Celebrating World Poetry Day

World poetry Day is celebrated every year on 21 March, celebrating a form of expression that features in all cultures and languages across the globe. Poetry can be found all over the world and helps unite people through shared experiences, emotions and values.

The theme of World Poetry Day this year is ‘Peace and Inclusion’. To mark this year's World Poetry Day, we are launching a new annual poetry competition! Opening today, the theme ‘Peace and Inclusion’ can be interpreted in any way our students desire. The competition is open to all year groups and judged anonymously, and all entrants will receive house points. There will be first, second and highly commended prizes at both KS3 and K34. We also welcome poems in different languages and there will be prizes for the best poems in other languages.

This year, as part of St Mary’s annual poetry competition, we will be also be producing our own pamphlet of the winning poems, inspired by Derek Walcott, to celebrate our voices, cultures and creativity.

Here is the winning KS4 poem for 2024 World Poetry Day competition with the theme Unity: 'To Whom it may concern' by Oz W. in Year 13.

To Whom it May Concern 
 
Hi, I hope you’re doing well. 
If you’re reading this,  
I would assume that you’re human. 
I mean, you may not be, 
I don’t know who will find this. 
So, in the case of alien encounters, 
Or scouting AI, 
I suppose I’ll write two messages. 
 
To humanity, 
I guess, in a ‘patriotic’ way, 
I love you. 
As messed up as you are 
And have been 
And will be, if I can’t help it, 
You can be beautiful. 
Stop your stupid hatred, 
Fear-mongering will never prevail 
And money won’t save you, 
If society fails. 
Cling tight to those you love, 
Build bonds with outsiders, 
And start scraping together 
A global community. 
Otherwise, when one pillar falls, 
The rest will follow. 
 
To other sentient life, 
I don’t know what year you’ll find this, 
Or whether humanity has gone extinct. 
If not, please remind them to be kind. 
If they’ve died away, leaving ash and rubble 
And ghosts, 
I want you to know this. 
If my hopes were right, 
And my optimism won, 
Then know that humanity was beautiful. 
We loved each other, 
And reached out to strangers, 
Until no one ever felt strange. 
I hope you know that we cared. 
 
If we’re dead and gone, 
I sincerely hope that we weren’t the culprits, 
That some freak accident, or solar anomaly 
Wiped out a thriving,  
Loving, 
Caring, 
Welcoming, 
Kind, 
Community. 
 
I hope the ether takes my messages 
And delivers it to those who need to see it. 
Be gentle with my words, 
Cradle their meaning close, 
Lest it evaporate into nothingness. 
 
So, 
To whom it may concern, 
Hi, I hope you’re doing well, 
And I hope that you care, 
To read a little message, 
And remember to be kind.