You may remember that before the school holidays we were looking for children aged 5-16 to impress us with their poetry prowess by submitting a poem or short story based on the theme – Do Computers Rule the World?
We received over 500 entries – an absolutely amazing response – and are delighted to announce that Ian McMillan, the Bard of Barnsley, has picked three winners.
Cue drum roll…
1st Place: Emily Wilson, Wetherby High School
2nd Place: Sophia Barnett – Bishop Walsh Catholic School
3rd Place: Annabel Cox – Oasis Academy John Williams
A huge thank you to all children who entered. We will be publishing a large selection of the entries in the coming days for you to read and share!
Emily’s poem:
My dog ate my homework
Was the line that used to be,
But now it’s all gigabytes
And my printers ran out of ink
The old park swing
That was full of joy,
Is now empty
Just swinging in the wind
The boy with his head down
Looking at a screen,
Just missed the chance of a lifetime
A friendship that could’ve been
The mother that climbed monkey bars
Can’t get her child to stop watching ‘Cars’
She asks herself why?
Why don’t children want to see the kites fly?
We’re completely addicted,
Addicted to the net.
Those children who want to make computer games
Instead of becoming a vet
It’s got us in its grubby hand
Controlling us through its links,
We’re buried in the sand
Puppets on strings that can’t blink
Children used to cry
From a grazed knee,
Now children cry
From losing to technology
It’s a disease
And it’s spreading fast
There is no cure
No way you’re going to last
The forever chatting world
Is now silent
All the chatting is online
And bullying is no longer violent
It’s all done online
The hate, rumours, the stories
We’re running out of time
To return to our former glory
We don’t dare say it to their faces
But we say it in online places
Where we think we’re safe from torment
But we’re not safe from judgement
So look up from your screen
And see the world as it is
We don’t need to be the robot generation
We need to stop at the outside station
So break out of the chain
Out of your prison cell
To a world without pain
To a world which isn’t technology hell
