From the thrill of the theatre to the ephemera of nature – the winning entries in the Year 11-12 category for this year’s Student Poetry Competition are sure to inspire.
Congratulations to Marianna Mossonidis (Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School), Ruby Wiggins (Alice Miller School) and all of those who received honourable mentions.
The competition, part of the Arts Learning Festival, was open to students from all school sectors, and attracted more than 500 entries.
The Death of the Sun
Dusk is a funeral.
When the flowers kiss the sun goodnight
And send her off to sea,
Will she sail back in time for morning?
Her lighthouse, the Moon,
Holds the sun in her palm,
Cradles her body,
Then laughs as she watches the Sun drown into the night
The Sun weeps at the Moon’s betrayal
Her tears seep into Earth
Watering our flowers, trees and souls
‘I shall return by dawn’ she whispered
But,
She did not return.
The flowers mourned;
their love for her collecting dust
And yet they still fell to their knees,
in worship.
Wilting.
Enraged at the sight,
The Moon beheaded them.
She stole their thorns and placed them on her tongue.
Spite.
They carved
craters in her skin
and scarred her ugly face.
watch her bleed.
In desperation,
The poorly Moon
falls to her knees
begging for the sweet relief of sunlight;
Her final act.
The creatures of dawn begin to chatter.
Some surrender themselves
To the dying Moon,
Others wait patiently
For the Sun’s return.
At last.
The Sun’s rosy fingers grasp the crown of the sky.
She pulls herself up towards the heavens
And reaches out a dainty hand, lifting the Moon up with her.
The Sun sets her lips alight,
Igniting her words.
“You cannot kill me in a way that matters”
‘The Thrill of Theatre’
Written poetry
- Sophie Alexander – Year 11, Gippsland Grammar – ‘Our Mission’
- Mishal Benny – Year 11, St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar – ‘Ocean Echo’
- Ruby Cullen – Year 12, Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School – ‘Unmooring’
- Oscar Finn – Year 11, Alice Miller School – ‘Belonging and Longing’
- Ella Grant – Year 12, Melbourne Girls Grammar School – ‘My Body is a House’
- Nikita Morin – Year 12, Gilson College – ‘Beneath the Shade of the Sycamore Tree’
- Sharon Zhang – Year 11, Carey Baptist Grammar School – ‘Sacrificial fire for Thich Quang Duc’
Performance poetry
- Ruby Cullen – Year 12, Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School – ‘A Moonlit Stroll’
Read and watch more from this year’s Student Poetry Competition.
