The Year 8 students have been busy studying the application of poetic techniques for the purpose of analytical deconstruction, exploring the use of figurative language and imagery. In keeping with the theme of “remembrance” for November, students composed original poems with a selection of techniques to stimulate the senses and to create a visual display for Remembrance Day on November 11th in our classrooms. The following selection of poems demonstrates the wonderful poetic talents of our students!
Memories
Memories are taken for granted,
By a lot of the young population.
But I guess if I want to be candid,
And not sentence them all to damnation;
I do need to stress the importance,
Of enjoying your time while you can,
And of living this time in concordance,
Until the end of your lifespan
Youth will sit in front of their screens,
And click away about their dreams.
Forgetting about the real world,
And living inside those machines.
They’ll never make any real memories,
To treasure when they’re old.
Instead, they’ve quite cleverly,
Put on a thick blindfold.
And when they start to lose their minds,
And their strategy starts to unwind,
That is the time
To then remind
Them that they’ve wasted their lives.
So that is why memories are in fact vital,
To keep on your face a big fat smile.
Through the ages of grandparenthood, you see,
You can show more children,
That it is the way to be.
Written by Mia Wilkinson (Year 8)
Poppies in the Wind
Night after night no poppies falter
Never afraid and never alone.
But night never changes to day
‘cause nothing in war is beautiful.
The sun’s rays hidden in the darkness that is death
Of all that you’ve won, what have you lost?
The poppies’ will as strong as a bullet’s impact
Night after night poppies start to falter.
Written by Albie White & Dale Goosen (Year 8)
War never changes
You should never forget, at least not just yet
The destruction which I have wreaked,
The souls which I have reaped
And the people I have made shriek
When I’m civil I’m still not very civilized.
I’m swift and silent or loud and violent,
I can be caused by prejudice and exodus
When pressure is applied and leaders tell lies
I break out before peoples’ eyes.
So never forget, at least not just yet
That I’m always within range
The lives I have changed
Because down to humanities core
They always need conflict. They always need war
Written by Cody Paull & Kerr Hutchinson (Year 8)
The Truth About War
I remember when I was just a boy
Who had an obsession with his toy.
I wanted to be an ANZAC someday
And march around the ANZAC way.
But now I’ve seen the blood and gore
that they don’t tell you about the war.
The hurt, the screams, the loss of will
And looking at people, frozen; still.
I fought my best, until the end
And worked beside my closest friend.
I watched him fall and lose his life
And thought about his sweet, sweet wife.
I survived that war and remained brave
there weren’t many souls I could save.
Mothers, daughters, a father’s son
The effects of war have just begun.
To this day I think about them
the lives that were lost through mayhem.
It stops my power, will and sleep
And makes me shake, shiver and weep.
I hear the stories that have been told
The ANZAC spirit will never grow old.
I sob a river every time I think
And see visions every time I blink.
War has changed the way I live
And makes me sure I should forgive.
Life is short, Live it well,
This is the story I want to tell.
Written by Lily Graham & Charlotte Fenn (Year 8)