Little Laureates.
Young Writers is the young people’s publishing imprint of Forward Press - The People’s Publisher.
Established in 1991, Young Writers has promoted poetry and creative writing within schools for the past 15 years by running annual nationwide competitions. Each competition results in the publication of a collection of regional anthologies showcasing the work of today’s schoolchildren. The British Library has over a decade of Young Writers collections in its national archive!
And my Grandson Mark has a poem in this latest publication “Little Laureates”. It’s a poem about death, morbid I know but they were given a list of subjects they could write about and Markey chose death as the best in the list. I’m not quite sure what the other subjects were about, but rest assured, if he chose death then they must have been boring.
This is the poem:
Death feels like dark beetles and caterpillars and spiders.
Death is like burning, blazing pieces of flames eating up your life.
Death tastes like dark pools of blood.
Death feels like fire burning your heart.
Death looks like a blazing fire burning down a forest.
Death smells like a dead wombat that’s left its excrement.
Mark aged 9.
Hmmm makes a change from Angels, harps and fluffy white clouds doesn’t it? Now if you are as alarmed after reading this as I was, then don’t be. Apparently according to a psychiatrist friend of mine (Well he said he was my friend) Male children almost always turn to the dark side of things to explain the strange and abstract. Where as the female child will for the most part look to the light for inspiration.
I have read the book and found similar types of poems by boys and lovely fluffy poems by girls, so the content bears this out. What I want to know is at what point during his young life did he come across some dead Wombat shit.
Well done Mark.
Established in 1991, Young Writers has promoted poetry and creative writing within schools for the past 15 years by running annual nationwide competitions. Each competition results in the publication of a collection of regional anthologies showcasing the work of today’s schoolchildren. The British Library has over a decade of Young Writers collections in its national archive!
And my Grandson Mark has a poem in this latest publication “Little Laureates”. It’s a poem about death, morbid I know but they were given a list of subjects they could write about and Markey chose death as the best in the list. I’m not quite sure what the other subjects were about, but rest assured, if he chose death then they must have been boring.
This is the poem:
Death feels like dark beetles and caterpillars and spiders.
Death is like burning, blazing pieces of flames eating up your life.
Death tastes like dark pools of blood.
Death feels like fire burning your heart.
Death looks like a blazing fire burning down a forest.
Death smells like a dead wombat that’s left its excrement.
Mark aged 9.
Hmmm makes a change from Angels, harps and fluffy white clouds doesn’t it? Now if you are as alarmed after reading this as I was, then don’t be. Apparently according to a psychiatrist friend of mine (Well he said he was my friend) Male children almost always turn to the dark side of things to explain the strange and abstract. Where as the female child will for the most part look to the light for inspiration.
I have read the book and found similar types of poems by boys and lovely fluffy poems by girls, so the content bears this out. What I want to know is at what point during his young life did he come across some dead Wombat shit.
Well done Mark.
Labels: death, Little Laureates, poems, young writers
9 Comments:
I like the 'Dark Pools of blood' line.
Mark should start his own blog.
Kaz
I think he takes after me.
I like the wombat shit ending. It sort of reminds me of the poems Adrian Mole ages 13 3/4 wrote. He should definitely get his own blog!
Mike
I'm rather fond of that bit myself, when I told him that I had blogged his poem (And after explaining what a blog was)he said does that mean I have gone international?
I was featured in a similar anthology 2 different years when I was in junior high. My second poem was called "War". What's fun about "lovely fluffy"? :)
erika
I was probably thinking about my bunny suit when I was writing that, its lovely and fluffy, and it's fun too. "Hey" apart from interests, music,films and books we like exactly the same things. How weird is that. I will put a link to you on my blog if I may, I like women who don't hold back and call a camel toe a camel toe.
I too, am curious about the wombat shit.
I wouldnt be too alarmed, sounds perfectly harmless to me, unless someone catches him skewering small animals, I wouldnt worry.
Its what little boys are made of..
the british bird
I think I will ask the little bugger this weekend, watch this space.
Dave G.
I thought that said birthday suit not bunny suit. LOL! ( all lovely and fluffy... ) I think you had better shave a bit further south then.
You know, you may have a budding talent on your hands. I would be careful of his scaring the teachers though, tell him his blog is his vehicle for expressing the deeper feelings his teachers and class mates wouldnt understand. I cant see any harm in him having one, just keep an eye on it in case he gets any pedophiles on there.
Teachers tend to get a bit upset if kids are not writing about happy little trees, flowers and houses, with mumsie and dad in it.
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