Entries for the Sports Poetry Competition - Age 12 to 16
It's a trickle rather than a torrent, but it's always a relief when the first entries for the kids poetry competition start to arrive. Below are the entries written by poets aged between 12 and 16.
I am the sport,
Cricket
by Hannah
I am the ball you hit so hard,
I am the arm that throws so powerfully,
I am the helmet saving your life,
I am the sport,
Cricket.
I am the white trousers which stain so easily,
I am the bat so carefully held,
I am the smelly shirt in need of a wash,
I am the sport,
Cricket.
I am the pads making it hard to walk,
I am the cap protecting your eyes from the sun,
I am the gloves gripping the bat,
I am the sport,
Cricket.
I am the batsman shaking nervously,
I am the fielder concentrating attentively,
I am the bowler running in fast,
I am the sport,
Cricket.
I am the loud echo of the ball on the bat,
I am the huge cheer that screams ‘howzat’,
I am the smile that spreads so quickly,
I am the sport,
Cricket.
I am the hands which catch so well,
I am the eyes that watch so intently,
I am the legs that run up and down the wicket,
I am the sport,
Cricket.
Always There
by Hannah
Whether it was tipping over my pram,
Throwing a cricket ball at me,
Waking me up very early,
Or just being an annoying brother.
Whether it was calling me names,
Pretending to kick me,
Chasing me round the garden for hours,
Or just being an annoying brother.
Whether it was hugging me when I was sad,
Making me laugh when it was needed,
Showing me places to explore,
Or just being an annoying brother.
I have a brother and father who are both cricket mad and used to play cricket myself, but now seem to be demoted to making cricket tea. I still love watching cricket and I love my brother, except when he's throwing cricket balls at me. Hannah is 12 years old lives is Kent.
Two poems by Hannah, one about cricket and a second about her relationship with her brother, which is tangentially about cricket, but mostly about how annoying brothers can be. I really enjoyed both poems, but Always There was written with great tenderness and feeling and really brought to life the love-hate relationship that is siblinghsip. Excellent.
Basketball
by Ishanika
Learning dribbling is first,
if, to learn basketball is must.
then layup shots,
dosen't matter if the weather is hot.
1 , 2 and up,
the ball goes , with a hop.
and don't do running,
while playing,
it will count as a foul.
five players each side,
try the best to fight,
and receive a point might
I love this sport and worship the basketball court. Ishanika, aged 14, from Madhya Pradesh, India.
A poem about basketball which mixes action with technique and a few hints about the rules. It's great to read a poem written by a real enthusiast a sport they love. Well done, Ishanika
Flying a Kite
by Madhurima
Snaking among the wind
Higher and higher it goes,
In the deep blue sky
Like an elegant wave it flows.
I hold the slack string in my hand
Tightening it every now and then
As the kite strolls aimlessly
Swinging towards heaven.
Standing below I pull the string
As the kite flutters over rooftops.
Swinging and swaying
It climbs and then drops.
The heart gets elated
When gliding with all might
The delicate paper bird
Conquers every height.
Cutting across all other strings
And soaring with eternal grace
It spirals and dives
Leaving below a cheerful face.
Hi, I am Madhurima, I am 16 years old and I am from New Delhi, India. I so love to take part in the competition every year. I am not very sure but I think kite is a Japanese or Chinese sport. Anyway I just loved flying those beautiful, radiant kites with my brother when we both were very young. Just adored the manner it used to sway in the sky for hours. I hope I have done well to describe its movement in the air! Thank you.
Madhurima has been a real stalwart of the poetry competition and always produces beautiful poems which show a really skilled use of the English language. Flying a Kite is the best yet and a very mature and accomplished poem. We might have to increase the upper age limit so that Madhurima can enter next year!
Athletics!!!!!!!!
by Pooja
I desperately
Wanted to come first,
But my body wouldn’t budge,
It was dying of thirst.
I was at the annual
Sports meet,
Where I was feeling sick
Due to the intense heat
As I was running
And I slowed down,
I could hear everyone cheering me,
Telling me to run on
Just then the first few raindrops fell,
Showers had opened from heaven and hell!
Now, I started to
Quicken my pace,
Watching the sheer amazement
On everyone’s face!
Much better these rains did
Make me feel,
I was nearing the finish line
With my rival on my heels!
I put in the energy left in my body
And darted ahead
I could see the ribbon near me,
I thrust my chest forward
I looked up,
I won!!!!!!!,
It seemed like the rains
Were cheering me on!
My teammates hugged me we had won the gold,
I was congratulated by both the young and the old!
I went home with a huge smile on my face,
Eager to tell mother how I won the race!!!!!!!!!!
Cricket
by Pooja
I wore my helmet and ran to the wicket,
I was playing cricket!
The bowler bowled, the batsman smashed it for a six,
All of us were in a big fix
The next was a bouncer, faster than the previous one,
The batsman hit it very high, as high as the sun!
I was dumbfounded, never had I seen such a high shot in this match,
It came straight in my hands, a perfect catch!!!!!!!!!!
There was complete chaos and happiness,
But afterwards the other team caught on, I looked a picture of sadness!
Now I put on my helmet and went to the crease,
The ball was a spin, played it with ease
The last over, I felt the urge to smash it for a four,
I did and the crowd requested an encore!!!!
The last ball, 6 runs needed,
I decided to listen to my brother, his advice was heeded
I gave it my best, a beautiful six!!!!!!!!!!!
Now the opposition was in a fix!!!!!!
We won, I shouted happily, there was a great din
What a thing it is to win!!!!!!!!!!
Cricket is my favourite game,
Even if some people think it’s lame!
Football
by Pooja
MANU ROXXXXXX!!!!,
Go Rooney Go!!,
I shouted as I had the referee’s
Whistle blow!!!
Soccer is my favourite sport,
Its better than playing tennis in a court!!!
It’s lovely to kick a ball,
Better than hanging out at the mall.
Lovely to run around the freshly moved grass in the ground,
To run laps round and round
Then finally yell GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!
After kicking the ball into the net,
I can score against anybody,
I bet!!!!!!!!!!!
Just as the bird loves her nest,
I love soccer and it’s the best!!!!!!!!!
Hi!, My name is Pooja and I live in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. I wrote a poem on athletics because I just love running, then cricket was an apt choice as I belong from cricket-crazy India. I am proud of the fact and share the passion of cricket with millions of other Indians so that's why and lastly soccer because I am a crazy soccer fanatic!!!. I love sports and poems both, So i want to thank Patrick for this opportunity! Please tell me whether or not I could become a poetess, as I dream of becoming one. Lastly thanks for reading about me and my poems!
Three wonderfully evocative poems by Pooja, who is 12 (I had to work it out from last years' entries) about three sports she clearly adores — athletics, cricket and football. For those who might be struggling, MANU is Manchester United, one of the top English football teams and the sport is Association (English) Football, also known as soccer and not to be confused with American football. I'm going to answer privately the question about becoming a poetess, but one couplet in particularly struck me as being singularly beautiful - Just as the bird loves her nest, I love soccer and it's the best!!!!!! - and ripe with poetic promise. Very well done.
Run and Fly
by Margaret
Pounding
As my feet hit the pavement
My lungs screaming
The heat is closing in
Trapping me
The world shakes
I accelerate
Light and fast
Flying
And then I watch
As they finish
In triumph
Basketball
by Margaret
I have been waiting
Since I was eight
To be tall enough to shoot
So I’d better shoot straight
The blow of the whistle
The swish of the net
I’d better not forget
How it important it is to stretch
I dribble down the court
And feel the adrenaline rush,
The pounding of my heart
I stop, and shoot
And watch
As it goes in
I high-five my team mates
This is going to be a win
How do I know that this is my sport?
I can feel it
As I run down the court
Hi! My name is Margaret, and I live in Virginia in the US. For the first poem, the sport I focused in on was cross country. I tried to describe how it feels to be exhausted when you're running, but how you have to push yourself to succeed and how great that feels! The second poem I wrote is a fun one about basketball. I loved writing these poems because I got to write about the two sports that I love to play! Thank you.
Two great poems from Margaret. I really enjoyed reading them and could certainly feel the rush of excitement (and exhaustion) that Margaret describes in ‘Run and Fly’.
Softball
by Shannon
I put on my helmet,
And practice my swing,
The pitcher steps up,
It's time to begin.
My legs are shaky,
As I step up to bat.
I need to swing hard,
I need to swing flat.
I swallow my nerves,
The time has come round,
The field is silent,
But the bench bursts with sound.
"You can! Come on!
Give it a go!"
The pitcher stretches,
Ready to throw.
Then quick as a flash,
Her arm swings around,
And the ball is flying,
High off the ground.
I react just on time,
A beautiful hit,
The ball goes away,
From the catcher's mit.
It flies over the field,
And I begin to run fast,
First, second, third,
And finally last.
"Home run! Home run!"
My team mates cheer,
They're screaming so loud,
I can hardly hear!
I'm incredibly happy,
And I just cannot wait,
Til the very next time,
I step up to the plate!
Hello. My name is Shannon and I live in Adelaide, South Australia. I am thirteen years old. I used to play softball and absolutely loved it. It is now not in season but I look forward to when I can play again. I really enjoy writing poetry, just as I love playing sport. I hope you enjoy!
The excitement of playing softball is beautifully protrayed by Shannon in her poem about the sport she really loves. It's a most accomplished poem, well written with a very well executed rhyming scheme. Excellent.
Swimming
by Sophie
From the day that you knew, that the time would come round
When your living to hear the water-splash sound
From the tips of your fingers, to the tips of your toes
The heart and passion that constantly shows.
When your feet leave the board and your going for gold,
Your wanting a time, to look back when you're old
You breathe by the second, no time to keep spare
you’ve got a white rubber cap to hold back your hair.
The pool is now rushing, little waves hit the side
When you get there your letting out all of your pride
You need to breathe careful, and don’t miss a kick
Your life is awaiting, you have to be quick.
Can you break the record? Will you make a show?
Come on now big one, there's 5 metres to go
It’s the race of the season, swim like a fish!
This is the answer to your only wish.
Your hands touch the finish line, your breathing is hazy,
This show of commotion’s the meaning of crazy.
Its all done and over, you’ve made us all smile,
This is the best you’ve felt in a while.
I guess its all over, but your dreams just begun.
But don’t take it lightly, you're not at all done !
Heyy, I'm Sophie and I am 13 years old. I absolutely love writing poems, its the best thing in the world, it keeps me relaxed and I love playing on words and little things like that. I am the opposite at school, most people don't know about my poetry, I didn't think to tell them, I like to keep myself to myself. So please enjoy my poem on the theme of swimming an olympic race.....
Thank you.
A great poem by Sophie, a young poet from Stockton-on-Tees who keeps her poetry writing a secret from most of her fellow pupils at school. If she keeps on writing such accomplished poems, she may not be able to keep her talent hidden much longer. Well done, Sophie.
Tennis
by Kayleigh
There’s nothing like a like a game of tennis,
there is nothing better apart from air,
the ball is like a rock spinning through the air.
The ball is like a rock,
please be careful sir,
watch out for the rock spinning through the air.
The tennis racket is like a protector,
protects you from the ball.
!!!!!!There is nothing better than this sport!!!!!!
The opening salvo in our 2012 poetry competition has been sent in by Kayleigh, aged 12, from Widnes, Cheshire. Arriving after Wimbledon and before the start of the Olympics, Kayleigh's poem Tennis is a timely reminder that lawn tennis is a sport at which England (or perhaps Scotland) have at least one world class player. The poem is wonderfully descriptive in it's portrayal of tennis as a exhilarating combat sport. Well done Kayleigh.
PS I'm wondering whether Kayleigh has also posted an early entry in the Poetry Punctuation Contest for the most over exuberant use of the exclamation mark, which currently has Max Scratchmann as it's undisputed champion for his wonderful onomatopoeia and exclamation mark poem entitled The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.
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