On March 18, we were privileged to have slam poet Te Kahu Rolleston run a poetry workshop with selected writers from Year 10, as well as writers from The Pakage. Not only was his workshop incredibly entertaining, but it offered us, as developing writers, an opportunity to hone our skills and step out of our comfort zones.
We mainly focused on using language techniques in poetry, taking a theme and expanding on it to create something new. We were allowed complete creative freedom and were able to explore some really interesting themes. The following poems were written as a part of this workshop:
Depression is a void
Humming across the atmosphere:
Mumbling, whispering, annoyed.
They’re smiling, they’re laughing, and I don’t hear.
The voices are telling me I should give up.
I didn’t think it’d come to this;
The grief is everywhere.
How could I not see?
The darkness is all around me
—or maybe I’m just closing my eyes…
Is it all my fault?
Am I the lie?
Rowan Regis, Year 12 (He/They)
She loved me, deeply
and I connected my eye with hers
our souls intertwined
myself, a child, wrapped around her tail.
A little girl seeking solace in one small friend.
That one word, meow, blew through the wind
and caressed the musical chimes.
Anonymous
