Year 12 student Sofia has been named Bolton School Girls’ Division’s inaugural Poet Laureate. She writes about her selection:
In honour of National Poetry Day, which took place on 2 October, the Bolton School Girls’ Division English Department challenged students to write a poem inspired by the theme of ‘Play’. This poem could take any format and we were challenged to be as creative and imaginative as we liked — we could even submit multiple entries if we wished.
Since joining Bolton School in Year 7, I have had a profound interest for poetry. This interest specifically started from taking part in a similar competition in Year 7 and also from benefitting from the expertise of professional writers and poets when participating in the Creative Writing Trip to Patterdale in 2022. When I learned from the posters around school that there would once again be another competition this year, I was very excited to enter and showcase my creativity and writing skills to the panel of judges.
Over a few days, my poem ‘Knowing Different’ was brought into existence and I was ready to submit it. Hearing my name called out as the KS5 winner of the competition, and then to find out I had been named Poet Laureate, was a surreal experience and I certainly feel honoured to have been chosen as the first ever Poet Laureate in the Girls’ Division!
I feel that this role is a testament to the breadth of activities and interests of the students at Bolton School — despite my commitment to my scientific and mathematical subjects, I have still been encouraged to utilise the power of words and I immensely enjoy the freedom and expression that comes with this.
As part of my new role, I will be writing poems for different events and seasons during the school year. For example, I have just submitted my first poem, which is a winter poem entitled ‘The Christmas Star’.
I would like to thank the English Department and specifically Mrs Thornborough for organising this competition, for choosing me to represent the school in what I believe to be such an important and fulfilling role, and for inspiring my love of poetry over the years. I would also like to congratulate any of the other girls who entered for writing what I’m sure were some amazing poems! I am excited to represent everything poetry related here in the Girls’ Division during my time as Poet Laureate and I look forward to writing many more poems to share my love of poetry with the Bolton School community.
I do hope you enjoy reading my winning entry and potentially some of my upcoming poems throughout the year!
Knowing Different
My poem explores this year’s theme of ‘Play’ in 28 lines by delving into the contrast between real life games and those that are virtual. ‘Knowing Different’ captures the essence of the joy of childhood play and in contrast, shows the lifelessness of play aided by technology.
Knowing Different
The labyrinth of lines at the tip of my fingers,
Once painted patterns into paper,
But now they know different.
Now they act as a key to a forbidden world of squares,
That sit, buzzing with life and desperation,
Waiting for the mind to mumble ‘play’.
I remember a time when the sparkle on the handles of a skipping rope glinted out of the corner of my eye,
But now I know different.
My hands cling tightly to a console,
Sucking its life out of the wall through a long black rope,
Rendered useless without it.
I remember running through the park,
The thrill of feeling emerald green blades caressing my calves,
But now I know different.
My legs now ignite like fire as they push forward,
My feet treading aimlessly along an unforgiving reel of rubber.
I remember opening a story book,
Being mesmerised by the lives that weaved into words on a page,
But now I know different.
My pupils no longer dive into a pool of pages,
Instead, they scan a screen, searching for circles of ‘stories’ to be told.
We remember when the word ‘play’ meant something,
When its utterance unleashed creativity,
But now we know different.
The word now lies neglected in a book full of others,
Waiting for the day when it is discovered once again,
Its foot on the start line,
Ready for someone to shout ‘GO!’
