Winner! And highly commended poems

At the hotel

By Rhys Nickerson

Have a holiday for once at a hotel
On the coast
Tell all your friends
Extra food to eat
Look at the lovely pool!

On the calendar

Mum jots down everything

and if you look closely

You can find out things

There are the usual things

like:

Grandma’s birthday

kindy excursion

dentist (10am)

And other things

like:

Research cars

library books due

ring electrician

Then sometimes there are mysteries

that even Mum can’t solve

like:

42 + 25 green

and

28 May: socks

But you have to be careful

because sometimes the things Mum jots down

and the things you read

are different—

one Friday in January

I read pirates, (circled in red!)

but later it turned out to be

pilates.

Topic:    Family Note  by Glenys Eskdale

Poem:

This is just to say

that there’s soup on the stove.

Stir it, please Jake,

and Amy, you set the table.

Don’t worry,

I’ll be back before dinner.

I am walking

in the red glow of sunset,

after the rain.

I am letting

my feet step in puddles,

if they choose.

Forgive me,

the moist air smelled

so sweet.

(Inspired by ‘This is Just to Say’ by William Carlos Williams)

Well done poets!  Thank you for entering the competition.