In celebration of National Poetry Day 2024, the English Department held their annual MTS Poetry Competition. Hundreds of boys entered, from the Thirds to the Upper Sixth.
Writes Mrs Shockley
At first I wondered if this year’s theme, Counting, seemed a little one dimensional. Apart from Browning asking ‘How do I love thee?’ and then counting the ways, when else has counting inspired great literature?
As you can see from the winners below, it turns out that the counting – the act, the concept, the collocations attached to it – can inspire profound and entertaining poetry. We had gamblers counting cards, insomniacs counting sheep, influencers counting likes and wartime journalists counting deaths. Some poets counted down their days, others counted minutes in an exam whilst some pondered the purpose of counting as an instinctual human desire to measure, categorise and map out knowledge. The final collection of winners is impressive. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have.
I don’t count my chickens; I just count the cards.
I donned a disguise to slip right past the guards.
My mug’s on a poster up there in the office
The pit bosses know that I’ll pick their silk pockets.
The last time I left here, they counted the cost
‘Cos they were the ones who gambled and lost.
There’s a reason my clothes are all Gucci and Prada:
I’m the cutest card counter in all of Nevada.
The dealer caresses the cards to the felt
The Texan beside me has loosened his belt
He calls for a Scotch before he plays the next hand
He hollers and hoots when he loses ten grand.
No whisky for me, thanks, I’ll just have a coke
I gotta stay sharp, I don’t wanna go broke
I start off by losing, I can’t raise suspicion
But breaking their bank is my burning ambition.
Within ninety minutes, ambition fulfilled
I tip the poor dealer and savour the thrill
The chips that I have are worth more than a mill
I cash out and plan a long trip to Brazil.
