WINNERS of the Manning in Rhyme poetry competition have been presented their awards by the Manning Valley Senior Citizens Association and Manning Valley Libraries.
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The children's award went to 10-year-old Mali Hoadley for 'Wild and Free', the youth award went to 14-year-old Abbey Last for 'A Nest Concealed' and the all ages award went to Mark Norris for 'Ester Gets her Start'.
Mark and Abbey were presented there awards at Taree Library. Mali was unable to attend the presentation, but was represented by her grandmother Ruth Castle.
According to Mali's mother Linda Hoadley, Mali was very excited to win for a second year in a row. She will use some of her prize money to "save big cats from extinction," a fitting tribute, due to the subject of her poem, a tiger.
There were 51 entries in the children's award category, five for the youth award, and 34 for all ages.
Poems were judged on storyline, use of language and originality of theme and rhyme. Each winner received $100 cash prize, sponsored by the Manning Valley Senior Citizen's Association, and a trophy.
Manning Valley Senior Citizens Association president Lucy Bokulic came up with the idea of Manning in Rhyme to honour her late friend and published poet Hans Ruiner.
'Wild and free' by Mali Hoadley
Through the forest, stripes flash. On the tree, her claws slash.
Big and powerful, on she stalks. Overhead a parrot squawks.
Her ears prick, her belly growls; through the forest still she prowls.
As she approaches the big, wide lake: snap! Crunch! She hears twigs break.
Coming to drink are a herd of deer. The tigress crouches, very near.
She jumps in the air; they realise she’s sprang. She chases them, then hears a loud bang.
She stops, then ow! There’s mesh on her paw. A great big cage falls down to the floor.
The tigress trapped, in a cage so wide. (She thought an elephant could fit inside.)
She tries to escape but it is no use; the cat can’t get the wire cage loose.
But then there’s humans – one, two, three, four! They stand ‘round the cage, one bangs on the door.
Suddenly, black, then a rumbling sound. An orange eye opens and looks around.
She’s still in the cage, now a rug’s on the top, in the back of a truck that slows to a stop.
The men get out to fix something. She lifts her head, and jumps at a ‘clang!’
The men do too, and they look around. They do not see the shadow on the ground.
They get back to work, but the tigress sees, a man creep out on his hands and knees.
The tigress moves, to the back of the cage. The man sees the cat and frowns with rage.
The tigress is scared; she shakes in fear. What is he doing, and why is he here?
But the blonde-haired man, unlocks the cage. He opens the door, and steps out of the way.
She cautiously takes a step, then two. Then leaps toward the bush, she’s through!
She pounds through the forest, and once looks back, to the man and the cage, which is fading to black.
She heads for home; feeling brave. Runs till she gets to her cubs and cave.
She has been out most of the day; And so they smile in their tigery way.
‘Ester Gets her Start’ by Mark Norris
Ester ran the 100 metres hurdles in the dark
Ester had her very own car park
Ester sang at the big city strip show
Ester called numbers at the local bingo
Ester was always a girl that ran late for trains
Ester dreamed of clear rivers of blood running through her veins
Ester got a brand new start
Ester got a brand new heart
Ester was a girl I barely knew
Ester lived in a room with a view
Ester cycled around her heart
Ester got her brand new start
‘A Nest Concealed’ by Abbey Last
A ruffling its plumaged of scarlet and blue amongst the rushes of which it is concealed
Not a sound heard but the soft breath of breezes
A season of a cold grip upon the land
Alas the mysterious bird sets in sticks and leaves bowing its head to escape the Winter in a dwelling of which its comfort eternally lies
An egg of speckles between breast and wing
Warm in feather of scarlet and blue