Student Poetry Competition: Years 5-6, Winner and Honourable Mentions

After the Fire

By Felicity van Rensburg

Glorious mountains, luscious bush,

Ancient gumtrees, ferns and florals,

Sounds of joyful birds singing with delight,

Nature pristine, reflecting the Creator’s glory. 

Majestic, towering trees, cover the hilltops,

Patriarchs of the forest, 

Emerald green and full of life,

In the breeze, their delicate leaves descend. 

But now, the air is scorching,

And the wind is howling like a wolf. 

Orange flickering light,

dangerous to nature.

It follows the wind’s path,

And catches contagious flames,

That spread across the dry, thin grass.

Soon, smoke rises and embers spurt into the air. 

Raging with fury, vicious and violent. 

Starving, searching for fuel. 

Snaking its way from limb to limb,

Twisting and turning. 

Journeying through the paperbark forest,

Spoiling nature’s beauty.

Devouring all things in sight. 

And yet, its hunger, unsatisfied. 

Blazing flames, scorching heat,

Enlarges to a towering size, 

Choking smoke covers the sky.

And now, spotting its target, 

It soars down the mountain.

The cruel, savage, blaze,

Descends on houses below,

Charging towards them.

Devouring homes in one swoosh,

Covering them with a blanket of smoke.

Mantle piece memories obliterated, 

All that remains is ash and dust.  

The death of the forest stands in silence,

Cracking and crunching begins the thunder. 

Rain starts to pour,

Washing away ash and death. 

A new dawn awakes,

With a new golden sensation,

Returning to the sky, 

Smoke quietly fades away. 

Exploding through the clouds, the glow brightens, 

Fresh, clean air flows, trees breathe,

Little sprouts of green spread across the fields,

Regrowth emerges, new life beginning.