Competition

Highly Commended

The Race
by Brigid Horneman-Wren

The Boy Runs
Panting
His feet thudding
On the grass

Nothing can stop him
From winning
He didn’t win
Last time
It means everything
To him

His family’s there
Cheering him on
For the final
Of the
800 metres

Someone’s in the front
Blocking him
From victory
The grand champion
Of the year

He puts on
A burst of speed
The last 100m coming
He tells himself
I can win

The finish line
Is right
In front of him
He crosses it
Arms in the air

There is a cheer
From the audience
As he receives
The trophy
Of his dreams

There is a flash
Of a camera
This moment
He will remember
Forever

Highly Commended

Slippery Slime
by Branyon Apel

Soft squishy snails
leave wet sticky trails
on rich scrub ground
or a leafy mound.

Slow and sedate
they follow their mate,
lay eggs in dirt,
antennae alert.

Smooth graceful gliding,
no slip or sliding,
over dry logs
and through muddy bogs.

Soft squishy snails
leave wet sticky trails;
a silvery sheen
to show where they've been.

Highly Commended

Untitled
by Elizabeth Waldron

A wkward
C lumsy
R hythms
O ften
S eem
T o be an
I rritating
C ompromise