Competition

Highly Commended

Relief
by Antonia Langenegger
Hawthorn, Vic

The shiny tube of water draws closer and closer.
If it gets to land, it will be obliged to strike
And lay waste to the land.
It will become a tornado.
It is slow.
But it's soaking up the water greedily,
Like a whirlpool in a bath, just like a rope of water.
A child's worst nightmare.
The people grow tense, clocks stop and then... the
faintest ghost of a scream echoes and rings around town.
Others join in like they are bringing up the chorus.
Suddenly it grows so high pitched nobody can hear it.
Then, it all stops... the tornado has struck the edge of the
beach and died!
It collapses in a shower of water and sand.
The relief is like glory.

Highly Commended

Cyclone
by Ryan Langer
Raceview State School, Raceview, Qld

Killing machine
Deadly sacrifice
Hearts pounding
No way out
Fast as a leopard
CYCLONE.
Destructive sting
Like a savage bull
Running for your life
CYCLONE.
Wildly exploding
Ten minutes of hell
Unstoppable bomb.

Highly Commended

When a Storm Comes
by Kate Dillon
Middle Park State School, Middle Park, Qld

When a storm comes, I can feel the moisture in the air,
The trees start to gently dance to the music of the breeze,
Rainclouds as black as the night hover up above, ready to strike at any moment.
A thick layer of fog hides the pictures in the distance,
The atmosphere is calm and quiet.

But then all of a sudden, rain starts to fall softly down from the black sky,
Becoming more ferocious every second.

By now the gentle breeze has turned into a wild wind that howls as it winds itself
through tree branches.
At a low grumble of thunder, I jump out of my skin,
And soon after a flash of lightning makes my spine tingle as it pierces the black sky.

I go to get my torch in case of a blackout,
But when I return the storm has stopped,
Leaving nothing but the ruins it had caused

Highly Commended

Winter’s Silence
by Megan Humphreys
Mount Crosby State School, Mount Crosby, Qld

A blanket of white snow.
Nothing but silence.
Numbing my fingers on every touch.
A quiet rain of mist
and believing that winter is the best