Announcing: the 2021 Global Poetry Contest winners

This year, over 1,000 students from 17 countries participated in the Global Poetry Contest! We were thrilled to receive poems with a variety of styles and themes from countries like Croatia, Japan, Jordan, Colombia, France, and more. While a wide range of communities were represented, incredibly over half of participants came from Pakistan! Thanks to the strong participation of the Beaconhouse School System, students from around the world were treated to hundreds of thoughtful and varied poems from their Pakistani PenPals.

Considering the strength of the Pakistani group, it's no surprise that multiple Pakistani students were selected as contest winners!

Below are the winning poems. Congratulations to the winners!

Book
By Ali, Pakistan

Book, where you will find,
A place of kind,
A place where is fantasy,
A place that is friendly,
The light of education,
A thrilling position,
A forest of papers,
Filled with amazement,
The entertaining stories,
The suspenseful chapters,
The funny characters,
Book, where you will find,
A place of kind.

Her
By Bella, Dominican Republic

Awaken in the dark before the sun arises.
The cold water runs through her arms, 
It’s to take away fatigue or to calm the fire burning inside. 
Little steps she takes to create what she aspires.
The feeling of fear she desires to retard, 
Showing herself her potential with pride.  

For this poem I took inspiration from Yolanda and Fela. This are two special figures in my life because of how strong and determined are both of them. Yolanda used to work at my house putting her heart in every space she organized. I will always listen to her life stories and how many things she accomplished for her family and herself. She was the sweetest woman who always treated me like a daughter. She taught me to be humble and was my friend when I had no friend in school. Fela the woman who is now working in my house, wakes up everyday at 5:00 AM. She fears nothing because of everything she has passed throughout the years. Even though I don’t have a close relationship with her, I always notice how she takes care of me. She is wise, kindhearted and knows her value and how powerful she is. I know that a simple poem can never really describe their true essence, but I wanted to do something from the bottom of my heart for them.

Exile, Anger
By Muhammad, Pakistan

An Unstoppable herd of buffaloes,
Did he create many foes,
Lurking through minds,
Many he finds,
Thoroughly he takes fief,
And speaks in a way very brief

A gauntlet by all means,
To every colloquy he leans,
A vile flame he shoots,
Enfeebling many roots,
Though sometimes shunned,
Scarce he turned,
Astute like a fox,
And vicious like crocs
Give I, a piece of advice;
Never let such a spice,
Into your quarters,
As life flutters,
The concrete obstacle in your way,
Is anything nay!
​But surely anger!

Believe in Yourself
By Isa, Pakistan

​You have to believe
in order to receive
and do not think
that you cannot achieve

You have the power
to climb a tower
you just have to find
your inner superpower

believe in your mind
don't let it go blind
the power lies within
just never be unkind

focus on your goals
until your destiny unfolds
keep believing
keep achieving

​The thing that inspired me to write this poem was so many students who take too much pressure and give up on their studies, goals and sometimes life. I just want to inspire those people from my poem to keep going ahead in life and they will succeed.

Lockdown
​By Taha, Pakistan

Some people think we're stuck,
Or it might just be bad luck

But this is to protect us all,
From the virus outside the walls

We have been told to stay inside,
And it's a rule we all MUST abide

Listening to the sound of silence,
That is as still as the night

People are scared inside their homes,
Holding each other close tight

I know it's hard,
But look on the positive side

You have a blessing called a family,
And many fun new hobbies!

Just patiently wait for the world to start again,
Till then, cherish the moments you've spent

We might be lonely and dismal,
But we'll stay inside to avoid getting I'll

So don't call lockdown a set-back,
As nothing in this world is permanent!

This poem is written by me and it expresses my feelings towards the lockdown we are/have been experiencing. It also expresses what many people think about being in lockdown and that we should look on the positive side and cherish the blessings we have!

How Does Your Bread Taste?
By Zainab, Pakistan

Look at these wide eyes,
Filled with tears which always cries,
Our happiness moves away and flies,
Too much work and too little food
And the behaviour of rich, so rude
All our work brings prosperity
But why am I stuck in poverty

How does your bread taste?
This hunger made us eat the waste
Our stomach is empty for days
Lost in unending maze
The sound of laughing kids I hear
Feels to me, happiness is so near
The hope of bright future, oh dear

Our blood is of colour red
How come some don't get bread
Treated like dirt is no fun
Cramping stomach, cares none
Books and school is all a dream
Life is hungry, so it seems
Tell me, I am in no haste
How does your bread taste?

This poem is for the children who are deprived of clean water and food. We all need to join hands together to do something for them.

The Silence Spoke
By Muhammad, Pakistan

Silence - a wanted criminal
Abhorrent and detestable
Most find him similar to a skunk
Who leaves everyone in a funk

He doesn't catnap or drowse
But he sure is as silent as a mouse
When it comes to silence
He is known for his munificence

But then how to hear him out?
For that my friend, you don't need to scout
I know you want me to cut the cackle
But first you must leave a chattel

And what's that?
Your alluring and conceited voice it is!
You might wonder what chaff this is
Well what would you plump for? A buttoned mouth?
​
If yes then you just invited 'Silence'
But silence is in the graveyard, right?
Sans voice, sans laughter, sans happiness
Hush, hush, hush. Read it silently poor bloke

So in your ear the sound of 'Silence' would appear,
And the same moment it would disappear
Because of your own voice
And sometimes it's better to stay silent rather than to speak

​Here's a piece of writing by me. I wrote it to encourage readers to understand the importance of silence in a different way. I hope reader analyze and evaluate how silence can be unwanted and how it can be very useful in various situations. Good luck!