chiswick book festival young people’s poetry competition
Poetry Competition Winners 2021
Year 3
First Prize
The Sea by Molly Kennedy
The sea is a pounding wolf
Silver and large
He runs up and down the beach all day
When he is bored he leaps away
Madly thrashing his tail of grey
With his blazing eyes and crushing jaws
Hour upon hour he howls
A loud and terrible howl
When the sea wind blows
And the moon glows like a torch
He lashes about and starts to shout to the
World who lives below
In quiet days like May or June
When the birds sing their spring tune
The seawolf is fast asleep
Snoring away without a peep
Second Prize
Mae Jemison by Roxy Conlon
Have you heard of the woman who went to space,
But at the same time challenged questions of race?
Mae Jemison is her name,
An inspiration who shot to fame…
She is a star of the world, a glimmer of light.
She is clever and funny and witty and bright
She has made us all think and question our lives,
Making is dream big and live a life that makes us thrive.
She worked very hard and did well at school.
Her teachers were impressed, she was no fool!
She was always moving – a real busy bee.
She challenged what people thought and also what we see.
She raced to the moon,
In a spaceship she zoomed,
Her body filled with excitement did a little jig!
But the main thing we’ve learnt is that
WE NEED TO DREAM BIG!
Joint Third Prize
I Love Sport by James Moody
It’s always really fun when I’m playing cricket,
Bowling the ball and getting lots of wickets!
I like the sound of the ball on my bat,
One day I ran so fast, I lost my hat!
I really love football, especially when we win,
I do a big celebration when the goals go in!
I run the whole pitch and do my best tackle yet,
I take a shot and it’s in the back of the net!
Playing rugby and scoring lots of tries,
Makes me so happy I nearly cry!
Getting tags and tackling, and doing lots of dummies,
At the end of the match my knees get really muddy!
Joint Third Prize
Courage by Zoe Elizabeth Phillips
There is no such thing as failing.
It may not work today,
But next time may be smooth sailing.
When you believe,
The things you find hard,
You will achieve.
You need to start somewhere,
Be brave, chin up,
One day you will get there.
It may start small,
But then it grows,
And then it’s tall.
You’ll know it’s inside you,
When you find it.
Everything you can do.
It’s true!
Commendation
Flowers by George Connor
Delicate, elegant petals swiftly blowing in the warm breeze,
Healthy, majestic stem sturdily standing tall in the thundering rain,
Rubbery, waxy leaves swaying in the howling, deafening wind,
The sweet flowery aroma of the beautiful roses tempted the buzzing bees towards the pollen,
Crystal clear rain drops falling off the impeccable coloured flowers,
Stunning, amazing flowers brightly shining beautifully in the scorching sun.
Year 4
First Prize
Who am I? by Udval Myagmarsuren
Gently, gently, take with care
Be careful not to drop me there,
Careful, careful or I’ll fall,
I will not bounce; I’m not a ball.
I’m not a game; I’m not a toy,
My odour sweet you should enjoy,
You should admire my lilac hue,
A floral, silky gift for you.
Hurry, hurry, do make haste,
Pick me quickly; have no waste,
Thunder, thunder, crashing down,
Help me, hurry, or I’ll drown.
Ah! Now I’m safe; now I’m dry,
Indigo petals catch your eye,
Wonder not my identity,
A flower wild is what you see!
Joint Second Prize
Imagine by Ana McMillan
Set your imagination free
Let it dance
Let it run
Let it prance
A dull old museum
As quick as a flash
It’s the future world
A secret club for witches
A flammable shooting star
An underground tunnel
Leading to who knows where
An unexciting bedroom
It’s ok
Bur now it’s a skeleton town
A parading dog
With an evil clown
An upside down house
A time machine
And a parachuting mouse
Set your imagination free
Let it dance
Let it run
Let it prance
Joint Second Prize
I am a Cloud by Constance Colligan
I am the fluffy, floating sponge
Who gives life to plants,
I am the helpful barricade of rain
Who stops the world’s droughts.
I am the soft carpet of the sky
Who lets birds fly through,
I am the miraculous path to heaven
Who opens for angels.
I am the enemy of blue sky
Who grows to block the sun,
I am the curled cat shape sight
Who turns to a heart in the dusky light.
Third Prize
Waiting by Diana Morrow
Waiting, starting to lose hope,
Waiting and waiting for what seems like years,
Waiting from midday to twilight,
Waiting like a jaguar to jump on its prey,
Waiting for light to appear on the horizon,
Waiting for the storm to rise.
Waiting, coming to the end,
Waiting as relief passes over you,
Waiting has ended it is time to strike.
Commendation 1
My Hamster Pretzel by Safa Mariam Vohra
My hamster Pretzel is my pet
We once showed him the internet
We thought a soothing lullaby
Would help him eat his shepherd’s pie
Unfortunately it did not work
Instead it made him quite beserk!
His eyes went wide, he needed the loo
Then he squealed. Out came a poo.
Commendation 2
Deep in the Mariana’s Trench By Luca Albano
Deeper than machines can go.
Ever so deep,
Even deeper,
Petrifying creatures,
In the deep,
Nothing in sight,
They ae hiding,
Hiding, waiting
Even plotting
Mariana’s trench, with the highest pressure
And freaky fish
Reptiles, and rare shells
In the sand
And skeletons
Never to be revealed, in
Addition to all of the carcasses
Scrap heaps everywhere
The heaps of sculls and eyes
Rarely seen, predators hidden, not
Ever if prey isn’t
Near,
Close or
Here….
Year 5
First Prize
Antarctica by William Yu
Like the shards of a broken mirror,
It all started with a colossal fissure.
Caused by the workings of inner Earth,
To which a new world is given birth.
Drifting to the bottom of the world,
Into the tempestuous sea it swirled.
Forming a kingdom of ice and snow,
So brilliantly white it simply glows.
A once lush world swarming with trees,
Now deserted and barren as all shall freeze.
Over time only those who adapt survive,
In the end only the frost-proof thrive.
In this wintry wrath the sun seems ill,
As if it swallowed a powerful sleeping pill.
But from its slumber it awakes and stays,
Enough to sunburn if one dismisses shade.
In this desolate land where wind cuts like scissors,
Enchanting animals endure, battling biting blizzards,
Using ingenious formations in defiant displays,
Victorious, they emerge, creating their own highways.
The sea imitates the immaculate azure sky,
Both are beautifully translucent to the naked eye.
The mountains impose their rule from hidden peaks,
Harbouring many eclipsed rivers and creeks.
From now, any and every step is north,
The forgotten land shall once again come forth.
Creeping like a criminal before being unmasked,
Seeing civilizations rise and fall as it tasked.
Second Prize
Voila LA DS by Oscar Legge
A twist of a key and a spluttering cough,
She roars into life with a mighty blast-off,
Her streamlined body cleaves the air,
Hugging the road to get her there,
Headlights flicker,
Wingmirrors fold,
She rolls like a prize; priceless gold!
Third Prize
Bluebell by Aoibhe Lawton
Blue spells cast inside the midnight wood.
Lace of sapphire sewn across the forest floor.
Unspeaking and silent, these sentinels stand watch in the breeze.
Eerie glow of cerulean light; leads the way through the darkness.
Breathe in the secretive perfume; fresh, floral, fragile.
Every creature knows to tread carefully –
Love them, leave them, let them be
Lest they lure you, drown you in the deep azure sea.
Commendation 1
The Sky by Nell Skipper
The wispy clouds are ball room gowns gliding across the sky,
The stars are streetlamps guiding the moon across space,
The sun is a campfire for the little stars roasting marshmallows.
The sky is a battlefield, with white and grey armies,
The sunrise is a phoenix, ascending from the ashes.
The clouds are aeroplane’s tracks, doodled across the canvas
Year 5
My Grandfather by George Wells
My grandfather was a wonderful person,
His eyes twinkled like sunlight on water.
His smiley mouth on the edge of a joke.
We would laugh more out of confusion than anything.
He told me he was once good at cricket,
And was the school’s captain.
When he was invited he was about three hours late,
Also he never called so everyone worried about him
Driving his creamy, beaten-up Jaguar.
When he came he always brought a plastic bag full of presents,
But whenever he stayed it wasn’t for long,
He was always light-hearted and jolly,
He was interested in everyone he met,
He hated lying and cheating,
He loved card games and puzzles,
He always won.
Commendation 3
Tennis by Edward Watts
May your serves always be true
May your strokes always be speedier than the shots smashed back to you
May your legs always be moving
May your racket keep on walloping
May your muscles never get sore
May you matches always be won
(And The Opponent thinks)
I hope you miss
I hope you are slow
I hope your legs are stiff
I hope your muscles ache
I hope you lose your matches
I hope I never play you again!
Year 6
First Prize
The Prisoner by Ben Penny
“Is anybody there?” said the prisoner
Knocking hard on his own front door.
He was met with an isolating silence,
So he peeled his feet from the floor.
As he trudged down his bleak dark corridor,
Loneliness crept into his mind.
Warming sights, sounds and smells seemed to perish,
Turning back to the daily grind.
He sank slowly down into his soft back seat,
Pushing his hope yet further away.
Dragging his tired hands back up to the laptop,
Again, just another lockdown day.
Second Prize
Time by Fiona Sweeney
He was shrouded in the silkiest of pasts
His eyes the colour of long forgotten memories
He had a hood of the darkest dimensions of himself
And when he breather you felt his chill
He wore boots of mysterious future
Delicately sewn with crushed dreams
He walked like the softest moment
And when he talked, you felt his chill
His skin was nearly see-through
Made of the past and future mixed
His hair was woven feelings, hollow as they were
And when he moved, you felt his chill.
He Was Time
Joint Third Prize
A Drop of Water by Joseph James Cary
When a drop of water comes from my eye
Apparently, that’s when you cry
The pull of emotion shows my devotion
To the sadness when someone must die
When that drop of water falls to the ground
My heart beats with a grieving pound
The feel of exposure is actually closure
It’s the moment my souls finally found
Joint Third Prize
Chance by Aarush Choudhary
No chance at all,
Even when being good and all,
I struggle to find the right place,
It feels like I’m floating in space.
All the time I come with joy,
But it always ends – just like Troy,
All I can do is pray at home,
Just hoping for another chance.
I see everyone come and go,
Some prevail and some not so,
Although they say they’d give me one,
I end up with the same thing – none.
Why do I never get a chance, I sought to know,
Are the people really my foes?
Why can’t they understand my feelings of despair?
I must come together, I must repair.
Asking for another chance,
Won’t be as easy as a dance,
When can I show everyone who I am?
I’m just like fresh water but blocked by a dam.
Writing this poem gives me the courage,
To deliver the message of absolute knowledge,
To let the people know I’m really worthy,
That for a chance I’m very thirsty.
Commendation 1
My Paradise by Ava Graham
Your paradise is probably
Clean surfaces gleaming like pearls in the sun,
Stylish dresses made to impress
The clean smell of puffy pillows
Modern structures as white as marble
The humming buzz of a news reported on tv,
A paper white Lamborghini.
My paradise is,
The constant bark of a dog,
The clip-clop of horses’ hooves,
The pungent smell of manure at the stables,
The messy outline of my dog’s paws on stone dry concrete,
The Christmassy smell of pine trees,
The soft material of jodhpurs on my legs,
And the comforting warmth as I hug my mother.
All of the things I can spill into my dreams at night.
Commendation 2
Never give up on your dreams by Annabel Moody
At curtain up on Monday
I’m a ballerina in the spotlight
Pirouetting across the stage,
In a tutu dazzling white.
On Tuesday, I’m singing to an audience,
Roaring for more and more.
On Wednesday I’m at Wimbledon –
I’ll win this match for sure.
I get a call on Thursday,
My agent needs me now.
I run onto the film set.
A leading role. Wow!
I need a rest by Friday,
After everything I’ve done.
I’ll keep working on my novel.
Writing is so much fun.
Keep practicing, keep learning,
That’s what I’ve got to do.
I know it’s going to happen.
I’ll make my dreams come true.
Commendation 3
The Balloon Man by Marina Richardson (first 25 lines only)
Trapped, forever. Wanderer,
Forgotten in this house…of all places.
I see light: grey with trickles of white.
Trapped.
A world of colour drains to sepia
I stare. I look. I watch.
Lens clicking away
Still trapped. No way out.
He’s everywhere, that Balloon Man
He haunts me, he haunts this house.
Peeling wallpaper lined with his faded photograph:
Black hood, shadowed face, deep wrinkles, yet…
…so young.
A boy of five, perhaps younger,
Those red balloons; splatters of colour
In this tonal world of black and white.
My world.
Hallway after hallway, room after room
He follows me, secretly
Abusing me, mentally. Insanity hurt and sorrow.
I’m stuck in this house of horrors.
A child waits at the cliff’s edge
Staring up at a rift in the clouds.
Seafoam spits from the surf below,
Recoiling before lunging again at the jagged rocks.
Crown of blood-red balloons float into the sky.
The hooded child turns to face me, an inhuman smile
Contorting the corners of his mouth.
His grime-covered fingers crawl inside that open mouth…
…stretching past his black and brown and
Mustard yellow teeth, past his spiked and curling tongue,
Reaching deep to pull a seed
Year 7
First Prize
Tomorrow By Homare Yamada
As I close my eyes the flashback comes over me,
Taking me to the memories of a whole one year.
Every moment is captured burnt in my memory,
Like a tattoo that is never going to come off.
Lockdown manipulating us as if we were puppets,
Controlled for the ever-lasting despairing show.
No hope left for us,
But still we wait.
The new but somber-looking suitcase standing next to my desk,
Waiting for it to be used
A suitcase filled with drab misery and loss.
When the second hand and the minute overlap,
The world holds its breath for a brief moment
As I open my eyes,
The new beginning holds.
As the clock ticks in every second,
The sun rises up as if it is giving me wisdom.
Sunshine reflecting through the city,
As if it is colouring the monochrome world,
With the paint of flamboyance.
Leaving no trace of footprint,
Of the world which was pitch black just a moment ago.
Yesterday in a long tunnel is over,
It is time for the birth of a new normal.
Joint Second Prize
Emotion by Kate Story
Anger – a talking virus
Like a reflecting presence
Like a flowing disaster
A rocky river amidst
A cool flow,
Costing difference
Jealousy – a strong comparison
A posing appearance
Love – a witnessing growth
Sensing resolution
Multiplying communication
Risking significance
Joint Second Prize
Your Trust by Amba Sehgal
Your eyes, as blue as the June skies,
They stare at me in solitude.
Your hair are golden threads,
As they pirouette in the wind.
I felt something when we were together,
The outside world would disappear.
While listening to your mellow voice.
Memories stumbled across me.
The time we chuckled ‘till I cried,
The time I put all my trust in you,
The time you said you trusted me,
Was it all just a manipulative dream?
Trust is a flickering light,
Mimicking your emotions, snatching your soul,
One moment, the bar is high, the next,
Teardrops fall from your eyes.
Joint Third Prize
Empty Room By Rayan Warsama
A room empty and quiet,
Only the sun has entered,
The room corners hide in shadows,
It was silent,
It was bright.
The birds chirping and the sky blue,
The wall and the floor a dusty yellow,
Winter has ended and spring has started,
Ice to green grass and hot sun.
Joint Third Prize
Mum by Celia Harvey
Mum
She taught me how to talk
She taught me how to walk
And most importantly, she made me, I didn’t come from a stork
Mum
She is always there for me
When I am locked in despair, she has the key
She is the best it is clear to see
Mum
Although it seems her favourite child is my brother
I know it is me, I am very close to my mother
And when we fight, we always come back to each other
Mum
She is and forever will be my hero
She is a ten, never a zero
I feel happiness when I am around her, never fear oh
Mum
You are the best
Better than the rest
I am very obsessed
Commendation 1
Summer Sun by Arthur Hayes
The sun is a golden coin dripping towards the horizon
Dripping slowly into the endless wall of blue
Sweat runs like a stream down the curves of my back
The sun’s rays tickle my skin like a feather
The sensuous breeze stoked my hair
And rustled through the leaves
Wrote messages in the cirrhus clouds
Announcing Summer is here
Commendation 2
Fire by Megan Jamieson
The pounds of running and flaps of wing
The dancing flames of warm
Expanding its empire, striking fear.
It is dry season once more.
How did this happen?
How did it start?
A terrifying flame from a simple spark.
A fire of wild, destroying all.
So many deaths, how did they fall?
I mustn’t question, that is not my job.
I just escort them, to the lands above.
The flames consume the forest’s floor,
So many creatures, were once here before
Their souls warm and tears real,
Why must their deaths be so surreal?
The men in red soon make their entrance,
Their loud sirens make no difference.
The blaze calms as they spray the water,
The smoke clears, then they see the slaughter.
I look to the ground to pay my respects,
But alas! Life, there in ash’s specks,
A small green plant grows with confidence,
In a woodland with life’s absence.
So much loss, I little time,
Yet humanity carries on
When you are in dismay,
Remember, life will find a way.
Commendation 3
Siblings by Mariam Iman
Sibling, siblings, siblings
They always mess with your feelings.
Every day it’s trouble
They mess up your room like a jungle.
First comes Akram, he’s always hustling
Then comes Amina, she’s always waffling.
Next comes Amira, who’s actually quite humble
Then it’s Mohamed who always thinks he’s special!
Next is Ibrahim and his belly always rumbles.
Siblings, siblings, siblings
They always mess with your feelings.
Most of them wouldn’t even answer the family’s greetings
But I love them anyway.