2015 Poetry Competition

Judging a competition like this was no easy task! The organisers received hundreds of entries, and it was a pleasurable, though lengthy- process to give each entrant due diligence. Finding a winner in each category had a number of difficulties. The poetry reflected different styles and content, and was also in different languages. 

Afrikaans and English entries were separated- unfortunately we had no IsiXhosa entries this year- and the judges spent many hours whittling their piles down. When we arrived at a more manageable number, all the shortlisted poems were read out loud to each other. A further shortlist was thus developed. The judges then arrived at what they considered their top three in each language in each section. Independent poets were then consulted as to their opinions. We were happy to note that their choices mirrored ours. We then sat together as a group and arrived at a final decision as to the top poem in each category. 

The schools’ section:

Under 18 yr finalist Onele Rolobile is from Cape Town and attends The Cape Academy of Mathematics , Science and Technology. She won a Gift Voucher for R2000 from Exclusive Books for her poem I’m at War

I’m At war by Onele Rolobile

I’m at war with myself

I’m at war with my thoughts

And choices

I was raised to always trust your instinct

what I think is right IS right

but lately I’m afraid they will kill me

I’m afraid of the reflection I see in the mirror

Because I know…..

I know that WHAT I see is not WHO I am

and Lord knows my mom didn’t raise a vindictive monster

WHO AM I

I’m at war, but I don’t even know who I’m at war with…

but they tell you that you can lose the battle but win the war

HOW ?

See… this is why I’m at war

Because the world I live in tells me I’m crazy for being myself

It tells sixteen year olds that having “relationship” goals is better than having “life”

They call it living in the moment,YOLO

I’m at war ..

But it’s no longer with myself

Its with who I’m SUPPOSE to be ..

The winner in this section was a local girl from Bonnievale, Mia Beukes who attends Bonnievale High School, for her delightful piece entitled Namiblied. Mia won herself an I Pad for her efforts.

NAMIBLIED by Mia Beukes

Die ooswind sing

deur die  sandkorrels

 om nog ‘n duin van misterie en wonder te bou

So rooi soos die oerduin daaronder,

So blou hang die suiwer hemelruim daarbo.

Oos lê  bruin , amper swart klip, met enkele trane

Wat al vloeiend in die Kueseb loop....

Wes borrel die wit skuim van die Benguela-branders

Wat b r e e k

As die son besluit om agter die rooiduin te skuil

En die blou lug geleidelik pers verkleur,

Bly die grysgroen Welwitchia steeds onversteurd.

Soos die skemer oor die duine daal,

Wys die gemsbokke  hul swart en wit maskergesigte vir  ‘n wyle

En die horingadder bêre sy sandgeheime.

As die aandster se diamantoog in die nag blink

en die duine aan slaap begin dink,

sing die ooswind se stem sag

en die Namiblied raak stil.

  

The adult section :

In the adult section the winner was Louise Westerhout from Cape Town for her wonderfully descriptive poem entitled, I Simply Left.

I SIMPLY LEFT  by Louise Westerhout

I simply left

rose up

wafted out like cigarette smoke and chatter mid-set the tuned-out

soloist mounted his offensive while I slipped out toward the back (I'd

come in for free at the front but man I paid in full) skint now thigh

deep in sharp faces and flat gazes past leaning mops, stacked plastic

chairs, obsolete guest lists, fibbing stock charts, bruised beer

crates dribbling on the way I grabbed a used ashtray stubbed out my

heart  in the glass bottom

out,

all the way past the halfwit toilets,  photos of greats, me-me beat of

wings against bare bulb, right to the end of the joint I squeezed past

offended dumpsters rearranging their junk under too-tight lids over

threshold under exit sign

in the alley

I stole lungfuls of midnight

gazed up at the  silent

full swoon of a blood moon crowning I inhaled until the smug black

velvet backing stars stared me down to my last breath in that site

lost

then the air was silent

chilled

I flexed the collar on

my loner cape I

fucked off. 

We were delighted with the interest shown in the competition, and also by the quality of work before us. We hope that the competition can become bigger and better in 2016! Thanks to everyone who entered, and special congratulations to the winners.

David Magner