Poetry in Motion

Last Thursday I was really pleased to organise and host a special event in the Commons, with former Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew Motion.  Sir Andrew was there to commemorate Armistice Day, by reading from his book Laurels and Donkeys. This book contains a number of poems  about War and Conflict. All the proceeds will be going to the cause of Royal Marines Rehabilitation.

We combined this event with a special Harlow Poetry Competition in which over a hundred school children from all over Harlow sent in their own poetry on the theme of Conflict and

Remembrance. The standard of entries for the poetry competition were outstanding.

The many entries were judged by David Yeld, Head of Downs School, Harlow Council Chairwoman, Sue Livings and John Steer from Harlow Arts Council. They passed the top five  entries to Andrew Motion to pick out a final winner. All the five finalists were invited to the event, along with their families.

Guests included the Communities Secretary Eric Pickles MP, Essex Councillor for the Arts Jeremy Lucas, Harlow College Principal Colin Hindmarch and a number of Harlow

school-children and their families.

The competition's overall winner Sinead Jolley, a pupil from The Downs School, read her poem to a crowded room and was awarded her prize by Sir Andrew Motion. Her Poem, called Maxie, captured the eye of all of the judges and provoked real emotion within the audience: 

Suitcase in his hands

Uniform on

In less than two minutes

My baby would be gone

Standing by the door

Taxi waiting outside

Seeing him look so smart

Filled my heart with pride

“Good luck” I said “Be careful”

“Write to me everyday”

I could not believe it

When he said he was going away

I gave him one last hug

And accompanied him to the taxi

Those were the last moments

With my son Maxie

The runners up were Laura Richardson, Charlotte Mercer, Lilli Tracy, Maisie Ayers and Paige

Wheeler-Kavanagh. Their poems were as follows:

PROUD OF THEM

by Laura Richardson

They fight for you, they fight for me,

They’re fighting for our country.

The men and women – air, land and sea,

These are our ‘armed forces’ and we should be…

PROUD OF THEM

They’re the real heroes,

We salute them all,

Some will live,

And some will fall, and we should be…

PROUD OF THEM

We should pay tribute,

To those present and past,

And to the huge contribution,

Or should I say, vast?  And we should be….

PROUD OF THEM

To all the ‘armed forces’

Who put their lives on the line,

We will always remember,

What you define.  And we should be…

PROUD OF THEM

To all of the families,

And the loved as well,

For how they get parted,

And must go through hell, and we should be…

PROUD OF THEM.

They fight for you, they fight for me,

They’re fighting for our country.

The men and women – air, land and sea,

These are our ‘armed forces’ and we should be…

PROUD OF THEM

Battle of Britain

by Charlotte Mercer

Air raids sounding,

RAF shaking to death,

Men at war dressed in uniform,

Everyone cheered when Churchill said “We will never surrender!”

Death if we lose, that will not happen.

Fire lights up the sky in the night,

Overhead loud noises,

Rumbles in the sky from dog fights,

Crying from down below,

Everyone screaming when a bomb drops,

Silence, the battle is over. The war is won.

So Tired of Fighting

by Lilli Tracy

So tired of fighting but they must go on

So brave in battle fighting so stronger

And the days turn into years of being away from home

So scared so still and so alone

But they lift their heads with pride

What they have done has saved so many lives

So we thank them for their courage and praise them in return

For they have saved the country and we have a lot to learn

So the men who are still fighting take place in history

And they can tell a story of what they truly believed

I TRULY FEAR

by Maisie Ayres

I truly fear:

I fear letting down my comrades,

I am anxious I won’t prove worthy,

No man gets left behind!

I truly believe:

I believe it is my calling,

To protect and make the world a better place,

I must separate right from wrong!

I truly hope:

I hope to see the smiling face of my loved ones,

They are the reason I fight on,

The only hope I have!

PEACE

by Paige Wheeler-Kavanagh

My great great grandma is a pilot and she died

My great great granddad is at war and he died

But I am lucky and I just think

My dad is in the war already I hope he doesn’t die

The way my nan hugs me it is like my mum

And peace to the world

Like a flower in the sky

Peace is good

Peace is the heart of the world

 

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Poetry, Harlow and Remembrance

This week to mark Remembrance Day, I have been pleased to organise a veryspecial event in the House of  Commons with Andrew Motion (Poet Laureate), perhaps the most famous poet in Britain.

Mr Motion will be giving a special reading of his new book, Laurels and Donkey's. The money raised from this book will be given to a special Royal Marines Charity, to help rehabilitate wounded soldiers.

But this is not just a remarkable evening because of Mr Motion. It is also a special event for Harlow.

Not long ago I asked school children and students in Harlow to partake in a competition to write their own poetry with the theme of conflict and remembrance. Council Chairman Sue Livings, Arts Council Chairman John Steer and Downs School Head David Yeld, judged the entries that we received.

As a result, 5 students from Harlow have been invited to come to the House of Commons this Thursday 11th November to celebrate Armistice Day. Laura Richardson, Charlotte Mercer, Sinead Jolley, Lilli Tracy, Maisie Ayers, Paige Wheeler-Kavanagh. The winning entry (and second best poem) - judged by Andrew Motion will have their poem out to Mr Motion and fellow Members of Parliament.

The judges and myself have been struck - and moved by the excellent poetry that was submitted, with many entries reflecting compelling personal stories. It will be a proud evening for Harlow and a wonderful occasion.

It is expected that many people will be in attendance from Cabinet members to Ministers and MPs. As well as looking forward to meeting Mr Motion, I am especially pleased to be congratulating the amazing poets from our town.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Supporting our armed forces through poetry : A competition

What is more important than remembering our Armed Forces?

In the 20th century, millions of British soldiers died to protect our freedoms and way of life. In Iraq and Afghanistan every day our troops are risking their lives.

That's why events like Armistice Day and Battle of Britain Day are vitally important: they bring people together to remember what Britain is, and how it has been protected over the years.

Often people are worried that these events are just for older people. But you know it is one of the great myths in our society that young people do not care about politics. When I visit schools and Harlow College, my experience is that young people care passionately about the world, and the humanitarian efforts that Britain makes.

That's also why I have recently teamed up with former poet laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, to launch a Harlow Poetry Competition, on the theme of War and Conflict.

It will be open to every Harlow Primary and Secondary School pupil, and I will be writing to every school to invite them to take part.

The poem should not be much more than 25 lines, although it can be shorter, and must be about the contribution of our armed forces.

The competition will be judged by an independent panel of Harlow people, including Harlow Council Chairwoman Sue Livings, John Steer Vice-Chairman of Harlow Arts Council, and David Yeld, Headteacher of Downs School.

The winner will be invited to read their poem in the House of Commons on Armistice Day (11 November 2010) alongside Sir Andrew Motion, when he launches a memoir of his father's experience in the Normandy landings in World War Two.

All the winners and runners up will be invited to attend. Although I won't be one of the judges myself, I'm looking forward to reading all the poems, and seeing what the young people in Harlow have to say.

Closing date for entries is 30th September 2010.

If you would like to enter, and are under the age of 18 and at school, please send your poem toharlowpoetry@gmail.com

Or write to:

Harlow Poetry Competition

Robert Halfon MP, Room 34A,
House of Commons, Westminster
London SW1A OAA

For more details see my website www.roberthalfon.com

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com