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PEACE POETRY COMPETITION - JUNE 2022

This month's competition is poetry; and the theme is PEACE.


Below are 14 wonderful entries. Good luck to everyone who has entered. 


It's congratulations to Sumi who scooped first prize; but, also well done to those who were placed just behind Sumi; and indeed well done to all who entered.


  • 1st Place: Sumi Watters Opposing Views (A reverse poem)
  • 2nd Place: Andrea Neidle 3am
  • 3rd Place: Jan Rees 'Home Coming
  • 4th Place: Judy Klimt Oblivion's Land

ENTRY 1

ONE SEPTEMBER MORNING by Ian Welland

The days of Giverny were just passing through

It’s all gone I said to my friend 

Our two roads led us away from each other

Such was the curse of the traveller, que sera, 

This light of hope could not last forever or eternity.

On the beach, Josephine’s little blonde plaits were like basket weaving

The very mention of her name.

In the distance, Chisel Hill possessed one golden rule.

All summer long we were looking, but now September’s blue plays out to leaves

Leaves leaving the branches of trees

If anyone asked me, I wouldn't say this was a lucky day, just a freeway.

I was set free.

I left a note saying I was going off to buy a hat in the windy town,

But, I had gone fishing.

We were just passing through. 

ENTRY 2

HOME COMING by Jan Rees

Stepping from the train, he stood just looking up and down

It felt so good to be back here in this small market town

Shouldering his kit bag, he set off down the lane

In France he’d often wondered if he’d see all this again


Standing in a gateway, he looked across the view

Fields and hills and hedges, everything he knew

The stillness of the summer’s day eased his troubled mind

From the memories of warfare he would rather leave behind


Walking on he saw the farm, the barn, the house, the yard

For a moment tears sprang to his eyes and took him off his guard

For there she stood, his Mary, feeding chickens, scattering corn

But when she turned her shape spoke of the child as yet unborn


In that moment all his hopes and dreams just flew away

He never thought of such a thing, he never thought she’d stray

Her whitened face was filled with shock – “Tom” was all she said

Then “the telegram, it told me you were missing presumed dead”


He asked her, “Who’s the father? I can’t believe it’s true

I always thought you loved me, just as much as I loved you

“It’s yours you foolish man” she said, “when you came home on leave.”

When he remembered straight away, new dreams began to weave.


Then tears and hugs and kisses were the order of the day

And Mary? She forgave Tom for thinking she would stray

They talked about the future, the crops that they would grow

Of taking things to market in sun and rain and snow.


For Tom he was a lucky one – came back to his new wife

Came back to have a family, came back to have a life

So many weren’t so lucky, their stories still untold

But they will be remembered, and they shall not grow old. 

ENTRY 3

OBLIVION'S LAND by Judy Klimt

It seemed a little while ago

I reached Oblivion’s shore;

I drifted where I did not know

My being anymore.


I passed to such forgetfulness,

No glimmer shone on me,

No light to probe the restfulness

Of my obscurity -


But, sightless to Creation’s glare,

Abandoned of my sake,

I lay so deeply unaware

As I would never wake.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 


Yet, from this dreamless paradise,

They chose to draw me back;

They pierced the stillness with their cries

And drove the peace to crack.


But I had learned in my sojourn

Upon Oblivion’s coast

That even that for which I burn

Is not what I want most:


For, sweeter than the sweetest sigh

That from the heart expands,

Is by the lapping waves to lie

On sweet Oblivion’s Land!

ENTRY 4

3 am by Andrea Neidle

Outside

the sky

is littered with stars.

Everyone in the world

is asleep.

I walk the floor

singing, soothing, rocking

jigging, chanting, dancing.

And still you cry

as if you have 

all the world’s troubles

on your tiny shoulders.

I feed you again

just to get some rest.

Your tiny fingers

curl and uncurl at my breast.

Your vest is wet

from your tears

and mine.

A line of milk

dribbles down your chin.

I kiss, I jig, I soothe, I sing.

And still there are your cries

ripping me apart.

I close my eyes

praying you will close yours.

How can someone so small

cause so much grief and joy?

I walk my baby boy

up and down

and round and round.

I sing the songs all parents sing.

You feel so heavy in the sling.

In desperation

I lie you down in your crib.

You sigh as if to say

that’s where I want to be!

Your eyes close fast

I cry with relief.

Peace at last.

ENTRY 5

FULL BLOOM by Helen Nicell

Childhood sweethearts, Harry and Sue

Innocent love, deep and true

He gave her a rose and made the plea

Do the honour of stepping out with me

The bloom came from his mother’s door

Soft white petals without a flaw

Harry proposed when the rose bush was bare

Married in June, with flowers in her hair

A spray of roses she carried down the aisle

Seeing his bride, he gave a warm smile

Babies followed, a garden of their own

Filled with white roses that Harry had grown

Beds were tended and buds were sprayed

Every anniversary a posy he made

Sue would give him a loving hug

Then arrange the flowers in a china jug

Fifty years later, their love still true

Harry noticed a gradual change in Sue

Sometimes not knowing what was the day

Forgetting things along the way

Her eyes would start to fill with tears

As she tried to recall the missing years

Harry would comfort her and hold her hand

Noticing the looseness of her wedding band

He pruned the rose bushes in late September

His name something Sue could no longer remember

As winter passed she stayed in their bed

Harry’s heart gripped with dread

Just as the buds started to appear

He had to face his greatest fear

A carpet of roses covered her resting place

Closing his eyes he could still see her face

He knew their love would never cease

But darling Sue was now at peace

ENTRY 6

R I P by Louise Welland

  

There is no peace in silence. Not in my head 

The outside quietness is a complete contrasting reflection to the noise within
 

There are memories, thoughts, questions, song lyrics
Regrets from the past, plans for the future
 

Ideas, venues
Party menus
 

I try to drown them in the sea of sleep, yet they float up to the surface causing further ripples to spread into my waking hours
 

Lists for shopping
Taunting, mocking


No one knows the bustle of activity beneath the calm exterior
They may see a tiny clue in the distracted eye or the forgotten sentence ended…………..


Prematurely


What will it take to make noise cease
Calm my mind and bring me peace?
 

One word from you can trigger a song to play back internally from beginning to end......except it doesn't end
until replaced by a new repetitive thought or tune
 

Meditation is less successful than mediation
Distraction works better than inaction


When my life ceases

and they say ‘Rest in peace’


Will I?

ENTRY 7

EVENING SWEET by Judy Klimt

And every now and then there comes -

The weary day behind -

An evening that is just akin

To evenings in my mind.


There isn’t then a place on earth,

Nor person you could meet,

Nor music sounding in your ear

That would appear as sweet.


The breeze is blowing out of doors,

The sun is setting down;

A freshness shines between the leaves

And peace is all around . . 


And more than peace, it seems to me,

For I am all aglow

With wonders given life in me

A long, long time ago.

ENTRY 8

THE STORY OF IVAN’S COURAGE, LEADING A COUNTER-REVOLUTION A Prayer for the Future By Chris McDermott

‘You have been forgotten. 

They’re taking all your space.

Paint yourself in national colours, and we shall win the race!

I know that I am truly great, and so are you.

Time to act, to stand up now, 

To your great tribe be true’.


The tears they ran down from her face.

En route t’wards her heart.

Just as her one and only son, told Mother he’d depart.

‘I am not truly great, I know, but I love you’.

She could not speak, just cried more tears, 

Was all that she could do.


Ivan, he packed up all his clothes

He dressed in uniform.

To fight for God’s own country, to stop the spread of harm.

‘I’ll come back, Mother, that you know, ‘cos I shall be all right,’

Was what he promised to his Mum,

But could her boy survive?


Of course the ego-maniac, 

He kept himself so safe,

Kept his distance, so no real germs, could land upon his face.

‘I cannot suffer any harm,’ 

The liar he repeated.

‘I must stand strong, and wave the flag, so we are not defeated’.


But just as mothers’ heart were torn,

They could not sleep at night.

Ivan, he had epiphany, he knew he had to fight.

But not against the enemy, they were, in truth, his friends.

The gun it had to point back home,

And so to make amends.


That night he plotted with his friends, to make their country free,

To end the foul dictatorship, to make his people see.

The truth behind that lying man, to liberate the poor,

And so the plot, it ended all the evil that was there,

So now we have a new-born cub, a rugged Russian bear.

And all is free and beautiful, ‘cos Ivan was not scared. 

ENTRY 9

TAKING A WALK by Ian Welland

I awoke one day to face the rat race

Another day of punishing grind

In need of some time, a place and space

Decided to walk out and find.


Took a train from London to the coast

End of the line and sea bright,

Paid my fare and munched on toast

A foot passenger bound for the Isle of Wight.


My need for peace happened again

Not long after conquering Wight

Life had become a bit of a strain

This time Sussex in sight.


Starting off at Chichester Harbour

I walked around the peninsula,

Took a drink under an arbour

Life couldn’t be simpler.


My next venture came in Devon

A sojourn around Plymouth

I felt truly in seventh heaven

Ending up in Teignmouth.


I should have walked the Ridgeway Path

That escape through fields and counties

Too late now, I have no wrath

As I mellow in my late fifties.


I wish I had kept a diary

And taken my Instamatic with me,

I passed castles and an old priory,

I was completely free.

ENTRY 10

PASTURES GREENER by David Elliott

Our Pennine backbone of determined grit and steel

Ancient chalk ridgeway arteries our nation’s keel

On our island home - we stand alone - full of guilt

Will a new Jerusalem ever be built?

Golden crop circles fill the corn

In their double helix - a life reborn?

HS2 archaeologists sift through treasures buried in layered bands

To find Danes, Anglo-Saxons, Jutes - all living hand in hand

New theories say they didn’t fight through the ages

But lived in harmony - as close neighbours

We still think the chalk cliffs are there to repel boarders

Didn’t really stop the Normans or Luftwaffe marauders

An island mentality - we think we are so special

Yet football hooligans fight everyone to prove their metal

Are we just full of arrogance and ignorance?

To send those who try to join us to an African inconvenience

The road to peace can never be Roman

The twists and turns of life are what make us human

Both Antonine and Hadrian got it wrong

When they tried to stop the Pictish throng

Please politicians no more bricks in the wall

We should really welcome one and all

Where war pestilence and hate now strive

We should spread our arms – to help fellow world citizens arrive alive

Stuff our stiff upper-lip - endow peace - to those that reach our sands 

Help them make a better life - in the pastures of our green and pleasant land.

ENTRY 11

THE VOID by Helen Nicell

I try and retain 

The look upon your face
Where you once sat

Is now but a space
Head denting pillow
On our glorious bed
"Life carries on"
Is what they all said
But how can that be
Your life has now gone
My partner, my lover
I have to carry on
The void cannot be filled
I ache to hear you speak
The normality of your touch
The routine of week to week
The world is full of couples
Basking in love's sweet glow
Make the most of these times
For you never know when they’ll go
Now I have no purpose
My life seems incomplete
My heart feels cold and empty
Until again we meet
I look down upon the world
As if drifting in outer space
Viewing from a distance,

Still looking for your face

My inner calm has been stolen

Will I ever find any peace?

Does the feeling of being incomplete

Ever really cease?

ENTRY 12

A FIGHTING CHANCE by Louise Welland

Teach your children well my friends, for soon they will be making an impact on the world.
 

If they fight over toys, distract them. Teach them to share fairly, and how to make the most of the toy that they do have, even if it isn't their ideal choice.
 

Let them learn that if they choose to slap, they will feel unhappy at their brother's distress. This should be taught to toddlers, for as they grow, their punches will gain strength and could one day maim or even kill.
 

Show them not to kill; not even a fly.  Developing respect for all things living is to learn respect for themselves.
 

Show your children how words can hurt. Whatever the old 'sticks and stones' saying states; it lies.
 

Teach them that lies cause harm and do no good unless told to protect the innocent.
 

Show them how to protect those they love and those hard done by, for not everyone teaches their children the loving and respectful way forward, meaning there will always be the possibility of being on the receiving end of aggression or unkind words.
 

As your children grow into teens, teach them how to repel others' negativity and criticism. More importantly teach them to deflect their own inner critic. Self-doubt is natural, we live in a competitive world. Our children need to learn that we all have strengths and talents. We can focus on those rather than berate ourselves for what we find difficult. 


It is vital that we celebrate our own gifts, without belittling anyone with different skills to our own. Remind them that the only reason someone tries to bring them down, is to make themselves feel more worthy.
 

Show by example that emotions are natural. Let your children express themselves in good healthy ways. Never belittle a child for showing anger or tears. Instead sit with them until the anger subsides. Let them talk it through, showing love throughout these conversations. Even in a storm there is peace to be found.
 

Let your children know that fighting is never the answer. We need to give peace a fighting chance.


Teach your children well my friends.

ENTRY 13

OPPOSING VIEWS (A Reverse Poem) by Sumi Watters

A world at peace is impossible

So don’t try to convince me that 

Harmony is an attainable dream

Because at the end of the day

Tyranny and greed will always triumph

You’d be lying to me if you said 

We all share a dream of goodwill

Shall I remind you that 

War and injustice will always prevail 

Nothing you say will make me believe that 

Peace begins with a smile 

Because no matter what you say 

Mankind was born to fear and hate

I’m not convinced that 

Love conquers all 

Whenever I watch the news I think 

Will I see a world at peace in my lifetime?


(Now read from bottom to top.) 

ENTRY 14

ENCOUNTER by Andrea Neidle

I was in my Local enjoying a beer

Something I sometimes do

When an odd looking chap with a creepy leer

Said, mind if I sit next to you?


He bought me a drink and we started to chat

You know, like all of us do

About the weather and this and that

And colds and Covid and flu.


Where are you from, I asked him

Somewhere far away, he replied

You wouldn’t know it, he said with a smile

I’m from the other side.


The other side of where I asked

He replied with another leer

I’ll tell you all about it

If you buy me another beer.


I come from a place where there is no war

No rows, no conflict at all

If anyone tries to start a fight

We throw them over the wall.


Or they might get shot, he offered

If they don’t do as they’re told

My world is full of young people you know

Few of us get to be old.


With this he prodded me with a gun

And his hand was deathly cold …


About time, I heard my wife say

For that beastly noise to cease

If you carrying on snoring in this way

I won’t get any peace!


I’m not going to say this again, she said

So don’t make your usual fuss

If you carry on making this hellish noise

Then it’s separate beds for us!


I would never argue with you, my dear

I smiled with relief and said

Your wishes to me are perfectly clear

And I happily went back to bed.

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