Charlotte Kell Poetry Winners

Charlotte Kell Poetry Winners 2018

 

Winner

A Golden Harvest

Rosie Schofield LTs

 

I lie in fields of gold and grey,

Where miles of grass forms stacks of hay,

In summer heat, the men will work,

For harvest comes again today.

 

Now, sun will coat the corn with gold,

And all to market to be sold,

There’s sacks and sacks all piled up high,

For harvest brings in food tenfold.

 

A small house nestles by a stream,

An apple tree with fruits agleam,

The children will be full tonight,

For harvest is no more a dream.

 

Runner Up

Fireflies

Leony Ye Inters

 

The atmosphere was dead and dry

Darkness began to drizzle into the sky

Splatter paint clouds, passing by,

Like handfuls of Lilliputian stars lighting the sky.

 

Fireflies, what makes you so bright?

You lighten up the forests with your light,

Surrounded by the deep, dark night

As you vibrate and take your flight.

 

One summer’s eve, with sleepy eyes,

I went to draw a bath –

When through the open window spied

A light upon my path…

 

The gleam was small and bright and cold,

And yellow-white as lightening,

Against a background, dark and blurred,

Golden sequins shining.

 

We must appreciate the darkness

And despite the cold despair

This melancholy canvas

Buzzed through the blackened air

 

They danced in a heady swarm of light,

Splattering patterns in the night

A frozen firework explosion, what a sight

As they danced and turned in thrilling flight.

 

Here come the real stars to fill the upper skies,

And here on earth come emulating flies,

They blink ‘til dawn, and with gentle sighs,

Are now set free at the sunrise.

 

Runner Up

Long Drive Home

Rebecca Smith Inters

 

Get ready

For a long drive home.

Curl up in your seat

And grab

The blanket out the glove box,

The pillow on the parcel shelf.

 

Count down the miles

On the long drive home.

Stare out the window

And watch

The flicker of lights guide the way,

The flash of cars as they storm past.

 

Follow the cats’ eyes

On the long drive home.

Follow the wipers

And listen

To the lashing rain against the windows,

To the hum of the surface beneath you.

 

Close your eyes

On the long drive home.

Fall asleep calmly

And feel

The gentle chill of your nose and toes,

The familiar bumps as you near home.

 

 

 

 

 

Commended

Lucinda Oakey LTs

My Good Boy ‘Knockie’

 

Sitting up straight, feeling the tension,

Pretending it’s easy, with no hesitation,

Whilst holding my breath, my lungs gasp for air

When I sit down deep I take in all the air.

 

Hearing the hooves thud quickly beneath you.

Feeling the beat, repeat and repeat, you

Think everything stops but it keeps on moving,

Your heart is pounding but your tummy is churning.

You look at the jumps and they seem to be moving.

 

Everything is silent, but I hear one noise

It’s the sound of the start buzzer, screeching its command,

My brains getting sore, remembering the course

I turn round the corner, lean forward on my horse.

 

Where to next?

The red?

Or the blue?

I hear mum’s voice,

‘There’s the yellow one too!’

 

Now it’s quickly all over, and I start to think

Through the technical round and what I just did.

I swing my leg over the hard, shiny saddle

And I land on the ground with no fuss or kerfuffle.

 

The shining gems are beaming from his eyes,

And give me the sense that he’s full of love and pride.

I take a long look over his strong built body,

And I say, ‘You worked hard, my good boy, Knockie!’

 

The day starts to end

My journey’s complete,

Time to head home for a roast dinner feast

 

Commended

Alishba Irfan Inters

My Dad

 

You are happy

You are jolly

You are in truth, an absolute Wally!

 

You make me laugh

You make me smile

I really, really love your style

 

Your hair like night

Your glasses, I love,

Your face shines bright like Heaven above

 

But then what happened?

I don’t know

‘Don’t just leave, don’t just go.’

 

I’m filled with grief,

I’m shocked, I’m scared,

What will I do without your care?

 

Four years later

But I’m still here,

Coping since you disappeared.

 

Why did you die

And leave me here?

Without you, I have to live in fear.

 

But now I’m stronger,

But now I’m brave,

Thanks to all the love you gave.