by Miss Patel, English Dept
As part of the Year 7 and 8 remote learning for English, students had lots of opportunities to read the fantastic works produced by other poets as well as write their own poetry. The Poetry in Performance competition took place during lockdown, open to both Year 7 and 8 students. They had to perform a poem they enjoyed, one they had written or one that was special to them. Entries from the students were creative, powerful and very inspiring.
The winning performance in Year 7 was from Ava Beattie. Cameron Quin and Hannah Henderson were runners up. In Year 8, CJ Courtney was the winner and Jayden Stafford was the runner up. Students shown below are (back row left to right) Hannah Henderson, Cameron Quin, Benjamin Nicholson, (front row left to right) Ellie Henderson, Ava Beattie, Bonnie Defreitas, Sonia Sandhu, Diya Regi, all Year 7.
Year 8 students CJ Courtney (winner) and Jayden Stafford (runner up):
Locked Away
by Hannah Henderson, Year 7
Swings dangle low and sad,
They don’t understand – have the children been bad?
No more swinging – no more play,
They are chained up and feel locked away.
The slides are dead-with no more slip,
Their chains are up high-so no one can trip.
They are getting old-they are getting grey,
They feel so lonely – so locked away.
The roundabout spins no more,
No one to push it round until their hands get sore.
They sit and wonder day by day,
Why are we alone – why are we locked away?
Shelves are stacked up tired and slow,
There’s tape on the floor saying which way to go.
With nothing to do, with nothing to say,
They are stuck up there – so locked away.
Clothes are dancing side by side,
Some feeling sad and just wanting to hide.
No one will notice if they steal food for the day,
Because no one is there – they are all locked away.
The tills are waiting for something to scan,
A packet or a bottle, a tin or a can.
No one to scan bar-codes, no one to pay,
They are moved apart, for the people locked away.
Chairs are just stood there feeling very light weight,
It’s been a really long time, how are the children so late?
Around a dozen children in computer rooms all day,
But everybody else – they are all locked away.
Books are just waiting for one page to be turned,
No one is there, no one has learned.
No one to stuff them on the book shelf and then go play,
You know why now – they are all locked away.
We’re all at home working away,
Every second, every minute, every hour, every day.
It will happen – it will happen – it will happen they say,
Someday we will be no longer locked away.
My Point of View
by Sam Owens, Year 8
When I think of a Poem I think of a view,
A view that makes the same perspective look anew,
If one were to say ‘a ominous blue voyd’,
My mind could wonder as it thinks annoyed,
Annoyed at the possibilities of the word a ‘voyd’
All these words are worthless until the imaginative cloud,
As one reads it aloud.
My view of Poetry depends on the subject,
As my passion varies in the affect,
The effect of the subject,
A poem without feelings is a poem without a soul,
As the Point of a poem is to express the passion to create a moral control,
But I don’t know,
I guess this is just my ‘point of view’.
Final lines of ‘A Midsummer Summer Night’s Dream’ by William Shakespeare
performed by Ava Beattie, Year 7
PUCK:
If we shadows
have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended–
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend.
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to ‘scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call.
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.