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Click on these slides to read the winning entries.

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Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

O my Luve is like a red, red rose

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath.

It cannot be-

she said to me

For where there’s a sun

You’ll find a moon

Original work in appearance

1.Shakespere’s Sonnets by William Shakespeare

2. A Red,A Red Rose by Robert burns

3. “ Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art"

by John Keats

4. Forbidden Love by Michael Faudet

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What is a hero?
A hero thinks of others before he thinks of himself.
There are heros who walk among us
A hero will die to protect
never looking for glory or praise.
Steadfast with a quiet strength,
a hero will never complain,
to be the hero for everyone

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A Call to National Service

Secluded in a camp surrounded by dense jungle
deprived of modern civilization was the life

The process of a boy becoming a man is beyond words

For their country, for you, and for me
May God bless them eternally

Original Poems in order of appearance
Singaporean Son by Low Kian Soh
National Service by Sutha Rajakumar
Singaporean Son by Low Kian Soh
The ultimate sacrifice by Kelly Roper

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I’m tired of waiting, being stuck on the verge.

Done being a caterpillar, I long to emerge.

I pass my day in solitude.

Watch the world move on outside.

So I will sit and wait,

Through all the bright hours

I cling to expectation, until

Smiling a real smile,

I feel really, truly happy

Bouquet created by
Aiden Chew (1) ML102

Original poems in order of appearance:
‘Metamorphosis’ by Ms Moem

‘Trapped’ by Erin Hanson

‘The Listener’ by Billy Collins

‘A Plagued Journey’ by Maya Angelou

‘I’m Finally Free!’ by Becky Ginn

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Once upon a midnight dreary

while I pondered, weak and weary

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

Two crowned Kings, and one that stood alone

With no green weight of laurels round his head
But with sad eyes as one uncomforted

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

Bouquet created by Nigel Rushton-Young, FN-103

The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe

The Road not Taken, by Robert Frost

A Vision, by Oscar Wilde

The Second Coming, by WB Yeats

Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carrol

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True friends are hard to find

But there you are, you came into my life

You took my hand and dried my tears

When I cried over it all

You're worth more than anyone,

Even a million pounds

And when the time comes for me to go,

I really want for you to know

I am you, and you are me

My forever friend, you will be

Bouquet created by
Ramesh Jyodhir Aadithya(20) ML102

Original poems in order of appearance:
1 and 2: “Forever Friends” by Janilyn B. Rentillo
3 and 4: “Take my hand and Never Let Go” by Gianna Nicole

5 and 6:“Promise to Stay in Touch” by Louise

7 and 8: “Being a Friend” by Trenda N. Sparks
9 and 10:“My Friend” by Kiesha Shepard

Sorry for the previous one, I sent it as Anonymous.

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No man is an island,

Entire of itself,

Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

Yet if hope has flown away

Is it therefore the less gone?

Bouquet created by

Everett Tay Kia Yong (FN202)

Original poems in order of appearance:

“No Man Is An Island” by John Donne

“Remember” by Christina Georgina Rossetti

“A Poison Tree” by William Blake

“A Dream Within A Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe

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As I walk across the earth,
thousands of things I get to see.
Birds fly high, soaring higher,
and on the flowers I hear the buzz of bees.

From the welcome warmth of the morning sun,
As it plays upon your eyes,
Enticing you from your slumber
To awaken and come alive.

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Bouquet created by Lim Bo Shi (18) LE101

Reference:
1. Our Mother Earth by Shweta Banerjee
2. The Outside, Wondrous World by Pat A. Fleming
3. Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

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Nothing much will be missed

eyes not tradition tell you this

There you are as the moonlight shines

Take a path and decide your fate

Your mother’s silent eyes fighting from tears

There you start your first day!

Reference:

Old house at Ang Siang Hill by Arthur Yap (1st Para)

Own words (2nd para)

In the moonlight (para 3)

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For a true friend

I met you as a stranger, took you as a friend;
You are an amazing person,
You helped me to get better.
My true friend.

I hope our long friendship will never end.
You helped me through the hard times,
And without you I don't know where I'd be.
My true friend.


Poems used:
You should know by Abby Heard
Best friend by Mizscorpio
Will you ever? by Kaitlyn M. Yawn
My True Friend by Abimola T. Alabi

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The house was quiet and the world was calm.

The stately homes of England

How beautiful they stand!

'Mid pleasures and Palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!

Better than gold is a peaceful home

In the warmth of your embrace,

I know I'm finally home.

Original poems in order of appearance:

“The house was quiet and the world was calm” Wallace Stevens

“The stately homes of England” Felicia Dorothea Hemans

“Home, Sweet Home” John Howard Payne

“Better than Gold” Father Ryan

“I’m finally home” Atlas Rover

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Life is always hard for the soldier

Your two green years

To a wise and wonderful officer

In the middle of our march, in thick rain

A halt was called – we’d had to backtrack again

Through the thick undergrowth

Fighting for our nation with duty and honour.

Bouquet created by

Guhan Venu ML 102

Original poems in order of appearance:

“Memories of a Barren Plain” by Koh Buck Song

“Soldiering” by Boey Kim Cheng

“Parade’ by Paul Tan

“Night Manoeuvres” by Alvin Pang

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They flung deeply-stabbing wounds

And destroyed my mood.

But all my foes will not even consider a mistake.

I do not want to hide in the tears.

I will have to fight my fears.

But I shall not stop fighting until I am free from their torture.

Bouquet created by

Sanjeev ML102

Original poems in order of appearance

1. “Reproach” by Ruber Archer

2. “Forgiveness is divine” by Pat A. Flemming

3. “My Heart’s Desire” by Leslie Absher

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When I found you,
I found me.

Just like a star
You light up my life

We were the very best of friends
Or at least that’s what I thought.

Now we don’t talk; we’re complete strangers.

I always ask myself a million times,
How did we lose it all?

Sources
‘A Broken Puzzle’ by Jessica M. Ward
‘Just Like’ by Katherine Ayala
‘A Friendship Lost’ by Brenda J. Metz
‘Forgiveness’ by Roberto Rigby
‘Walk Away’ by Mili Jain

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I can remember a time,
when the neighbourhood bond was strong,
I needed you and you were there.

And that times have changed,
Those days are in the past,
The community spirit of long, long ago.

Bouquet created by

Kieran Teo (27)

ML102

Original poems in order of appearance:

“Community Spirit” by David Harris

“The Community” by Vera Sidhwa

“Community and Progress” by David Chalk

“Community Spirit” by David Harris

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The pillar of new hope

So when it burst we three were soaked –

Unprepared for this hasty hurricane

heaved in battle against the gods.

After the Seas drained, the Island uncovered itself

a godless ark held aloft by three cenotaphs.

SURVIVAL. A People with RESILIENCE

Coursing through iron veins, sought to grow in humanity’s rich soil.

Life shall, again, sustain itself.

Based on original poems:

9th August 1965 – Robert Yeo

Ulysses by the Merlion an extract – Edwin Thumboo

Notes from a Colonialist, 2065 – Amanda Chong

My country and my people – Anne Lee Tzu Pheng

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I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war,

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day.

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

Is it a touch of frost lies in the air?
Why are we haunted with a sense of loss?

Bouquet created by Alex Pook (19) ML102

Original Poems in order of appearance:

1.     “Hug o’ War” by Shel Silverstein

2.     “The Power of the Dog” by Rudyard Kipling

3.     “A Poison Tree” by William Blake
4.     “Friendship After Love” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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You may write me down in history
With your bitter sweet lies
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise

Hope is the thing with feathers-
That perches in the soul-
And sings the tune without words -
And never stops- at all

Is there another world for this frail dust
To warm the life and be itself again?
Something about me daily speaks there must
And why should instinct nourish hopes in vain?

So since I'm still here living,
I guess I will still live on,
I could've died for love-
But for living, I was born.

Bouquet by Shanjay S/O Sivalingam

In order of Appearance:

"Still I rise" by Maya Angelou
"Hope is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson
"Instinct of Hope" By John Clare
"Life is fine" by Langston Hughes

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All I want is freedom
Is that too much to ask?
All I want is freedom
To forget everything in my past.

They say we'll never get it
I believe when people hear
The coloured side of the story -
Injustice anywhere is an insult to justice everywhere.

I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the Earth
And peace its paths adorn.

My dream is reality
We are free! No more hiding
No more lying, no more false papers,
Is it true that I am free?

Bouquet by Jonas Ng Qi Jie (MN103)

Original poems in order of appearance:
"Freedom" by Christal Carpenter
"Freedom Walk" by Charlise F.
"I Dream A World" by Langston Hughes
"Freedom" by Unknown

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Theme: Fountains in SJI

Up from the bronze I saw

Water without a flaw

Upward or downward,

Motion thy rest.

Outside the talkative fountain

Continues night and day

‘Twill murmur for a thousand years

And flow as it now flows.

Bouquet by Tristan Lee (FN202)

Original Poems In Order Of Appearance:
"Roman Fountain" by Louise Bogan

"The Fountain" by James Russell Lowell

"The Fountain" by Charles Baudelaire

"The Fountain" by William Wordsworth

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Suicide…

You have tempted me

'Just once and it'll be over'

Death whispers in my ear

Joy throws little stones at my window

it wants to let me know that it’s waiting for me.

I wanna make a recovery.

And one day, I will be okay

Bouquet Created by

Matthew Oon (FN202)

Original Poems:

Suicide by Jay Press

Self Harm by Amar Qamar

Little Stones at My Window by Mario Benedetti

Recovery Ditty by Lysander Hardy-Pearce

Recovery by Michelle M Diaz

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Theme: hope
Flower of life

The bees are stirring—birds are on the wing—
And Winter slumbering in the open air,
waits each year renewing blooms to bring,
Sweet Hope, ethereal balm upon me shed,
And wave thy silver pinions o’er my head
On the sunny side of life

Ramasamy Soundar Ganesh, FN202

Keep On The Sunny Side, poet unknown
Work without hope by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The instinct of hope by John Clare
To hope by John Keats

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Between the sky and the sea
atop the rock and the city.

Standing here, I brush shards of knowing
That space is sometimes just the lack
Of sound; and why these spaces,
This stony syntax, is what God chose
For chronicle, canon and commandment.

Can? Or should? Can or should poetry do this?
What passing poems for those who feel the heat?

Our words and pictures need the light
to capture what's beyond mere sight.

Reading between the lines, I sense them,
Luminous with hope, possibilities, promise.

Bouquet created by Ms K Williams

Original poems in order of appearance:

“Quiet” by Eleanor Wong

“Standing Still” by Aaron Maniam

“A Poem as a Fan” by Robert Yeo

“Cathedral Windows” by Lee Tzu Peng

“White Poems” by Aaron Maniam

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Lovely aicao kueh,

Welcome seasons’ faith

Singapore is where i stay,

I love Singapore, it’s safe with no earthquakes!

Where the sun is always abundant,

Where the rain kisses the durian

Roaring with that lion’s pride,

Five stars and the shield of Crescent.

Poems according to appearance:

“Ode to Aicao Kueh” by Kucinta Setia
“Singapore I Stay” by Iyakami Haroki
“Ode to The Ginger” by Kucinta Setia

“My box” by Koon Wei Pheng

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How do I colour my city
With creatures busy in living?

Adults with briefcases
On top of flying clocks

Headlamps and metal colours,
Horns and exhausts, bumpers:

Along an oval band of road, they streamed
Because they could not be curbed.
The traffic is the only other animal awake.

Bouquet by Joshua Teo (FN202)

"Dhoby Ghaut 1983" by Ho Poh Fun
"Singapore Night Song" by Amanda Chong
"The Triple Fool" by Simon Tay
"My Country and My People" by Anne Lee Tzu Pheng
“My city, my canvas” by Heng Siok Tian

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Mother, Mother,
The kids in school,
Call me Kiasu,
But all I am,
I got from you.

Your love,
Has never fallen short,
You have been,
My only support.

For everything
I am today
Your Love
Showed me
The way.

Original poems in order of appearance:
'My Mother Loves Me' by Gwee Li Sui (1998)

Mother’s Day Poems That Will Make Mom Laugh and Cry, 'Dear Mom...'

Mother’s Day Poems That Will Make Mom Laugh and Cry, 'What Mother Means'

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Theme: Memories

Title: Nothing can last forever

There is no history

dreams are here before you sleep

tread softly

You know, nearby, people

relish a bite of satay

stained glass windows, scintillating sun glints

crowds still milling around a brooding cathayn

Trees nest within trees,

noise within noises.

Bouquet created by

Mithilesh ( FN202)

Inspiration:

Notes from a Colonialist, 2065 by Amanda Chong

A Brief History of Toa Payoh by Koh Buck Song

Old house at ang siang hill by Arthur Yap

Singapore Night Song by Simon Tay

dhoby ghaut 1983 by Hoh Poh Fun

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I carry your heart with me

I am never without it

If ever two were one, then surely we.

If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.

Both have the strength and both the length thereof,

Both of us, of the love which makes us one.

Bouquet Created by: Zachary Lee (31) ML102

In Order of Appearance

I carry your heart with me (E.E.Cummings)

To my dear and loving husband (Anne Bradstreet)

I loved you first: but afterwards your love (Christina Rossetti)

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O Rose thou art sick.
At the very start of us, I foresaw
every possible ending.

I am two fools, I know,
for loving, and for saying so
Alas and is there no remedy?
But have I thus lost it wilfully?

Come any nearer,
and I'll make this knife talk.

Bouquet created by
Mrs Boey (Library)

Original poems in order of appearance:
"The Sick Rose" by William Blake
"Professions" by Amanda Chong
"The Triple Fool" by John Donne
"Help me to seek for I lost it there" by Sir Thomas Wyatt
I'll Make this Knife Talk by Felix Cheong