Over the summer break, poems submitted for the GDST Laurie Magnus poetry prize were judged by Rachel Joyce, an alumna of Sydenham High School. Rachel is the author of the Sunday Times and international bestseller "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry", which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.
While not winning the overall prize, Reem A. (Year 13) gained a special commendation for her poem ‘The Outsider’. Rachel commented, “I love the portrait of the artist.” A massive well done to Reem for once again receiving praise for her creative talents!
The Outsider
Look, over there!
I’ve found one at last:
a rare outsider, skittering, scurrying,
beyond our whitewashed ramparts.
Quick, don’t let him get away –
grab a pen and take note,
of how his existence, so bizarre,
is outrageous to our own.
Take his clothes, for example
– where on earth do I begin? –
untamed, unashamed,
the psychedelic fabric much too thin.
His laughter is too loud;
his smile natural, unaffected;
firefly eyes aglow with foolish hopes and dreams
- just as I’d expected.
And, most of all, (to my endless distaste),
he paints his sky not our single shade of blue,
but millions and millions
of unchartered hues.
I know I’m being critical,
but, please, hear me out;
come and follow me back home
down this straight, narrow route.
You’ll soon enjoy that feeling
of the spine breaking;
deforming;
warping;
contorting;
squeezing into this boxy white picket fence.
You and your two-point-five children.
Conforming.
And it’s safer here, I promise.
Why don’t you come and join me?
So we can feel sorry together
for that poor, peculiar outsider
who is alone, but not lonely.
By Reem A.