COBIS Poetry Competition KS3 and KS4 2023/24
3rd November 2023
Students at BMIS once again joined writers from all over the world in writing poems for the 2023/24 Council of British International Schools (COBIS) Poetry competition. The theme of the Competition this year was, ‘A future to be proud of’ and participants wrote their own original poems reflecting the theme. They spent time over the past few weeks working on their poems that were all entered in the annual Braeburn Mombasa Inter-house competition usually run to select 3 top entries in the various age categories.
Winners of the competition were selected in their respective categories and the poems were eventually submitted to represent the school in the 2023/24 COBIS Poetry Competition
Winners for each category are as follows:
Category B: Key Stage 3
- Jasmine - Y9
- Maya - Y9
- Sienna - Y7
Category C: Key stage 4
- Tasneem - Y11
- Lilly- May - Y11
- Poul - Y11
We say a big thank you to all the students who participated by writing a poem and congratulate the overall winners of the Braeburn Mombasa Inter-house competition Jasmine and Tasneem whose entries will represent the school in the COBIS 2023-24 Poetry Competition…….. BEST OF LUCK!
Poetry writing is used to express thoughts and emotions and is a good way to expand both written and oral vocabulary. Currently, the Year 9 students are studying War poetry during their English lessons and are preparing for a recital of a famous War poem written by renowned poet Wilfred Owen, “Dulce et decorum Est’. The recital will take place at the special Armistice Assembly to be held next week at school in remembrance of fallen War heroes. We look forward to watching the Y9 class recite their choral verse as they speak about the real experiences during the war to emphasise and demonstrate the emptiness of war.
By L.Mkok
Head of Languages
Category B: Key Stage 3
A Future To Be Proud Of by Jasmine (Winning Poem)
In a world so bright
Where life takes flight
A future awaits
Life takes place
There’s warmth from my fleece
Where life has peace
In a world so nice
Where laughter is the key
With books in your hand
Curiosity free
Oh! How dreamy that would be
Where the differences sparkle
Like the stars in a dream
The bright blue ocean
The fluorescent green leaves
The bright yellow sun
The lovely fresh fruit in the trees
The warm feeling of the sand beneath my feet
The breeze so fresh
Oh how life would be
by Jasmine
My Future
Finding solutions to stop war and start peace
Understanding others' experiences furthering education and the history of struggle
Thinking of saving Earth and not Planet B
Using resources to help others in need
Recycle items and turn them anew
Energy conservation for a brighter future
In ‘my future’, nobody will go
Hungry, no woman or child
Will worry about where to go
They will live free of worry
In ‘my future’ there will be no war,
no one will be killed. We will live
with each other loving or not.
In ‘my future’ peace is the mission
In ‘my future’ we will save and treasure
Mother nature. We will restore the
earth from whence it came.
In ‘my future’ there will be
understanding and people will
feel comfortable in their own skin.
In ‘my future’ we will understand
the history of struggle.
In ‘my future’ is bright,
we will use the light to
guide us out of darkness
for a better tomorrow.
by Maya
A future to be proud of
A future to be proud of
Is a future filled with love
There is never a reason to be afraid
No need to run.
A future to be proud of is
A future filled with art,
Whether singing or dancing
As long as it's what you love.
A future to be proud of
Is a future with no limits
Whatever you can think of
Will come true in an instant.
A future to be proud of
Is whatever you think
As long as it makes you happy
And you are who you want to be
A future to be proud of
Is truly an amazing thing
And a future to be proud of
Is a future that starts with me.
By Sienna
Category C: Key stage 4
A future to be proud of by Tasneem (Winning Poem)
I sit at the riverbed, watching the water flow.
In its reflection I see our history, the river has shown
Humanities dreams and desires, some known, some unknown.
Yet in this storybook each segment tells a tale, tells tales of pursuit
Delves into different people's dreams and their inevitable route.
Like the fish in the river, they each swim to their desired destination.
But the current is a cruel thing, it decides to lead them all to shore
For our future is shared regardless of navigation
So what is it that humanity strives for?
Differences are evident in a world so vast.
Our future is imminent, it comes so fast.
We all march to the beat of our drums.
We enjoy ourselves with unique ways of having fun.
But if we could all look into the river from the same angle,
View the world from the same side.
Our visions of the future can peacefully reside
Create a land in which we intertwine our dreams
Let them coexist
Let them be free
I stand by the river,watching the water as it flows.
In its reflection, I see a future the river shows
One in which there are many forms of life
Together they grow and together they thrive
Tasneem
A future to be proud of
In a future to be proud of,
A girl can walk home alone
She doesn't clutch keys in her fist,
And assess risks at every turn.
In a future to be proud of,
Her knowledge isn't questioned because she's a girl,
She isn't made to answer 20 questions,
To prove she knows anything at all.
In a future to be proud of,
A mother isn't only that,
She's still a person herself,
How people continue to see a dad.
In a future to be proud of,
When a woman speaks up,
She's not questioned and ridiculed,
But believed for all she’s worth.
In a future I'd be proud of,
A little girl does not feel small,
She doesn't have to prove herself because of how she was born.
She mustn't know how to fight,
And she can wear what she wants.
She can wonder the streets at night,
With her location switched off.
In a future I'd be proud of,
the world isn't seen through the eyes of a man,
Where a dollar is worth 83 cents,
and a woman less than them.
Lillly-May
A Future to Be Proud Of
A world where all are equal,
Where diversity is celebrated,
And differences are embraced.
A world where everyone has a voice,
Where everyone is respected,
And everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
This is the future I dream of.
A future where we are all one,
Where we can all enjoy
the benefits of our combined effort.
Let us work together to build this future.
A future where everyone is proud of who they are,
And where everyone feels welcome and valued.
This is a future to be proud of.
By: Poul
