More Junior poems

Here are four more poems from entrants for the recent Junior Poetry Prize.

'From The Distance', by Amelia Shirley

You can tell from the distance that she's not quite right,
That her heart beats for someone else.
You can see by her eyes, the pain she endures,
And how her smiles don't seem to belong.

She stands on her own staring at life.
Then someone says "Are you all right?"
"Yes, yes," she lies, "Yes, I’m fine."
And she carries on staring at hope.

She isn't quite sure what's happened to her,
You can tell by the way she moves.
When you advance to go near her, she pulls away,
The smiles try to keep out the fear.

The dark haunts her days,
And the days haunt her nights,
She wonders if jumping is it?
You can tell from the distance she's not quite right,
And that her soul is numb.
You can tell from the distance she's not quite right,
That the air in her lungs is not hers.
You can tell from the distance....
That she wants out.


'Lives that were not theirs', by Rosanna Young

Hidden angels; masks covering the beautiful souls
Beautiful masks yet troubled and somehow faded
Walking steps known to walk
Smiling smiles not their own
Their lives are shadows and dusk
Beautiful angels; clipped wings. Stuck. Trapped
Lives that were not theirs to take were taken
Unintentionally……thoughtlessly.
No tears stain their golden cheeks.
Like ghosts they walk through their lives
Only stopping to sing their heart wrenching songs
Broken sobs, quivering, shaking at the heart
Hidden angels; masks covering once beautiful souls.


'Sailor Boy', by Kate Haslett

His eyes, pools of mystery when the tide rushes in.
Murky depths unwilling to reveal what's within
Throwing caution to the wind.
Surface scarred and weathered by time and winds of change.
Soul adrift.
Tested by the currents of destiny.
Swallowed in the sea.


'Shadows', by Kate Haslett

For the longest time
I remember nothing but my shadow.
My friend. My shadow.
We sat, we talked, we played,
But we were alone together,
Because wherever I went,
So did my shadow.
But now I've met you,
Oh, the world begins again,
And I will be your shadow.