Josephine Devereux by Stephanie Devereux

Poetry Competition

Logan Park High School did very well in the Dunedin Secondary Schools Poetry Competition, with 5 out of 8 of the 'places' (highly commended included) going to our school.

Josephine Devereux was placed first, and also had two poems highly commended.

Jacobi Kohu-Morris was placed third and Abigail Nardo had a poem highly commended.

Students were asked to read their winning poems with Vincent O'Sullivan, Helen Rickerby, Emma Neale and Owen Marshall on Friday the 22 August at the Public Library for Poetry Day. They also won prizes from UBS and Josephine and Jacobi's poems were published as posters and fliers at the library.

Sue Wootton, poet and judge, said:

Highly commended:

“Duteous” by Josephine Devereux (Year 13 Logan Park High School). Succinct, brutal writing to make a brutal point.

“The obligation” by Josephine Devereux (Year 13 Logan Park High School). Prose poem which offers an intense but well-controlled glimpse of the true nature of a relationship.

“We’ll cross that bridge” by Abigail Nardo (Year 10 Logan Park High School). A poem that wittily refreshes an old metaphor.

3rd place: “A man’s world” by Jacobi Kohu-Morris (Year 12 Logan Park High School). This poem’s witty and ironic images deconstruct and de-sanitise a historical moment, opening it up for new interpretations.

1st place: “Keeping up appearances” by Josephine Devereux (Year 13 Logan Park High School). Intelligent and tightly-written, this poem questions values, destabilises word meanings, and turns on a burning core.

Keeping up appearances

The sun has struck a bitter chord as its yellow light bastes the treetops
And even the tiny spider in the left hand corner has crept away
But smile! 1, 2, 3, for the camera
As we stiffly sit in the statement car
Racking our archives for conversation
And it's one for the frames-
A high resolution shot for a picture-perfect outing.

— Josephine Devereux (1st place)