Published on Poetry Box | Medhandsh and Theo G

Congratulations to Medhandsh and Theo G, who have had poems e-published on Poetry Box!

In addition, poet Paula Green picked both Medhansh and Theo to send a copy of her poetry book to. (This won't arrive until next term).

You can read their poems at this link:

https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2025/06/23/poetry-box-june-childrens-rhyme-challenge-some-favourite-poems/

Poetry Box | Object Poems

Our final writing challenge for the year was Paula Green's Object Poem. Each of our writers picked an inanimate object that was meaningful to them and wrote a poem inspired by it.

The objects ranged from special items of jewellery to toys and musical instruments and even a traffic light!

Congratulations to all our writers who took the plunge and gave this challenge a try. Paula has picked some of the poems she received to publish on Poetry Box. Special mention to Liama and Sanuthi who Paula has chosen to send one of her poetry books to. Well done!

https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2024/12/10/poetry-box-poems-by-children-objects/

Bernadette S. age 10,

sitting on a shelf
the cat basks in sunlight
black glass sparkling

Bernadette S. age 10, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

the globe perches on the desk
spinning around and around
my finger lands on Mexico

Kimberly B. age 9, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

one pair of shoes
for walking and running
dirty holes and tangled laces

Liama L. age 10, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

roller skates in my wardrobe
I’m searching
for another pair of shoes

Kylie G, age 8, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Great Nana June’s Bracelet

rusty like an old car
golden like a one dollar coin
delicate like a twig
it reminds me of her

Harper B, age 9, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Blank Paper

white like santa’s beard
fresh like a new bud
parched like a desert

it is but paper
waiting for a pencil
to disturb its surface

by Katherine L, age 9, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Tonga

Tonga
a beautiful island
sits above the water

palm trees
surround the country
coconuts cling onto branches

the pacific ocean
crystal clear

a monstrous wave sprints to shore

Sisilia L. age 9, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

I bought a traffic light
my very own traffic light
a five year old kid’s dream

Sam M. age 9, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

A pencil has a limited life.
Life gets shorter when sharpened.
If ever sharpened to the end, life runs out.

Kelvin M. age 9, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

the soft touch of the dolphin
that came from Japan
the reminder of my grandparents in Tokushima

Karin M. age 11, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Guitar

in my case my guitar
with memories like gold
memories
when I played my first song to my dad
on his special day
with love

when I was nine
on my special day
my dad brought me my own guitar

Sanuthi G. age 11, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

my school bag

my school bag
I see it every single day
since I was six  
it’s fluffy and pink
I don’t want another school bag

Bhaarati S. age 10, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Sharing Poetry

What a wonderful couple of weeks this Writing Club team has had. Such a talented bunch of poets! Today we enjoyed sitting in the shade of this lovely tree sharing haiku and free verse poetry. Perhaps it was a "poe-tree"!

 

Poetry Box Family Story Poems

 Congratulations to these writers who had their family story poems picked to be published on Poetry Box!

Kylie

Katherine

Bernadette

Kimberly

Harper

Sisilia

In addition, Paula is sending a book prize to Kylie, Sisilia and Kimberly. You can read their poems at the link below:

https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2024/12/04/poetry-box-poems-by-children-family-stories/

Write On Magazine | Highly Commended

Congratulations to Hayley Chen who had a poem awarded Highly Commended in the School for Young Writers Write On magazine competition for Issue 63: In Conversation.

https://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/post/winners-in-conversation

NZ Poetry Society Anthology | Published Poets

Congratulations to newly published authors, Leyan Abdelfadil, Henry Elkins, Lucas Yee and Isabelle Holmes who had poems included in the New Zealand Poetry Society Te Rōpū Toikupu o Aotearoa “paint me” 2024 anthology, which was launched at Tūranga on November 10th. 

From over 1500 entries by experienced authors and young writers, 160 were selected to be published in this international anthology. 

Pictured are proud published poets Leyan and Henry.

Year 4 Given Word Poems

Enjoy these Given Word Poems from our Year 4 students. I think they did an amazing job of getting all five of the Given words in their poems! Look out for them: feather, eat, time, whisper, phantasmagoria.

Beach Dreams

I hear the waves calling me

while I look 

for a phantasmagoria 

of rainbow feathers, 

gold and magic shells

buried in the smooth sand

I watch

a baby seagull

eat a sandwich

I look at the time

wow!

it’s already 1pm

I hear a whisper

coming from far away, out in

the ocean

I wonder

what it’s saying?

Hmmm . . . maybe it’s saying

there’s more treasure in there?

by Bridget I.

The Sun and the Moon

A bright moon starts to appear

in the dark sky

when the phantasmagoria

hits my eyes

and the whisper smacks

the drum of my ear

time ticks

almost time to go home

going home in the shiny car

when we arrive

I eat cereal

then tuck into bed

lie down on the duck feather pillow

I wake up and look outside

for the moon

but why is it not there?

by Ella K.

Phantasmagoria

Beach Day

I hear the waves whisper to me

I see my friends eating a vanilla ice cream

from mr whippy’s van

I stare at the time while it hits nine

I find a girl with a phantasmagoria of shells,

silver and gold,

feathers and dusty autumn leaves

I feel the sand touch my feet

as the waves come crashing to me

I start to wobble

I tumble on my knees

while a crab as red as fire

pinches my feet

I see a seagull munching

on my friend’s ice cream

Bridget screams, Ahhh!

I shoo the seagull away to the bridge

but . . . where did that crab go?

by Celia A.

At the Scary Restaurant

It’s time to eat dinner

at the fancy diner.

The whisper of the wind 

blew a duck feather in.

The diner ghosted me

on the leather seat,

if felt like phantasmagoria

while I was eating.

Is this a dream?

Or a nightmare?

by Maggie M.

The Shadow

Panting,

Hoping for

A glass of water and something to eat,

Night comes

To an end, just a dream, but

A tree crates an unusual

Shadow one

Moment in time,

A dark feather like shape

Growls, and I whisper, hello?

Only

Roxy,

I laugh

As my ginger puppy jumps on me!

by Thomas C.

The Secret

I wake up to my orange clock

the time is 8 o’clock

I hear the chime

I go downstairs to eat.

My friend 

whispers me a secret

I gasp.

my baby brother finds a feather,

black and white,

it tickles

my nose.

I felt a phantasmagoria

of emotion 

come to me and then

vanish.

by Thomas C.

More Given Word Poems

Here are a few more poems written for the Given Word Poetry Competition, from our senior poets. See if you can spot all five of the Given Words, which had to be included: feather, whisper, time, eat, PHANTASMAGORIA.

                                      

Titanic

I look up at the ship of dreams

or is it just a 

phantasmagoria

Is it there – but I can hear the 

whispers of excitement 

ladies wearing feather and tulle hats  

and leather shoes stomping around

I look at my ticket then check the time

should I go on – or go to

The Grapes

to grab something to

eat,

or maybe a final drink?

By Daisy

The Beach is a Phantasmagoria

The beach is a phantasmagoria,

a fantastic fantasy in an auditorium. 

As the waves eat at the sand 

I hear a faint whisper 

almost like my elder sister. 

Time is flying fast now

although I don't know how. 

As a feather brushes past my nose 

I forget all my foes. 

The perfect place to start from scratch

as I look over my shoulder 

at the joyful bach.

It's easy to stay but hard to go . . . 

By: Mila C

Hallucination

Phantoms

Hovering

Above

New Zealand

The wind whispers like 

A

Snake as it eats 

Mice one

At a time,

Griffins with golden feathers swoop down,

Orcas 

Racing

In the crashing waves 

At the beach

by Perez S

PHANTASMAGORIA AT THE GOLF COURSE

Purple dazzling feathers

Happily falling from the
Aquarium roof in the
Night sky
Ticking off time
As we eat
Spinach with a lovely scent of
Mild mint sauce, all
At the
Golf course cafe
Observing every little thing while my dad is
Racing my sister
In
A one hundred metre spring race

by Brodie M

 

As Night Ate the Day

As night ate the day

And the sun went away,

While looking up there

In the world where,

I remember a story

In my history.

Where stars twinkle and dance

I hear a whisper

with my lovely sister,

We’re having a magical time

We feel like birds in warm feathers

in a phantasmagoria dream

by Victoria K

A Phantasmagoria of Poems

Enjoy these poems by our year 5 and 6 students, written for the Given Word Poetry challenge. Each poem had to contain the words: feather, whisper, time, eat, phantasmagoria.

Grandpa’s House

In the small house:

a phantasmagoria of feathers,

rocks, marbles and . . . 

a little whispering sound

I look around

but there is only a small mouse

eating a piece of cheese

Suddenly, 

I hear a laugh – 

By the time I turn

in the doorway 

stands Grandpa

He smiles 

and gives me a marble

with a rainbow inside

by Charlotte L.

Friendship

a noisy seagull flies over 

me and my friend

and drops a pink feather

we collect

a phantasmagoria of shells

shaped like animals and letters

‘Smores!’ my mum calls

time to eat

as we watch the sunset

we whisper quietly 

to each other

saying, ‘it’s pink like a flamingo’

we hear the ocean

splashing on the 

golden sand

by Phoebe I

My Pop’s Garage!

Spiderwebs surround the jars and roof

a phantasmagoria of stuff

an old car from 1939

rusted and broken

dusty furniture

rickety, antique

the garage door rattles

when opened or closed

feeling like I’m not alone 

the time ticks by . . . 

as I stumble over

I come to a book 

filled with unique feathers and

birds eating chips on the beach

a squeaky door with a rusty handle

a rusty, old bicycle with scratched paint

old crutches that I love to play on

and the wind whispers 

and bounces off the the roof

by Lily S.

Phantasmagoria Nightmares

In my room with my cat 

I hear the shadows whispering to me

I look at the time

I see it’s twelve o’clock

then I remember I haven't eaten my dinner

I clutch my dream catcher with its dove feathers

hoping that this nightmare would end

I hear scratching on the door

my doorknob creaks 

and the door opens 

I see two shadowy brown eyes

I blink twice

then a black cat jumps on my bed 

I fall off my bed and I wonder 

if it was reality or a phantasmagoria?

by Vinnie HL

The Phantasmagoria Box

a piglet with a spotted scarf

a little white pot

a mini book with a yellow dragon on the cover

a squishy globe 

a glass candy ornament with blue stripes

a grey shiny sticker, soft as a feather

a red paintbrush

a silver pirate ring with an eye patch

which whispers to me

a gold bell that rings – time to eat

a big black button with four holes

and a phantasmagoria of spiders

by Mila-Rose R.

The Swimming Pool | by Aiden W

 

Phantasmagoria | by Ella K

 

In the Box! | Poetry Box Poets Published

Our Russley Writers rose to the challenge, to write a poem inspired by Paula Green's Poetry Box prompt: Inside the Box.

We used the famous poem by Kit Wright, The Magic Box to inspire our own imaginings about what kinds of things we could "put" into a box. We had magic boxes, treasure boxes, secret boxes and even lunch boxes! We thought of things you can't see or touch, or physically "put in a box". We used our senses to describe sounds or smells or feelings. We thought about weather, seasons, time. Some described sounds or characteristics of people or pets that are special to us.

Some of our poems were picked by Paula to be published on the Poetry Box website. You can read them here:

Congratulations to: Isabelle N, Bella Z, Hayley C, Mason O and Lucy P.  All of you can consider yourselves e-published poets!

My Favourite Memories Box

I will put in my memory box
a melting hot medal I’ve made
the stuffy but sweet smell of a grandma’s house
the view of a velvety violet field.

I will put in my memory box
ball-like bright little daisies blooming in the sunny spring,
the lovey little laugh of a delightful old grandma,
the puffy powerful pictures of the world.

I will put in my memory box
the chilling cold days of winter,
the powered blazing snore of a great nana,
the smell of the smoke from a roaring motorbike.

I will put in my memory box
the sizzly hot sun in summer,
the sound of my favourite family playing,
the comfort of my rusty old bed with covers.

My favourite memories box
is green with a pink and purple marble lid
and bright pink ribbons all around it
and secrets within its depths.

I will hide my favourite memories box
under my bed with eighteen million blankets on top,
I will jump in and climb a tree, sing with
the birds and last of all,
jump off a cliff into the deep, deep, green pastel lake.

Isabelle N, age 10, Year 6, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

My Memory Box

I will put in my memory box
a piece of peaceful piano music played by Jess
the sweet taste of bubbly boba tea
the scent of large hot yellow chips

I will put in my memory box
the feeling of icy cold crystal clear ocean water on my toes
the cold breeze and the crunchy leaves of autumn
the splash of raindrops dropping on the ground,
forming into puddles

I will put in my memory box
the bright yellow sun burning on my back
the sound of thousands of children laughing happily

I will put in my memory box
a witch riding her magical broom and her fat black cat
silky multicoloured scarves flowing in rhythm in the cool autumn breeze
the sound of music flowing through my ears

I will put in my memory box
a treasured pink pen
the harmonic sounds of flutes and recorders
the fresh and juicy taste of strawberries

I will put in my memory box
the sweet taste of mango ice cream
the sound of ocean waves crashing together
the sweet smile of a red panda climbing
the great wall of china

My box is made of tiny little pieces
of my happy little memories
I will take my memory box into space,
the deep ocean, the hardest moments in life
and the happiest.
I will take my memory box
wherever I go.

Bella Z, age 11, Year 6, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

My Sparkly Box

I will put in my box
my favourite book, the babysitters club,
and gently place it down.

My red and black t-shirt
my sparkly orange basketball

I will put in my box
a colourful surfboard
a witch and her dusty broomstick
a dragon breathing fire.

I will put in my box
a horse eating hay,
peppa pig snorting
and a minion laughing.

My box is a sparkly gold
with bright red hearts,
My box is made of cardboard.

I will run around with my box
then I will stuff my sparkly gold box
in a bush.

Hayley C, age 10, Year 5, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

My Secret Box

I will put in my box
the swish of an orange, sparkly basketball,
my old, dusty football boots,
my favourite football top with letters spelling HAALAND.

I will put in my box
black thunder clouds that make me shiver,
the smell of McDonald’s chips,
the orange-yellow sunset going down at the beach.

My box is made from shiny suns that turn to gold.
At the edge of the box sleeps green roaring dinosaurs
snoring very loudly.

I will got to a football match in my box
and see the big, popular football teams
and get signatures
from all the players.

Mason O, age 10, Year 5, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

Lucy’s Poem

I will put in my box:
The loud crash of the gold ride cymbal
The click of a label machine
The cold wind brushing against yellow green leaves.

I will put in my box:
White fluffy clouds in the bright blue sky
Hot pink camellias dropping delicately
Pieces of paper with Chinese words on them.

I will put in my box:
The sweet taste of honey pork
My boxer dog who is turning 12 this year
a jar of caterpillars with leaky bottoms.

My box is made from silver patterned with iron swirls.
The inside is padded with soft toys.

I will dive into my box,
landing softly and play
with ALL my things.

Lucy P, age 7, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

My Grandad is a Wizard | by Bhaarati

 

Bhaarati | Published Prizewinning Poet!

Our Russley Writers' Club students worked incredibly hard on their entries for the Given Words Poetry Competition. Their poems had to include the five 'given words': feather, whisper, eat, time, phantasmagoria. We were beyond excited to learn the results of the Given Words Poetry Competition this morning.

There were 250 entries for the Poetry Competition and the judges awarded one winner in the adult's category, a winner in the Under 16 Category and one Special Mention.

The Special Mention was awarded to one of our Russley Writers, Bhaarati Sharma, for her poem My Grandad is a Wizard. Congratulations Bhaarati, on this fabulous achievement!

The winning poems and a selection of judge's picks have been published on the Given Words website. The winners will also receive books courtesy of The Cuba Press and Massey University Press. 

Another two Russley Writer's Club authors also had their poems selected to be published on the website: Ella Kang for her poem titled Phantasmagoria and Aiden Wong for The Swimming Pool.

You can read Bhaarati's poem and the judge's comments here and read Ella's poem along with other selected Under 16 entries here. 

Well done to everyone for having the courage to take the leap and enter! 

Given Word Poetry Wall

Earlier this term, our Russley Writers created some poems for the Given Word Poetry Competition,  

The poems had to include all five given words. The words were: feather, whisper, time, eat and phantasmagoria. Some of our students were involved in the choosing of the words and helped to create the promotional video for the competition. (See link below).

We explored the meanings of each of the words and went on a hunt for imaginative connections, rhymes, alliteration and synonyms. We played with free verse, rhythm and rhyme and acrostic poems. 

Even though the challenge seemed too tricky at first, every student created a poem and managed to include all five of the given words -- yes, even phantasmagoria!

The best part was seeing them all typed up, sharing them with each other and then . . . sending our poems to Spain!  Charles Olsen, the organiser of the competition (and one of the judges) is based in Spain. All of our students were super excited about their writing being read by a poetry expert on the other side of the world.

There were over 200 poems entered, so I'm sure our writers faced some very tough competition. We look forward to reading the results when they are announced in the coming days. 

In the meantime, you can pop into the Russley Writers' Club room and read all our poems on the 'Given Word' Poetry Wall! (I've already seen some junior students studying the wall closely, sounding out 'whisper' and 'phantasmagoria'!)

Click HERE to watch Given Word Video

Ethan, published author!

Ethan's poem, A Lounge of Little Lizards, was selected to be published in the June issue of the iconic School Journal. It is a fabulous achievement to have his student writing published alongside work by established and celebrated adult writers from Aotearoa New Zealand. Congratulations, Ethan!

 

Elephant, by Lucy P

 Check out some awesome animal poems on Paula Green's blog, Poetry Box. Lucy P wrote a fabulous poem about an elephant, which Paula has published on this post.

https://nzpoetrybox.wordpress.com/2024/08/26/poetry-box-poems-by-children-animal-poems/

Elephant

white, curved tusks,

rough, wrinkly skin

long, wavy trunk –
sucking like a straw

big, floppy ears

skinny, straight tail

always one foot
on the ground

they walk on their toes
like the kids in room 13
tiptoeing into room 12

Lucy P, age 7, Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

National Poetry Day

 

Happy National Poetry Day!

To celebrate, here's a selection of poems from some of our Russley Writing Club authors . . . 

Orange Sky 

Orange sky swallowing

me

Light shines on rocks

in the shallow sea

Fishnets capture the

falling sky

Sand consuming my

day

Cool air overcomes

the morning

hot shower

Clouds shapeshifting

pelicans playing

Crabs snapping

twigs

Seaweed brushes the twirling sea

The sky no more

Hereby night in shining

stars

My eyes slam like a

closing clam

The soft smell of fish sends

troops up my nose

I see no sand or beach

My imagination up and

wild

I see the sand once

again

My orange sky 

you’re the key to my heart

by Greta, age 11yrs

My Mother

Her long fingers glide 

across the calculator

Her colourful scarves change 

throughout the week

She cracks the egg 

with one hand 

and mixes it into the family recipe

orange cake that

lingers in your mouth 

for days

Her help is in every corner

of the house 

when you need it

Her kindness is

everlasting and

will last a lifetime

by Moaz, Age 12

Ode To My Spikes

Dear Spikes, 

Oh, how I love the way you grip!

Blue spikes

fast spikes

good spikes

cleaner than a new car spikes

sprinting, turning, bolting spikes

rushing, trotting, racing spikes!

by Joshua M, age 10

Spooky Poem published on Poetry Box

Congratulations to Lucy P, who wrote a poem for Paula Green's Spooky Poem Challenge on Poetry Box. Lucy's poem was published on Poetry Box and Paula has picked Lucy to send a book to.

Winnie the Witch

green skin
pointy nose
black outfit
stinky toes

crooked wand
black cat
stripy tights
small hat

by Lucy P (7 yrs), Russley School

Click HERE to view Lucy's poem on POETRY BOX

NZ Poetry Society Anthology

Last term in Writing Club some of our Russley Writers worked hard to create some strong entries for The New Zealand Poetry Society Te Rōpū Toikupu o Aotearoa, an international poetry competition. They wrote  ekphrastic poems (a poem inspired by or in response to an artwork). These poems were entered into the Open Junior category (17 years and younger) - so they would have had some tough competition!

We are thrilled to announce that three Russley Writers' Club students had their ekphrastic poems selected for the 2024 NZ Poetry Society anthology to be published in November.

Congratulations to:

• Leyan Abdelfadil The Red Hat
• Lucas Yee The Pearl Earring
• Henry Elkins Fanfare

Two Poets Published on Poetry Box

Amy and Aggie wrote poems for the Poetry Box challenge - poems about reading, books and the library.

This morning we discovered Paula had picked both of their poems to publish on the Poetry Box website. Congratulations, Amy and Aggie! You can say you're published authors now!

Here are their poems, and you can read more on the Poetry Box website (link below).

In the Library

In the library

cool and calm

books being stacked on the shelf

as high as the mountains

as big as my shadow

riddles being solved everyday

I want to Jump into a book 

and dive into the ocean so blue

where I meet a fluther of glowing jellyfish

by Amy Z (9yrs)

The Library

Quiet, peaceful and calm

The perfect place to read and 

Explore books where

Detectives solve mysteries and crazy disappearances

Travellers fly over shimmering, blue seas

Where spies crack riddles in haunted castles

Where heroes fight villains at the top of erupting volcanoes

The perfect place to read

Agatha H (9 yrs)

click HERE to read their poems on Poetry Box