Competition

Highly Commended

Adrenalin
by Rhiannon Williams

Stealthy and ravenous, I prowl.
For days my mouth has not touched a meal.
Glancing through a clearing, my eyes descend on a newborn deer.
Terrified and alone, having no guardian.

Adrenalin goes wild.

Creeping closer, closer.
Unaware is the fawn
That these are its final moments on Earth.
Soon this infant will be in another world, beyond the heavens.

Adrenalin pumps.

Preparing for the kill.
My paws leave the ground and…..
POUNCE!
I begin a meal that saves my life but takes another.

Adrenalin calms

Bounding by comes a concerned mother.
Abruptly, she stops and starts searching for her young.
For a moment, I sense guilt until,
My muscles start tingling.

Adrenalin goes wild.

Highly Commended

Peace, pes, n.
by Violet Macdonald

What is peace?
Sometimes it’s a treaty,
Sometimes it ends in war,
Sometimes it’s finding the baby’s pacifier.

What is freedom?
Sometimes it’s being let out of an asylum,
Sometimes it’s being taken off duty,
Sometimes it’s being allowed to cross the street on your own.

What is stillness?
Sometimes it’s the bush after a fire,
Sometimes it’s one minute of silence,
Sometimes it’s your room, when it’s dark and everyone’s asleep.

What is war?
Sometimes it’s two countries conflicting,
Sometimes it’s a contest
Sometimes it’s children, fighting over a toy.

What is peace?

Highly Commended

Like Wolf, Like Boy
by Amanda Webster

I never told anyone that I was kicked out of home,
Alone like the wolf,
Independent.
I never told anyone that I didn’t have somewhere to
Stay,
Stalking through the streets at night.

Having to face winter’s bitter chill,
At least I have a coat of thick fur.
Having to fight for every meal,
Hungry every waking hour.

Braving the world by myself, with no one to help.

Never give up, never back down-
Strong willed, a fighter.