Athletic Poetry from Team Moana

Athlete
by Hao Yu, 13yrs

Spinning discus gliding
across the sky like a UFO
Speedy runners bolting
across the track
Shot put meteor
Epic commentator
thunderous voice
shouting on the mic
But now it's my turn
                              to run


Heart of a Champion
by Ethan, age 12

Puffing
Breathing heavily
Clappers, cones, wind
Smack of the baton
Running


Bang went the clappers
by Baylee LM, 11yrs

BANG went the clappers
I ran
I had the sweat pour off me
to the end
and had a card handed to me
3rd place
then there were ice blocks
coming round
so I got one
and sat down
to eat my ice block
blast
a sensation of lemonade


Jump to the Stars
by Archie, age 12

The taste of sweat dripping down
my face the taste is super salt
I see the bar get raised
As I jump I feel my leg
skim the bar
I'm over


The Finish Line
by Tama, 12 yrs

Ground shaking like a 7.1 earthquake
Sweat dripping off my skin like I just jumped into a pool
Wind pushing against me as I speed down the track
People heavily breathing

The echo of the whistle
The last lap bell
Sprint to the finish line


The Breath of Freedom
by Raeven, age 12

I'm in the fourth lane
I stare seriously ahead of the race
I shoot past like a bullet
I feel the wind battling against me
I smell my first breath of freedom... the finish line


Athletics Day
by Holly, age 11yrs

Yelling and cheering
legs shaking
loud clappers
too much bubblegum perfume
Lemonade ice blocks yum


THE JUMP
BY Sakura, age 11

The hand slowly raised into the air signalling for me to start.
I started running, the wind rushing through my hair and face, giving me a surge of power.
I feel myself accelerating,
my worries are running away with the wind...
nothing matters except this moment.

I start speeding up as I leap into the air.
I feel like I am soaring through the sky like a bird.
People clap, even though it's not for me, I feel like they are cheering me on.

My feet sink into the soft sand,
as I walk out of the pit the smell
of freshly mown grass hits me in the face like a wave.

As I turn my back on the sandpit,
a big smile spreads across my face
like a child getting a free icecream.

I had done it.

Highly Commended Poetry

These poems were among the 12 entries selected by Mrs Koster to make up our school entry for the Fourth Fabulous Poetry Competition. Russley School's entry was judged highly commended by the NZ Book Council judge, Catriona Ferguson. Congratulations to all our talented writers!

CHANDELIER SKY

Stars are shiny rings

glowing like a chandelier

White like marshmallows toasting

on the bonfire

They are like golden sand

on the Sunshine Coast

Sparkling pearls in a glimmering

ebony sea

by Olivia C, Year 8

LIVING STAR

Star is a shiny unicorn eye

clear crystal

silver coin

blinking baby

Star falls

like a baby bird

that’s learning

how to fly

- by Hao Yu G. - year 8

LASER STARS

Stars are like white pale faces

reflecting off glass

Stars are like rockets

scraping through the galaxy

Glimmering diamonds gleaming

off the roof like lasers

Worms glowing like

old lightbulbs

Small ants snacking

on the ground

Red devil lights

coming towards me

- by Mitchell F. year 8

The Night Sky

the stars glisten like lake tekapo

with the sun on it

the stars are shiny like black ice

white, like paper from the bible

stars shoot through the sky

like rockets

by Alex C. (year 6)

STARS

Silver sardines swimming

in melted ice

Sparkly dresses

in the disco light

Twinkling rubies

pure as gold

in a dark, dark mine

by Kim S. Year 6

SHIMMERY DOTS

Gold-teeth stars

shimmer like shells

at night they start waving

like hands

when midnight strikes

the stars look like tiny glow worms

Their fading song

flurries through the air

stars spreading like jam

by Maddie H, Year 3

Congratulations also to the following writers from Team Roto:

Josh T,

Josh C,

Sophia T,

Kimberly C,

and Fergus HB.

I can't publish their poems just yet, as they are going to be entered into another competition; our Russley Writers' Walk - as they fit with our theme of FAMILY.

The Iain Sharp Poem

We talked about The Iain Sharp Poem. Iain Sharp is a poet who lives in Auckland and wrote a really cool poem based on himself. He gives a picture of himself through descriptions of things and actions.

We each wrote our own 'Iain Sharp' poem, using our own names and some of his framework. Here's what we came up with. (I have omitted the surnames).

The Gill Poem

I am a package carrying a dog.

I am a red chip that’s about to win Connect Four.

I am a UFO, spooking the minds of humans.

I am a thorn, forcing kids to wear shoes.

I am a sandy desert in Africa.

I am a dinosaur, wrecked by extinction.

I am a bad joke.

I am Gill.

  

The Ava Poem

I am a pass the parcel, waiting to be played.

I am a Barbie, staring at the patterned bed while my owner is playing with her friends.

I am a red Ferrari that has just been bought, all shiny and new.

I am a blossom tree and people are taking selfies with me.

I am a playground, I can see children playing on the monkey-bars.

I am an owl, eating my breakfast at night time.

I am Maria Kochetkova, waiting for my ballet class.

I am Ava.

  

The Mark Poem

I am a postcard with a stamp, making by brother jealous.

I am a trash pack, ready to trash my brother’s trash bin.

I am a Volkswagon, ready to drive to the airport.

I am a cacao tree, standing as straight as a zigzag.

I am a piwakawaka fleeting so high among the trees.

I am a human being, none of these are real.

I am Mark.

 

 

The Gabriella Poem.

I am a box, wrapped in red paper

          with a white bow

          on the way to 52 Different Street.

I am a dictionary waiting for misspelt words.

I am a black jet waiting to race around.

I am a wild flower, sad since I am left alone.

I am the beach; hot sand, cold water.

I am a monkey swinging from trees.

I am a human and that is me.

I am Gabriella.

 

The Mitchell Poem

I am a green postcard from Fiji.

I am a basketball getting dunked.

I am a truck, getting stuck up a hill. I am green.

I am a tree in the corner by Room 18, my leaves are dropping and they are green.

I am a lake in New Zealand, my water is green and slimy.

I am a cow mooing at my owners.

I am a bad cough in someone’s throat, pricking them.

I am Mitchell.

The Haoyu Poem

I am a letter wrapped in unicorn skin.

I am a flying netball.

I am a unicorn F22 shooting down UFOs.

I am a blade of grass in a farm, waiting to be eaten.

I am a volcano bursting with lava.

I am a unicorn.

I am Haoyu.

A Slice of Camp

clinging

it was a place of terror

          hanging ropes

breezy wind

           clipping carabiners

classmates pulling, dragging, struggling

          me hooking my harness 

   looking up ready to climb - clinging tight     

          climbing horseshoes

   wishing for good luck        

          shaking and shivering

  climbing to the top

         stretching my arms out as far as

I could to get the waving rope

stepped on the sliver horseshoe

                   going

                                down

                                             down

                                                         down

I got to the bottom

I conquered

         my fear

                                                                   by Olivia C

Camp

It was a place of pandemonium

struggling class mates

and silver metal

                                R

                                     U

                                        N

                                            G

                                                S

piwakawaka fleeting so high

among all the classmates

 

roaming to put on the rappel device

jumping off the pine tree

at last I have jumped off the pine tree

like a wood pigeon

now I have finished my amazing pilgrimage    

around the encampment

so I have come back to my residence

  by Mark G 

Raft building 

    

The wet raft building

It was a place of making

Pulling sticks

The solid rocks just sitting there

The wood looking at us not talking

The water is screaming          don’t come in

The helmets are going to have fun

The mountains are cold

Like a rain drop sweating down the cliff     

Land falling from the mountains

We tie the ropes and sticks together

slippery and slimy

the rocks are staring at me trying to get me to cut my nose

So we drag it down

STOP.

It’s dragging

Pick it up

We go out and we jump in

Sweating

   Shouting

       Tipping

           Screaming

                 Falling... OUCH!

by Mitchell

darkness

it was a place of darkness

                        flying ropes

and giant spiders

steel carabinas

wind wafting

class-mates encouraging

fantails singing

sun missing

trees fluttering

leaves tumbling

I am a spider abseiling down the tree

the nightmare is over

I get down the tree and I stop shivering

the darkness is over

abseiling

by Haoyu

MY VISION OF CAMP

It was a place of challenges

people shivering

students splashing, racing around me

cold water against my face

The heavy spray jacket pulled me up

paddling at full speed

going under the wharf

                it was cold like the freezer at home

As oars touched the water

a splash on your face

Look up                flying birds            above the boats

looking down thinking   

                                                any fish in the water?

paddling as fast as cars

we finished kayaking

we won the race

by Gabriella

Paula Green loved our camp poems so much, she has posted a few of them on her blog, check it out: Poetry Box - Russley School poems

The Most Fabulous Me

We read My Most Fabulous Book by Leonie Young and used it as inspiration to write our own Fabulous Me stories. Here is a selection of some of our favourite lines from our Russley Writers' Club versions:

The most stars I've ever seen was when I went camping with my Dad and he broke the tent so we had to sleep under the stars. (Gabriella)

The most stars I've ever seen was on the catwalk at the talent show. (Mark)

The most stars I've ever seen was when I banged my head on a pole. (Haoyu)

The most exhausted I've ever been was when my team went swimming every day for two weeks. (Gabriella)

The most people I've ever seen was at the A&P Show. (Mitchell)

The most dishes I've ever seen was  on the side of the road where a homeless person was selling plates. (Mitchell)

The most dishes I've ever seen was at my auntie's wedding at Strawberry Fair. (Ava)

The most daring thing I've ever done was when I went to Auckland for Christmas and my cousin dared me to climb through the window and jump into the pool. (Quinton)

The most birds I've ever seen was at the walking forest in Victoria Park. (Ava)

The most water I've ever seen was when I broke the tap off the kitchen drinking fountain. (Haoyu)

The most trouble I ever got into was when I went to the West Coast with my Nana and she never knew I was there, hiding in the back seat of the car. (Gabriella)

The most trouble I ever got into was when I was hitting my brother in the car and my mum was at The Warehouse and someone complained and they called out the car plate number on the microphone and told my mum off. (Mark)