National Poetry Day 2020

National Poetry Day 2020

Today we celebrated National Poetry Day in school, with readings and performances of original poetry works written by our Year 9 students.

Inspired by this year’s ‘Vision’ theme, students read from the Dystopian poetry that they have been studying in their English classes. Josh E bravely stood up in front of classmates to record and read from Sara Teasdale’s moving poem, ‘There will come soft rains“.

He was followed by Hope L, who performed a piece that she has written entitled, “Pandemic”: Student holds her original poem for National Poetry Day 2020

 

With fires burning in the South,

Her breath coming out her mouth,

As their lives are on the line,

Children running out of time,

Despair, thought of as a hoax,

Wear a mask, this is no joke.

Dear 2045,

Will we survive?

More and more we lose our hope,

These pandemics are no joke,

Counting down the days are left

This is not just a mess

Will we survive

or is today the day we break our hearts –

Life living has become naught.

By Hope L, Year 9

 

You can watch Josh and Hope perform the pieces via our Facebook video page, here.

 

About National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day is the annual mass celebration on the first Thursday of October that encourages all to enjoy, discover and share poetry.

This year, National Poetry Day takes place on 1st October 2020, and the theme is Vision.

National Poetry Day generates an explosion of activity nationwide, thousands of amazing events across the UK – on doorsteps and at kitchen tables, in gardens and streets, in schools, libraries and public spaces both online and offline – all celebrating poetry’s power to bring people together.

The Day starts conversations, it encourages love of language – and best of all, it’s open to absolutely everyone to join in, quietly or noisily in rewarding and enjoyable ways. As the artform’s most visible moment, it showcases the ways in which poetry adds value to society.