Young Writers Receive Recognition

Nineteen Year 9 students have received recognition for their poetry writing. Their poems will be published in an anthology called ‘Through Their Eyes 2020 – Beyond The Page’.  This year’s challenge was to write from the point of view of something or someone.

Richmond School entries included poems written from the point of view of an asylum seeker, someone who was wrongly accused of a crime, a Jewish child imprisoned in a concentration camp, a soldier, a black cat, an orangutan, a trophy wife and a tree.

Mrs Weston, English Teacher, said: “My Year 9 class wrote a stunning collection of poems based on the ‘Through Their Eyes’ stimulus.  The quality of their poems demonstrated their understanding of language, structure and poetic form as well as showcasing their creativity and vivid imaginations.  These poems were written before lockdown; however the students have continued to work hard and made terrific progress despite the challenges they have faced in recent months.  I am very proud of their efforts and hope that this recognition will give them all a much needed boost.”

The students who received certificates and will appear in the anthology are: Faith Andrew, Jenna Benson, Mia Brown, Lucy Chandler, Rachel Eldred, Maisie Forbes, Maisy Forbes, Charlie Giddens, Jaime Gilpin, Annabel Gorman, Hannah Horton, Beth Hutchinson, Rose Jury, Diana Murray, Natalie Muxworthy, Sophia O’Callaghan, Eleni Oliver, Joe Palliser and Chloe Thompson.

Please enjoy reading some of the poems below.

Murderer by Faith Andrew

Left to rot
Long forgot,
In the place I now call home.
Needed a favour
But forever doing labour,
For my unforgiving behaviour.
I did my deed
And he was left to bleed,
Onto the cold, cobbled floor.
Got my money
But it’s never sunny,
In my clouded over mind
I was backstabbed
Then got grabbed,
I guess you could call it karma.
My cell is empty
My overalls filthy,
In the place I have to call home.

DOAA by Mia Brown
We will never reach the shore,
We will all sink in this enclosing mother load.
“Let the fish eat your flesh,”
They shouted.

The sea went black,
I heard people screaming,
Water crashing,
I felt like I was going to drown!

Sensing his end was near,
He approached,
“Please take the baby,”
He gave up and let the sea take his life.

My fiance’s last words,
“My love,
Please forgive me.”
He drowned before my eyes.

A mother was desperate,
She struggled towards me,
A baby as well,
“Please save her, I will not survive.”

Two hours,
I shouted for help,
I was spotted by their light in the dark,
Extended rope and freedom at last.

First child joined him,
But the second survived,
Masa,
My diamond to protect.

My story,
More relevant to the world now,
130,000 seek safety in Europe,
Tens of thousands of lives lost.

Waking up to
Tragedy on their shores ….

Act of kindness by Diana Murray

The red hot heat of the flames
Land, trees, forests and lives it claims,
Fire incinerates anything in its path
As we sit and watch our homes set ablaze under its mighty wrath,
Until there is nothing we can do
And an abundance of blazing orange flames becomes our new view.

I climb further and further, higher and higher
Until I feel trapped in the territory of the fire,
Flames creep closer and closer;
Crackle
Snap
One by one I close each eye,
Is this what it feels like to die?

Hands reach out towards me,
And I am no longer sat in my charred tree,
But clinging onto the arm,
Of a rescuer causing me no harm.
Instead saving lives and making a change,
Even with no reward in exchange.
I will forever appreciate the kindness shown,
From the stranger that I wish I had known.

The Curse of Evil by Annabel Gorman

I curse the name whoever brought this upon me,
A sign of villainy and misery, I can’t agree,
I’m as unlucky as the number thirteen,
Roaming the streets like the evil queen,
Magic and madness hidden in my eyes,
An old decaying witch wearing my disguise,
If I cross your path in the dead of night,
You better run for miles till you’re out of sight,
I live a sad little life banished away,
Let me explain if I may.

All I ever wanted was love and affection,
Miscommunication left me with rejection,
I’m no different than any other of my kind,
But you all think I have an unhealthy mind,
My eyes are greener than emerald jewels,
But you only see darkness, that’s the rules,
Only wanted to wander out and say hello,
But I wasn’t your friend, I was your foe,
It’s too late now to kill my clichés
Nothing would have changed anyways.
For I am a black cat – a humans worst nightmare,
Maybe one day I’ll be able to belong somewhere.

I’m Not a Trophy Wife by Sophia O’Callaghan

I can glisten and I can gleam,
My face belongs on the silver screen.
In the mirror, I practise saying ‘I already ate’,
Because I’m the American dream on a silver plate.

Seeing you off at the door with a glossy kiss,
Stuck in a stupor of easy bliss.
I sink down to the pristine sofa once again,
Because you’ve got me perfectly trained.

When I breathe it is shallow and concealed,
My smile is pearly, but cannot feel.
I’ll suck in, I’ll smile, I’ll give you a wave,
Just exactly how I know I have to behave.

No! I didn’t marry to be wealthy
You tell me to stop being so edgy,
But I’ll admit, it’s hard,
When you’re stepping in high heels on glass shards.

The Soldier by Charlie Giddens
The sound of the mortar
grows shorter and shorter.
As the enemies advance, I’m stuck
in a trance.
I’m envisioning an ending
of doom…

I’m lights
out
in
three.
As quick as I left it, I’m back into
reality.
I can’t tell
what’s going on
inside my head…
Is this what it’s like? To be
dead?
The constant ringing of the
‘boom’
I’m promptly wheeled into an operating room…
The pathetic anaesthetic barely numbs the pain.
Whatever is happening,
Well I must sustain my will
To Live
To Fight
To Survive

The Orangutan By Hannah Horton

Walking
Slowly
Standing as still as a statue
Watching my home as it falls to the burning forest floor
The tall strange creatures perched on loud metal things
Things I’d never seen before

All I could see was red
And the birds trying their best to rid our home of the awful creatures
They did not leave
Red
I reached out to touch it
My hand was left as red and i as warm as the red destroying my world

Night falls
They are still there
All we do is watch
Our food, our home
Our lives
Gone

Day breaks
Nothing
Nowhere to go
Nothing
How can we live?

A Tree by Francis Nicholson

I’ve seen you in this barren space
Standing majestically tall,
I’ve gazed upon your elegance
From winter through to fall.

I thought of you, here all alone,
Then these questions arose in me:
Are you sad? Do you have a friend?
Tell me, please, Lonely Tree.

‘Lonely? I cannot say that I am,’
It seems I heard it say,
‘For I have lots of company
That visit night and day.

Above, I have the puffy clouds,
The warm sun shining bright;
My arms caress the songbirds
While they‘re resting from their flight.

In darkness, I’m never alone
For so many stars appear
And cradled high in the sky,
The golden moon is always near.’