The Form 5 children spent an exciting day absorbed in the wonder of words, when acclaimed young poet, Mr Luke Wright, came to visit Senior House. Mr Wright, who has appeared regularly on Radio 4’s ‘Saturday Live’ and tours the globe with his refreshingly irreverent words, injected real life and excitement into the day, demonstrating that poetry is very much alive and kicking in Britain today.
The poet’s readings were received with laughter and fascination in each of the three workshops that he gave and the children produced some fabulous alliterative, metaphorical or biographical responses to the three different poems used in the workshops. The day closed with an hour long poetry recital, in which Mr Wright and members of Form 5 read their works aloud for an appreciative audience comprising of Form 4 and Form 6 children.
The children were also given the opportunity to engage in a question and answer session, in which the Mr Wright revealed all about the life of a poet. (Yes, you can make a living from poetry, it appears!) The children continued to work on their poems throughout the week of National Poetry Day (Thursday 3rd October). Mr Ashley Smith, English teacher, explained, “The children are looking forward to sharing their poems in the 2014 edition of the Eaglet magazine and will also be entering as many poems possible into national competitions.” A short selection of some of the children's poems can be found below.
Dad
His hair was icebergs clashing together
His eyes were whirlpools pulling in ships
And his blinks were folders being closed
And his teeth were windows in the summer
And his bite was blacksmiths smashing steel
His mouth was a pencil case closing
And his nostrils were black hole
And his smile was a cloud in front of the sun
His neck was a spear
And his shoulders were tree trunks in the autumn
His arms were pieces of paper
His tongue was card
His hand shake was fire
His elbows were knives blunted
His palms were water
His shadow was a cumulonimbus
His legs were steel doors
His feet were bells ringing with every step
His fingers were snipers
His footprints were maps
And his dog was a black bush
And his heart was a bus
We were the sword that cut through his cancer.
Charlie Devon, 5S
Dad
Dad,
Texting at lunch
Cheating at monopoly
Pancakes on a Monday
Scarf, tie and suit
All in a row on the plastic pegs
Red money box for loose change
Stealing all the cheese
Eating all the peanut butter
Stray Kitkat wrappers on the floor of your car
Giving the dog mints
James Grant, 5S
What is The Snow Doing?
Slowing down and softly tickling the nose,
Owing a penny to the weather forecast,
Slipping onto sizzling fires,
Snowing, olivegrowing,
Flaking New York Cheese-caking,
Dropping, corkpopping,
Candyflossing (not a happy dentist),
Glumping garrumphing humping,
Bowing, everglowing,
Jingling, bingling, Christmascoming,
Nuttering, niggling, brandybuttering,
Rolling in bacon, plopped and crisping,
Slowing. Snowing.
Laura Klenerman, 5T