Celebrating World Poetry Day 21 March with a Willow Class Lockdown Poem

Poetry reaffirms our common humanity by revealing to us that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings. Poetry is the mainstay of oral tradition and, over centuries, can communicate the innermost values of diverse cultures. (United Nations, 2021)

Amie is one of our 3rd Year Art specialist trainee teachers on the BA Primary Education with Art (QTS) course. During her final placement, she has been working with her students at St Martin’s CE Primary School, Hants on a well being lockdown poetry session. This poem was a combination of lots of different groups verses woven together to make a free verse poem.
 
“I have just completed a well being lockdown poetry topic with my class. The personification verse nearly made me cry and I am very proud of Willow Class!”

 

We are so glad she shared this with us this World Poetry Day. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have. 

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Lockdown was about the Google Classrooms

Filled with FaceTimes, meets and zooms.

We had no guests, so no money to spend

No family, no cousins, no friends.

It was cool to be sat on a stool

Scrolling through the online school.

The videos were short but long,

Our teachers wanted our brains to be strong.

As time went on, our brains were frazzled

The thought of school again left us dazzled.

The stress of ‘turning’ work in left us feeling boo hoo.

But in the end, we can all say WOO HOO!

 

Nothing to do, nothing to play

Online chatting saves the day

Tablets and laptops our virtual friends

To talk to your besties, just press send

Zooms and facetimes all the lot

That’s how we talk to our buddies on laptops

Coronavirus comes and goes

When will it ever leave us alone

The great google meet it has revived

These past few weeks when we’ve been on divide

Never screen-free, always online

Somehow we can all still go outside.

 

Selfless, super doctors and nurturing nurses,

Tireless work and exhausted minds,

Active physically, but drained mentally.

Claps and fundraising – showing our faith!

Vunderful vaccines creates an impenetrable shield.

The vunderful vaccine creating hope for the sick.

The undoubtedly, unbeatable army of the national health service

Remains undefeated.

The NHS superheroes – free of despair!

 

Successful scientists gather interesting information about the vital vaccine that will soon save societies.

Hope is key

We go on wonderful walks and draw rainbows in our windows

Hope is key

Sir Captain Tom Moore was not a bore

While we were talking

He was walking

Hope is key

We clap for the NHS

For freedom

For happiness

Hope is key

We will keep going

WE ARE SURVIVORS!

 

Waking up in the morning

Is always the same

Apart from pets and family

Lockdown’s pretty lame

 

Learning from a screen

No friends to be seen.

Going to the shops wearing masks

Then coming home to complete our tasks.

 

Washing our hands

About to cook with pans

Going on a run

Whilst listening to music and having some fun.

 

Sneakily snacking on sugary sweets

While all the siblings get more sleep

My mum cooks, while I read books.

Me and my dog play

Every single day.

 

We’re starting history on a new page,

We feel like a gerbil in a hamster cage,

Like a chicken in a coop,

A shark made into soup,

Like a cat on a fence that can’t jump down,

We feel like an animal trapped in a pound,

A rainbow butterfly fluttering around,

Spreading its wings to us on the ground.

Dogs in muzzles,

Birds in cages,

Unable to fly.

Birds that can’t show their feathers and glide,

A turtle that is not in the sea,

We finally understand them, when it’s happening to me.

By Willow Class, St Martin’s CE Primary School, Hants.