Success at the Foyle National Young Poet Competition
10 Oct 2011
A poem written by Perse student Misha Karmiloff has been chosen as one of the 85 Commended Poems for the Foyle National Young Poet Competition.
Misha's poem, entitled Peace, was one of 16,00 poems entered by 7,215 entrants for the competition, which formed part of National Poetry Day on October 6. Congratulations to Misha on an excellent achievement.
Peace, by Misha Karmiloff
The golden fields flow through the country
A rustling oak tree standing its ground in the middle
Of a field, its branches stretching out like arms
The wheat around it reaching to the top,
The race to the sun beginning.
The sun glimmering over the tips of the grain
The odd bird flying low, gliding across this dream.
The gentle hum of a bee as it looks for a treat
The stripes like a zebra, a gentle creature.
A long stretch of coast, covered in pebbles
Tiny grains tingling between your feet
The crunching of clam shells, a little sting here
And there. And the sea rolling its way up and down
The beach, grabbing a handful of sand and throwing it back
A slight breeze picking up from the sea. Gliding through
Your hair. Its gentle repetition soaking the sand,
Your feet digging in, sinking, the sand swelling round
Your legs. A gentle aroma of fish and salt tingles
The hairs in your nose, but all is calm.
I’m lying in bed, living the last of my days,
The tingling sound of the rain drumming like
A distant parade. I can hear my grandchildren
Playing by the fire. A family that cares. If only
It lasted forever. And as I look at the window
The rumble thunder like a starved belly, and
Soon after the flash of lightning like a light
Being turned on and off. And now I can feel
My legs dropping off for a snooze, and now my
Arms. And still the gentle drumming is
Going on, sending me off on my last sleep.