1 sister, 11 years between us.

1 with 11 more years of experience

So I learnt from her 126 steps away

Yet she hasn’t lived that 100

Sharing similar tears

Some wounds have been healed

But there’s still another 4 years until mine can be healed

 

I’m happy she’s found the one to make another us

And now the 1 and 2 can be 1, 2 and 3

Natasha the 1

Me the 2

And Maya the soon to be 3

 

I’m glad you have to see what I’ve seen,

But if you ever do in a 2nd  lifetime

Just take a deep breath

and count to 3  

 

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7. Counting – Parent’s divorce - by Demia

 

18 years thrown away

15 years back and forth

10 years full of love

8 years forced

 

My mother was far too young to be a mother

20 years ago you would laugh

20 years go by and I’m looking at her

She’s not my superhero sister I looked at 15 years ago

 

My mother fell for my dad too quick

None warned her of her soft heart

None warned her of his spikes

None warned her 18 years ago, this is how it ends

 

None warned me that mummy and daddy don’t work

10 years ago none warned me that this is how quick things perish

5 years ago none explained Dad moves out

5 years ago none explained mum cries in your arms

But how would anyone know 8 years being forced

Why only 15 years they forced for me?

 

18 years ago they met

15 years ago they trusted each other

10 years ago they fell out of love

8 years ago they forced

2 years ago it all fell apart

 

Now who do I turn to?

Who’s going to stay without force for me?

 

 

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8. Counting - By Natalya 

 

Maths is my favourite

It’s straight forward.

There’s 1 question – 1 answer

In a world that has more than one answer

I like things that stay the same

 

Each day we learn something new

At the start it was 1 + 1

How to spell words

Now it’s numbers and letters

Paragraphs and poems

 

As we get older

We forget the now

All we do is worry about the future

What test results we get

What job we want

 

Life and Maths have their differences

With maths there’s 1 question - 1 answer 

Life changes depending on the question

Life and maths both evolve as we get older

But once there’s no more to learn

It’s all quite simple.

 

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9. Counting - By Gabrielle

 

I count petals in my palm that watched me grow

When I was young, getting older never felt so slow

Now that I’m 15, life feels like a duel

If I stumble, If I shatter, then it makes me a fool.

 

Roses have thorns to defend themselves

Their beauty is hidden by a pain that swells

Like us, when old, their life comes to an end

In a garden no one loved, no one cared to tend.

 

As a child I was a princess, a doll and a fairy

As a girl in my teens the future seems so scary

Will my life be empty? For today is my peak

Is there passion in my heart or will I forever be weak?

 

I count petals in my palm that watched me grow

I wish to always be young, more than anything I know

My soul is gentle and my brain is cold

I trust in myself that my person will be bold.

 

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10. Counting - By Grace 

 

2 siblings

1 distant

Distance turned into a memory

The memory hurt and grew

I used to follow in your footsteps

I tried to be like you

 

As you aged 17, 18, 19,

I lost you

You live a 1000 miles away

And all I wanted to do was talk about

Your day

 

Months and months: no contact

Although, it feels like years.

 

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11. Counting - By Amber

 

My older sister, 17

My younger sister, 9

Me, 15

All separated by years

But connected by hearts 24/7 laughing and jokes

Sharing and collecting memories

Like there were never years apart

Going back

Going forth

Going back and forth little arguments

However,

No matter the tears

We’ll be together for years

We’ll always have each other

As I love forever.

Millions of memories

3 hearts

2 parents

1 family

 

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12. Counting - By Geavavi

 

I have 2 brothers and one sister

I look up to one and 2 look up to me.

They all have their negatives

No one is perfect - right? But me.

I might be in the middle but I never get in between

We’re completely different from eachother

But have the same mum

We’re separate d by years but have the same blood

But one day we shall part

But from afar

Wherever we are

We’ll be connected.

 

 

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13. Counting - By Sianna

 

We are inches away

But this reality will not stay

You are almost 20 years old

Where did the time go?

3 months until I get my own room

3 months is too soon

3 people in the house is not the same as 4

1 person in a room alone

567 miles apart

But no distance away from my heart

My sister 19

My idol you’ve always been

I’m so grateful for hundreds of memories

My sister for ever – you will always be.

 

 

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14. Counting - By Joel

 

I’ve got 7 siblings

7 strong bonds

7 worlds beyond, yet to explore

4 of us living together

3 moved away, spread across the world

My brothers’ ages: 13, 14 (me), 21, 29, 30

 

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15. Counting - By Glisha

 

Watch out!

The glass is broken

A million crystal pieces

Resembling a trillion shattered promises

 

The way they lied

Happened 1, 2, 3 too many times

Sharing 100s of memories

But now, zero matter

 

Going back 4, 5, 6 years to when we were younger

Wishing it was the same - but it’s not

Make sure you watch out for those snakes

 

 

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16. Counting - Brezneiv 

 

92 numbers going to the same destination

I miss everything especially my connection

Millions of memories just like my hair

Every single one drifting away from the pier

Everything about me getting smaller in size

All this hard work but no clue of the prize

I can’t tell the prize, not even the direction

All that’s in me is having an inflation

Having flashbacks running through my mind

Looking for a cure but nothing to find

A mist of tears, joy, laughter and melancholy

To my child all I could say is, “Sorry”

All the times I have left, growing distance from me

All I can ask is , “What’s left of me?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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