With learning taking place from home, and many adjustments made to the way the world now lives, our students have witnessed many changes to the life they once knew. Locked down at home, with no chance for shared playground chatter for many weeks, the chance to connect for classes online with schoolmates is an opportunity for shared discussion. 

Mrs Wanda Wright’s Year 7 girls’ English class at the College spent some time reflecting on ANZAC Day and what lockdown has been like for our students. The intention was not to make a comparison but to look at the two ideas in tandem. To end their discussions, they read the story ‘One Minute’s Silence’ by David Metzenthen, illustrated by Michael Camilleri.

Using this as a reference point, the class discussed the power of repetition in a poem and then used the text model of Metzenthen’s work to write their own poems about their time in lockdown and what they see happening around the world. With their thoughts channelled into poetry, the outcomes were very powerful and insightful.

Their class motto is to ‘Dig Deep and feel proud’ of what they produce. The Year 7 girls can certainly feel proud of their work!

We share some samples here:

 

IN ONE MINUTE’S SILENCE
By Shelby Cooper, Year 7

In one minute’s silence can you imagine,
The wild world around us speaking louder than it ever has, 
The flowers blooming and the birds singing to mother nature’s song

In one minute’s silence can you imagine,
Everything creepy, crawly and curious, 
Living and breathing,
Emerging from their burrows where they once retreated

In one minute’s silence can you imagine,
The sky clearer than glass,
As no planes fly from distant countries from over the world

In one minute’s silence can you imagine,
Families catching up on much needed family time,
Smiles spreading across faces that had not smiled for weeks, maybe months

But In this one minute’s silence you couldn’t even imagine,
People lying restlessly in their hospital beds,
Fighting for their lives,
People losing their jobs and people they love left, right and centre

In one minute’s silence can you imagine,
People’s lives resting on your shoulders,
Them begging you to stay home and away from others.

 

IN ONE MINUTE’S SILENCE
By Charlize Kerr, Year 7

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine...  
The earth is breathing fresh air as if it was a heart.
The blood as if they were animals, flowing throughout our body or in this case, our earth.

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine...
Wildlife peeking out from their burrows, crawling out from out under your skin.
New York City is growing green throughout their concert jungle. 

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine...
The smell of clean air sweeping across your face as you listen to the birds chirping outside your window.   

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine...
Not hearing cars zooming past your house.
It is so quiet that you can hear the wind whistle.

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine...
Wildlife seizing their opportunity to reclaim their city. Packs of animals roaming the city, taking back what we stole from them all these years ago. The wildlife is owning the narrative now!

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine...
Getting so used to seeing your friends’ faces on technology, you forget how they look like without glitching.

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine...
Going for walks and at each house looking at a window trying to spot a teddy bear.  Looking at all the Easter egg posters and poppies out in yards.

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine...
The feeling of knowing what you’re doing is helping.

Nevertheless, in one minute’s silence, can you imagine...
This is normal.
Walking as a family, smelling the fresh air, having a feeling of sincerity, hearing of footsteps and not ‘vroom,’ tasting the warm baking you and your siblings made and seeing our earth grow, live and breathe!

 

IN ONE MINUTE’S SILENCE
By Emilie Long, Year 7

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Wildlife leaking out to peer at the big 
Wide world, puzzled on why there are no people.
Like footprints in snow that aren't supposed to be there.

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
No oil spills leaking into the deep dark ocean 
And dolphins leaping and jumping out of the sea.

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
The world pausing in time and to
Breath in the non-polluted air. 

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
The traffic still as a rock and the only noise is the
Roaring ambulance, firefighters and police

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Venice water ways clean and clear,
Not a single piece of drifting plastic.

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Being an essential worker, risking your live 
To save others from doom. 

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Being 6 feet way from everyone not in your 
Bubble. 

But In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
The world staying like this forever. 
Living in a bubble. 

 

IN ONE MINUTE’S SILENCE
By Katie Hannan, Year 7

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Losing your job 
All this time you worked so hard but all of a sudden, your work is gone 

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Beautiful seas
With fish darting throughout and water so clear it’s like your living in the Bahamas 

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Sick patients
People fighting to survive 

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Animals coming out to see
Why the world has fallen asleep 

In one minute’s silence can you imagine …
Losing a loved one 
Someone who was there for you, was gone within a second 

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
The air being fresh 
People stopping and looking up to take it all in

In one minute’s silence can you imagine...
Not being able to see your friends 
All your holiday plans have come to an end

But can you imagine in one minute’s silence... 
How resilient humans are  
And we will look to the future and continue to survive at a tragic time  

 

IN ONE MINUTE’S SILENCE
By Annalise Cherrie, Year 7

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine, not a sound to be uttered.
the streets so busy with life, have been stolen, 
replaced with quiet, dead streets

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine, plants growing harmoniously, 
not needing to fear the giant human feet 
that run on them every minute of the day

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine,
the sea overflowing with fish, 
because there are no nasty lines to catch them

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine, 
the usually quiet forests, alive with the chirps of birds, 
joyously roaming their human free domain

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine,
the shops being so quiet, yet so loud, 
with the buzz of people over stocking their food supplies

In one minute’s silence,
can you imagine,
the schools, usually infested with loud people,
so quiet and empty

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine,
the clouds dancing in the wind,
because they are free of pollution

In one minute’s silence, 
can you imagine, racing along on your bike, 
flying so fast you feel like a bird, 
not having to watch for people, because there's no one there.

In one minute’s silence, can you imagine, that you are confined to certain things and certain places, feeling like you can't even step a foot outside of your neighbourhood,
feeling as if you are six years old again, 
when you had to hold your mum's hand as you walked across the street, 
when you were slowly, but surely, gaining that well-earned independence, 
and freedom

 

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