Competition

First Prize

A Child of the Famine
by Hannah Roberts

His loincloth unwashed,
Barely covering him at all,
A shrunken skeleton of skin and bone.
He walks miles in search of water,
Stagnant, diseased and makes him sick.
He eats the little food the broken land provides,
With his skin wrinkled and withered,
And his eyes are gaunt and haunted-
He is, a child of the famine.

He cannot read nor write,
But what is education of the mind,
When the belly is swollen with hunger,
And cattle stocks are incessantly dying?

What to call this place, surely not a village,
This boy lives under a single tin sheet!
Luxury is non-existent,
Enjoyment of life – how?

Struggling to survive he is,
A child of the famine.

Second Prize

The Goodbye
by Dana Haywood

Early morning at the crack of dawn,
He sits in the sitting room in complete darkness,
He is thinking.

The flickering of a candle,
Brightens the space around his loving wife,
She looks restless, her hair tangled.

He stares deeply, minutes pass,
And then he goes upstairs.
He stops in the doorway of his daughter’s room,
Looks at her peaceful smile,
And how perfect she is,
Then he tiptoes to her bed,
Gently clears the hair from her face,
And kisses her goodbye for the last time.

Quietly he walks downstairs,
Goes to his wife and kisses her goodbye,
Picks up his suitcase,
Turns and looks at his wife once more,
As tears roll down his face,
His one way ticket to war clutched in his hand.

Third Place

Tears
by Kristy Anna Hampel

A gentle mother cradles
Her precious baby girl
The night is still and calm
A single tear falls
A tear of love and hope
Hope for her daughter’s future
Love for her gorgeous baby

Her backpack is too big
Her smile from ear to ear
Her size 3 shoes
Walk along the path
The path she’ll walk for years
A tiny tear in her Mum’s eye
A sad and proud tear

Her hair in elegant curls
She’s dressed in a pink satin dress
As a dashing young gentleman escorts
Her to the formal
They step into the limo
Her parents wave good-bye
A silent tear

The blue sky obscured
By a cloud of black hats
It’s graduation day
A confident young lady
Steps onto the stage
A tear trickles down her mother's aging face
As she accepts her prize for prefect

The couple step out of the church
Multi-coloured confetti
Camera’s flash, wanting a snapshot
Of this beautiful occasion
Her mother stands back, beaming proudly
Tears flowing down her face
Tears of joy and happiness

A gentle mother cradles
Her precious baby girl
The night is still and calm
A single tear falls
A tear of love and hope
Hope for her daughter’s future
Love for her gorgeous baby