LOCAL GIRL WINS POETRY PRIZE
Sophie Manning (pictured above), of Appleton Close, Froghill, could hardly believe her luck last Monday when she took first prize in the ‘Little Laureate’ poetry competition.
She was presented with a cheque for £50 by Sir Stafford Blunt at a special awards ceremony at Fukham Hall in Central London. She also received a handsome trophy for her poem I Used To Have A Rabbit.
Ten-year-old Sophie is no stranger to artistic success, as she won first prize in the 7-12 section of the the Sow and Gate ‘Paint An Animal’ competition in January of last year.
Said Sir Stafford: “Sophie’s poem had everything: perfect metre, a good rhyme scheme and a deceptive simplicity. It tackled one of the grand themes of human existence in a subtle and unaffected manner, an achievement quite astonishing in one so young.”
The Observer is proud to reprint Sophie’s poem in full.
I Used To Have A Rabbit
by
Sophie Manning
I used to have a rabbit,
His name was Mr Bugs,
I’d greet him every morning,
With kisses and with hugs.
I used to have a rabbit,
His fur was white and brown,
A little tuft upon his head,
That looked just like a crown.
I used to have a rabbit,
I took him from his hutch,
And left him out on our front lawn,
Which he loved very much.
I used to have a rabbit,
While he was nibbling clover,
A speeding car veered off the road,
And ran my rabbit over.
I used to have a rabbit,
And though I was only seven,
My mummy said I mustn’t cry,
Because he’d gone to heaven.
I used to have a rabbit,
He loved to jump and play,
I ask God in my bedtime prayers,
To bless him every day.
31/05/07 @ 08:12