This year, Ian Gibbins and Jelena Dinic were asked to judge the Year 11 & 12 entries for the South Australian English Teachers Association 2015 Spring Poetry Festival Prize and award the Friendly Street prizes to the top four poems. The prizes consisted of cash, a selection of FSP books, a certificate, and complimentary membership of FSP for 2016.
First Prize went to Olivia McGuinness (Cedar College) for Stress; Second Prize: Dee Ritchie (Torrens Valley Christian School) for Wrong; Third Prize: Sam Kelly (Thomas More College) for Timeless Wrinkles; and Highly Commended: Taniesha Morton (Torrens Valley Christian School) for Mummy. We congratulate the winners and all the entrants in this competition.
Here is the winning poem, courtesy of SAETA.
Stress
by Olivia McGuinness
Waves of sentiment lap
at the borders of your mind
weeds of terror snatch
at every inch of your body
the gritty taste of sorrow
in your mouth
the persistent tide of saltiness
from your eyes
drowning in your own ocean