What the apple seek
by Sevin Mannakkara, Wesley College Melbourne
Years 5 – 6 Ekphrastic Poetry Finalist

‘The Suspension of Time in the Season of Waiting’ by Sarah Walker (2019)
The apples wander around
Searching far and wide
They run, jump, skip, fall
But what they seek
Is further, into the deep world.
They travel walking
Day in day out
Trying to find something
They could never find sitting in a bowl,
They took out on an adventure
To find what apples call true treasure.
They walk trying to find
What they want to see
The apples don’t seek money
Or treasure or wealth
Something much less in value
But much more valuable in beauty.
Through the dark forests
Through the crashing waves
Soaring through the sky
Getting closer
To what the apple desire.
The apples are halfway there
Getting closer and closer
They see it in the vast distance
They are losing time
The sky turned to a beautiful blue
But they must go quicker
Or wait for tomorrow.
Now the apple crew sprint and leap
They had to find it
Or wasted their time
The apples were so close
All they had to do
Was reach up high.
Up a mountain they went
They climb up
Falling down, but coming back up
They trudged through
Reaching those greater heights until…
There it was
The true beauty
It was night moon in the
Lovely blue sky
It was truly amazing.
That was a sight that was priceless
But for apples it was incredible
They were elated
To see something so amazing
And that was the best adventure
Apples could ever have.
How did writing this poem make you feel?
I really enjoyed writing the poem. It made me feel relaxed and doing the poem really inspired me to write more poem.
Which single line in your poem are you the absolute proudest of?
‘They could never find sitting in a bowl’ because it provides a true contrast between the adventure and being an ordinary self.
Describe your poem in three words
Odyssey, impermanent, sanctuary.
Where is your absolute favourite place to sit when you are brainstorming ideas?
I like to sit outside because when I am so close to nature, it gives me boundless ideas like the sky enriched by the fresh air.
What skills do you think you strengthened through writing this poem?
I think when I was writing the poem it was like a journey and I really excelled in making it interesting and making people want to read it.
Why do you think people write poetry?
People write poems to express writing in a different way. It makes it more interesting and there are so many variations of poems that makes it so likeable for people.