Below are the winning entries in the Junior Category of the Urban Love Poetry competition. All poems are copied and pasted in their original states.
First Prize – My Muse
The distant memories rush back to me as I look around:
The hidden campfires near the smallest lakes,
The wonderful fresh air, inhaled so deeply,
The wonder of being lost in the wilderness,
The tiny wild blood red strawberries, so rich in flavour.
The magical steam coming out of your mouth mid-summer,
The family spot at the top of Piz Nair, no one else knows,
The sound of the bells ringing, the superstitious cows,
Those historic pictures hanging along the escalator,
That perfect vintage shop in the corner of the street,
The family night, looking out on the stars, you feel so little but part of it all
The little wooden restaurant in the middle of resplendent beautiful nowhere,
The smell of cheese fondue filling your lungs with an indescribable hug
The jolly sound of people cheering at the jazz festival down the street,
The enchanting early morning mist laying on the mirror lake,
The feeling of Pride looking down at where You started,
The unwinding stream running down the mountain where you stop to wet your feet,
The afternoon well spent, rewarded with astounding chocolate, softly melting on the my pallet
The cheerful daisies in the cold altitudes,
Seeing beauty for as far as the eye can see,
Ah, St.Moritz, you are my muse.
Anastasia Reille (age 14) | French International School
Second Prize – abstract beauty
deep inside the wet market,
an old woman picks out the best lychees,
a man on the sidewalk waits patiently,
across the street,
a mother chases her children,
the air fills with sweet laughter as she catches them,
a stranger stares up into the sky,
drawing the birds as the fly by,
his book fills up in a matter of seconds,
through the glass windows,
you can see people indulging themselves in food,
i sit down in the mtr watching the people around me,
a child sits next to her grandpa,
listening to him in awe as he tells tales of far away lands,
a woman wearing headphones holds the handrails,
her black heels tap to the beat of the music,
another woman stands next to her,
holding onto her bicycle tightly,
i pay attention to every step,
every emotion,
every person that surrounds me,
i get up to leave the train and i wonder
is that what love is,
is love paying attention?
Jiana Karthikeyan (age 13) | King George V School
Third Place winner (tie) – Seoul
Seoul is a special city
The 4th largest metropolitan city
The world leader in internet connectivity
The capital of a happy country
At noon the buildings will shine brightly
A soft gentle breeze and some hot tea can be the best moment in history.
Seoul the city of K pop, temples and skyscrapers
They have the largest and coolest elevators
Heaven for ice skaters
And they have those latest rice cookers.
My home in my dreams,
I would rather have you than a trillion billion won
I am amazed every night when I see you in my dreams
When I look at the moon, I see the tower to the north
I can’t believe i left you
I owe you so much
A debt i can never repay
My Seoul, Korea.
You are cherry blossoms in the spring sun
I am not sure you will like my poem
I am anxiously waiting for our time ahead
For now i keep dreaming of you instead
See you soon my dear friend
Hopefully before this life ends.
Theo Guerrand-lee (age 13) | French International School
Third Place winner (tie) – The Uncovered Secrets Of Hong Kong
The smell of fresh pineapple buns slithers up my nose as they creep out of the ovens,
The bright lights and signs jump out at me as I stand on a clear night.
Sai kung sings with the clear water and the fun animals, the cows are in dozens.
You could never do it all and if you did you would’ve put up a fight.
At night the great smell of food is a beckoning call.
The joy covers me as I spy my friend, unexpected under the old oak tree.
As we hike and our sweat jumps off of us, we catch sight of the Big Budda sitting up tall.
There are so many kind people that I can see.
Adventure soaks me as I paddle pass a beach,
The water, a shimmering blue and the beach, engulfed in pebbles.
All of the cultures swallow me whole, there is so much I could not teach.
The Dim Sum and Chinese food is delicious and gorgeously decorated with petals.
The large dams smile at me in the sunlight,
And the large windy road pulls me towards Stanley, where Hong Kong kisses me goodnight.
Daisy Francis (age 11) | Kellett School