百花圃 /
English Language Centre Poem Writing Competition 2021

Junior 2

/ First Prize / Lim Jia Quan, Philip (J2 Canberra)

Ready The Rockets

Their missiles came flying unceasing that day,
Bombarding our homes without going astray.
Our people assembled together to pray,
‘Oh when will the horrors of war go away?’

My homeland of Palestine used to be great,
Now crushed and oppressed by this Zionist State.
They’ll take every inch of our land at this rate.
We need to fight back or else it’ll be too late.

My father died fighting the Jews in the war,
while fighting to get back what we owned before.
I’ll kill all those murderers, that’s what I swore:
The glory of Palestine will be restored.

Get ready the rockets and make sure they fly,
send thousands of them up to cover the sky.
No one will escape it although they may try,
They’ll run and they’ll flee- but they’ll fall and they’ll die.

The rockets fly high in majestic array,
like monstrous fireworks put on display.
The Israelis huddle together to pray,
‘Oh when will the horrors of war go away?’

/ Second Prize / Tham Chee Gin (J2 Chicago)

The one who mourns

Howling winds that dashes across the plains, The arctic like cold that freezes everything midair.
Distressed clouds that try to cover the moons, The gloomy darkness that makes you despair.

Ghastly wails echoes in the meadow,
Plants that shake like there’s no tomorrow, Bugs that sing out to try and overshadow, The sounds of the lonely one that sorrow.

Death lurks in all areas,
But why be bound by mortal desires.
When you can create endless happiness.

A kind gesture of giving a drink,
A little pat on the back,
A short word of care with a trick,
Is all you need to cheer up the one who sank.

/ Third Prize / Low Zi Yee (J2 Melbourne)

Night Sky

The stars shine brighter when the sky gets darker.
Accompanying people through their dreams.
A shade of dark purple with little white dots.
Shining for people who are still awake.

We watch the sky when we can’t sleep.
Seeing countless stars surrounding the moon.
It is a pretty image but we wonder,
How tiny life is in the gigantic universe?

Sometimes a silent night is just what we need.
After a long day people just want some peace.
The stars never failed to shine brightly through the night.
Pursue your dreams and never give up.

Throughout the night, stars makes us believe,
Once you choose hope, everything is possible.
It is the dark that makes the moon shine,
Never be afraid of failure as it will just make you better.