Sonnets

A Hair’s Breadth Away

Can you confess to someone ‘I love you’,

Without the risk, loss, regret, or treason?

Words stutter, Eyes avert, hands tremble true

A coward, a fool, you are the reason

I bet on losing dogs, I bet on us

There is no winning so I hope to lose

Like parallel lines that will never meet

To view but never touch - painter and muse 

Lily of my valley, scent of jasmine

No language sounds like her voice, sweet as tart

Her words a false god further I skin in

Trying to keep calm but I'm falling ‘part

Yearning for her gaze eyes gazing with daft

She reaches for him, I ache, Cupid laughs.

• Aerika Carasig

Sonnet

Why do you tell us to write Poetry?

To paint pictures with words that no one sees

To experience the emotion of nobody’s

For what are words but old memories

They tell us the mistakes of the past

Things we are compelled to repeat again

We cannot learn without shattering pain

Yet we still warn them to “Change, quick and fast”

But what about stopping; look read back

For mistakes bring light and words are unsound

For what is poetry but life on a page

Break free of the book for you will only find lack

For the world is not perfect only profound

So Live your own story time to take the stage.

• Charlotte Burrows

Sonnet

The way her brown eyes glistened in the sun

As my mind reminded me of the time

A time when her skin was like a warm bun

The way her dress shone like her perfect crime

Almost as if she had just disappeared

It felt like she had taken me with her

Not even a word of goodbye as feared

But not even that could kill what we were

Dull as it had surely felt for me

Our promise was forever and always

The funeral where she will be let free

Now I shall have to try see future days

Promised my love for her will never die

But now i feel it’s time to say goodbye

• Stephanie Black

Gallery

I glide through the gallery like a ghost

All of the work so detailed and precise 

Stopped in awe for the one I love the most

I can still see the brushstrokes in your eyes

See how the painter slowly forged pieces

Embedding joy and anger deep within

Carving fear and love in all the creases 

Constellations are painted on your skin

Soft strokes swirl vividly, and you twinkle

Every smile must have taken a lifetime

Hours of work visible in every wrinkle

Worried I will forget home past moon shine

I might be content to study all day

I’m scared I will forget to look away

• Faith Coleman

Love Blind

Existing there, shadowed in charcoal blue.

Abandoned in the dark, you were a light.

Walking with grace, I was drawn into you. 

Picturing you in a dress made of white.

From the midnights staying up with the stars.

Dying flowers beneath our lover’s path.

To the drunken mistakes in cocktail bars. 

Standing solo, fighting for this to last.

You despise me now, I can clearly tell.

A feeling only you hold close to heart.

Two lovers who swayed together in hell.  

Our love in a cracked frame, no longer art.

I shot the arrow and missed the bullseye. 

But with this anguished end, I the fool die. 

• Andrew Davies

Sonnet

Oh, dearest sister, sweet and fair,

A gift from God, a priceless gem,

With every smile and every stare,

You’ve inspired me to write this poem.

Your laughter like a bubbling stream,

Your innocence like a ray of light,

In every moment, you make me dream,

Of a world that's pure and bright.

Your tiny hands, your tiny feet,

Your heart so full of love and joy,

In you, I find a love so sweet,

A love that nothing can destroy.

Oh, baby sister, you are my heart,

And from your side, I'll never depart.

• Raphaela Ikea

Sonnet

Love is pure and true, like a gentle breeze

A cozy embrace, love’s warmth fills the space

It warms my heart and makes our souls complete

Beauty and grace shine on love’s warm embrace

A dance of souls, in perfect harmony

Strong feelings grow, a treasure to behold

Love’s symphony plays in a melody

In love’s strong hold, our hearts forever mold

With every beat, love’s rhythm softly sings

Love’s touch, a gentle nudge that sets us free

A love that’s boundless, like an angel’s wings

In your hug, my heart finds eternal glee

In 14 line’s love’s story we unfold

A tale of love, forever to be told

• Isabella Donohoe

Sonnet

I see what you want in my reflection 

I've been out and I've seen you out with her 

I walk past, you look in my direction

What if I take the spoon to pot and stir 

I want to start a fight, you by my side

Maybe I should go pursue something new 

Look into her face so pretty blue-eyed

With someone else so now I don't need you 

Now I catch you looking over at me 

If I'm truly over you I shouldn't care 

And it's not like I own you, you're free 

When you look away all I do is stare 

I can't stop thinking about what I want 

I do hope the thought of me is a taunt 

• - Lucy Edgecombe

Shakespeare Sonnet

You welcome me into your life with warmth,

The embrace in which you hold me proves rare,

When we touch I have purpose and thenceforth,

You are the flame that ignites me, I swear.

The power of your mind is truly vast,

For once in my life I can be challenged.

I have found my one true love at long last,

And when you should leave, my heart is damaged,

For the loss of your presence is unmatched;

I long for the moment we reconnect.

And boldly I admit, I am attached,

As others seem dull and I must reject.

With only your words and ink printed soul,

The essence of your pages make me whole.

• Heidi Janssen

Lover’s Dance

Love, forever vibrant and frenetic 

Will you try and dance it alongside me

Let's be true, avoiding the synthetic 

Light and fast a tiny, delicate bee

With such a grace that I can't help but stare

With beauty akin to that of flowers

Falling for you becomes quite an affair

As my seconds with you turn into hours 

Summer to autumn and winter to spring

My adoration of you grows stronger

Our fates tied by a length of red string

My time spent with you keeps getting longer

So be my partner for this risky dance

Please just let me have this wonderful chance

• Ella Elwes

Sonnet

If I was a bird I'd not even fly 

Just sit on the willowy trees and watch

A great fear of that magnificent sky 

Wishing it would grow smaller, just a notch

For you, that admission coaxes pity

A robbery of self and of the mind 

But we can't all see the world as pretty

In our musings, the truth is what we find

In your golden hope, I become weary

Tired of that forever beautiful lie

Now I pray that once my face grows teary

You will finally let naive hope die

I love your glow and its beauty. That's true

But love isn't everything, it just won't do.

• Roisin Hannen

A Dancer’s Soul

Enchanted, held, my heart and soul caressed

Pink satin pointe renews desire in me

The beauty, is ardour within my chest

I see myself reflected whole in she

My body remembers, I understand

Resilience, endurance, strength they don’t see

The courage and qualities grace demand

One part’s love, the other fear not to be

The scene up close reveals no gentle guise

An echo of my soul, a cherished part

My mirrored self, the same I now realise

Through loving this, I glimpse my truest heart

So with my soul I love this graceful dance 

Reflecting dreams within I hope enhance

• Anon

Sonnet

To be related to a volcano

Doomed to fear the love of those who surround

Hidden behind closed doors so they don't know

The tears stay hidden, waiting to be found

Your different, your absent, you are

I no longer seek your validation

You taught me i had to love from afar

You weren't what you should have been, my haven

You never provided a fathers love

Instead you inspired fear and mistrust

You were never the right fit for the glove

You chipped until i was left with just crust

People often ask me about you, oh

To be related to a volcano.

• Chelsea Harris

What a Ghostly Scene

I feel the ghost of your arms wrap ‘round me 

In the mirror, you look how I used to. 

Flesh between your teeth, you bite into me, 

Like the sunset, here, I blur into you.

You push me into your buried warmth. 

There is an eerie way to how you haunt.

I try to run so far, but yet this path,

Will always bring me back to you, to taunt.

And to be shown kindness is so farfetch'd, 

Still I bury you with the bear from back then.

I brush your hair, my hair, from our forehead

Knotted with memories held from within. 

You force me to rot in this idle truth,

Carry the burden brought on from our youth. 

• Charlotte Hermes

My Room

Here, peaceful serenity lies in my room

Outside, my window displays rolling hills

But here my thoughts and my feelings may bloom 

Inside, may my time go to honing skills

Walls adorned with art and with jewellery

They house memories and mystery

Gathering years inside a gallery

Worn clothes, marked walls, hinting a history

Under the warm light of the shining stars

I recall my nightmares and dreams fondly

As my bedroom protects my childhood scars

Let the warmth wash over my cold body

Venture to see the world’s sorrow and glee

But my room will always await for me

• Hannah Luff

Sonnet

Why does the moth go to eat my cloth shawl?

Afterwards, he flutters t’wards my bright lamp.

To be but a moth; so quaint and so small,

He is my beloved, he is a champ.

He uses his wings to propel his flight,

To be so cosy, all covered in fluff.

Others may fright or look without delight,

He’s such a small, little ball of soft puff.

Oh to see him flutter without a rhyme,

To see him be an awful loyal friend.

I try to count the flutts but I mistime,

My most treasured part, my most treasured trend.

Others stare blind, as if you look unwell.

But know your beauty, as I say farewell.

• Theo Munday

Here With Me

You are quite perfectly carved in my mind, 

Darling the way your eyes turn into smiles,

Or how often they dilate and unwind,

On bus, on train; lay in love for a while.

In your heartbeat contains a melody,

Thus such sound becomes a thoughtful remark,

Your calm tone, turns into a memory,

O how my feelings started to spark.

Whisper all day long, a four letter word,

What’s this new change oh lord, Shall this be love?

This feeling of tranquillity just stirred,

Unexpectedly found you right above.

You are my mirror, my sword and shield,

For love you are Here with Me, I have healed.

• Einjhel Nues

Shakespearean Sonnet

You forever said till death do us part

I guess you meant “I'll take you to your grave”

First night we met, you fully stole my heart

I was never one to be a love slave.

However, when you stepped into my life

My consciousness was forgotten behind

You made me walk along your twisted knife

You always knew that our love was deadlined.

Loved me then left me like we were nothing,

Like a rock through a mirror, I was shattered

Left me on the floor, bottle in hand and chugging

Skin on my arm, now forever tattered.

Laying in my coffin formally dressed,

The pain I felt now finally at rest.

• Izabell Mcleish

Even Though…

You turn your back on me when I need you.

Often you have a rough, coarse attitude.

You always come when I just feel so blue,

‘Cause you know when to break my solitude.

I just can’t stay mad when you look at me. 

You are guilty but I no longer care.

Your big green eyes show me a mercy plea,

I can no longer escape your wide stare.

I see small traces of you everywhere.

I feel your presence wherever I go.

Out of nowhere, I’ll spot a single hair.

It makes me recall when you ate Lego

Even though you may be screaming too loud,

I still really love hearing you meow. 

• Isabella O’Hagan

Sonnet

Woken up at five in the cold morning

Upset annoyance replaced by glad’ness

when I notice your face of adorning;

Pine green eyes and ears perked with happiness

Pitter-pat of soft paws on floors of wood,

Disregarding the early hour for

a fresh bowl of your most favourite food

With you around there’s never time t’ snore

After an empty plate and a quick drink, 

you rush to my side once again for warmth.

Under the covers you appear to shrink 

as the rain begins to fall from up North

You’re up to no good; much trouble to stir,

yet my love for you endures like your purr

• Michael Pretorius

Abolishing Expression

The candelabras watched in gothic times

old vignette scrolls and spotted feather quills

craft delicate confessions; let pain spill,

contort in form to fit in passion’s rhymes

and bring a gift in fine repute that climbs

with flourishes of rouge and golden frills

to word’s great home, preserving distant thrills,

now fighting to survive through modern crimes;

for what was once the epitome of

humanity’s great purpose and soul’s fire

now burns like witches as our leaders botch

their duties; steal safeguarded spirits, love.

If texts are slain and words can now expire,

then shall I be content to only watch?

• Nataska Perkovic

A Love for the Fight

60 seconds left, you’re against the clock

From Sol Badguy, the sword of rust

To Ky Kiske, the holy sword of just

Begin, heaven or hell, duel 1, let’s rock

The Bell marks start quarter circle Foudre Arc

A counter rings a deep bellow playing

Sol uses slash, tension increasing

The stage is at neutral, Ky brings a spark

A game of skill, a game of great hardship

To lLearn to play some find is no small block

15 to choose another 9 to grip

Rocking to metal, for the ears a shock

60 seconds left, you better not trip

Again, heaven or hell, duel 2, lets rock

• Matthew Seebohm

Sonnet

They say that a dog is a man's best friend

And my dog is the perfect example

I know he’ll be by my side ‘til the end

And he just might be my favourite mammal

He barks and sits and plays and lays around

You might say that he is very lazy

But he’s the best dog I have ever found

Even though sometimes he drives us crazy

And while he does quite often make us mad

But more often he makes me feel such joy

Our lives without him would just be so sad

He makes me feel like such a happy boy

Our lives would be depressing without him

In fact I think it would even be grim

• Blaze Smith

Growing Pains

The surrender of tears that lingered long

When morning comes i’ll always beg to stay

but night air warms when sun begins the day 

The moon does know the verse she wrote the song

The ocean knows the steps she danced along

In the absence of he my mind does stray

We are so smart knowing nothing’s our play

we play with bears with fluff that makes us strong

Secrets hide in cakes with sprinkles of true

Open our hearts and repackage them well 

I see the beauty of my life in pink 

better than hues that disappoint like blue

it’s late so we whisper the stories we tell 

Girls sleepover not what you think 

• Kai Van Der Merwe

The Splendid Son

I could compare You to the splendid sun,

But that Your light eternal would detest;

The world alive with gloom keeps beauty some,

But it belies. My heart achieves no rest

In glories, so embroidered with rot -

the happiness of life takes flight so fast -

And so my heart a thousand things consorts,

My strife, no joy, the only thing that lasts.

But You, O Light of Light, do transcend all!

O Beauty of Beauty, unmixed by Death,

My jaded heart, to rhythm, You recall;

Your Goodness incorrupt’ble quiets my breath.

Your Grace true splendour to all I adore,

Your Heart, O Jesus, for my heart is more.

• Theodore Walsh

School and Knowledge

Walls filled with knowledge where young spirits aspire,

Our minds tackle wisdom's holy quest,

With books and pens, we fuel knowledge's fire,

In abyss of learning, we are truly blessed.

Along corridors enhanced with dreams and art,

We strive to seize the glories of the past,

Prominent minds and tales that touch the mortal heart,

Submerged in knowledge's hug, steadfast.

The classroom walls possess a world untold,

Where brilliance and interest soar,

In gentle whispers of thoughts yet unrolled,

We deepen understanding, more and more.

 A sacred school, where knowledge is infinite,

To shape our minds with knowledge ignite.

• Rineha Yogananthan