Tag: poetry

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WRITING RAMMY 2023

Our 2023 Writing Rammy saw some incredible stories, poems and art from people of all ages across the Falkirk area.  Our celebration event at Falkirk Library on Monday 13th November was hosted by local author and Writing Rammy supporter Helen MacKinven. It was a special evening where many of our authors got up and shared their work with friends and family.

Adult Fiction

Winner – For Whom the Clock Ticks by Jamie Andrew

Runner Up – The New World by Rebecca Ferguson

Adult Poetry

Winner – My Braw Big Dug by Kay Miller

Runner Up – Erica by Heather Merrick

Runner Up – Rough Castle by Andrew McAuley

Teen Fiction

Winner – Love Letters by Stephanie Cameron

Runner Up – Samantha Gordon

Teen Poetry

Winner – Chloe Lannon

Junior Fiction (8-12)

Winner – Anna Lynas

Runner Up – Striking a Friendship by Emma Clarke

Junior Fiction (8& under)

Winner – The Dragon that Saves the Day by Zainab Iqbal Sikander

Runner Up – The Boy who went to School on a Plane by Lucas Aitken

Junior Graphic Novel

Winner – The Last Brownie by Beth Callahan

Runner Up – Bella the Sea Monster and the Crisps by Kikka & Chris McKee

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Adult Poetry Runner Up, Writing Rammy 2023

Erica by Heather Merrick

She’s with the stepdad. He’s maybe not official yet, but close enough. She doesn’t recognise me, and he doesn’t know.

She sits on the stool next to mine. They can’t sit on your lap anymore. I ask what she wants.

She’s more interested in the ink visible at the end of my sleeve, seeing familiarity in the swirls.

“What does it say?”

“’Erica.’”

“That’s my name.”

Yes it is.

“That’s because you’re on the nice list.”

The stepdad says Santa isn’t meant to have tattoos. Santa isn’t meant to have done any of this, mate. And you’re not meant to have Erica.

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Teen Poetry Winner, Writing Rammy 2023

By Chloe Lannon

In the chambers, your voice does reverberate,

Echoing whispers of love, now dissipating to hate.

In this labyrinth of emotions, lost and forlorn,

Bearing the burden of a heart, so torn.

Eyes that sparkled with joy, now stormy with grief,

Crying silent tears, seeking solace and relief.

Yearning for a love that’s vanished in the blue,

A heartbreak’s melody, sombre and true.

Wings of dreams that soared so high,

Now, wounded by lies, fail to touch the sky.

Petals of hopes, trampled and broken,

Bear testament of words left unspoken.

Yet, remember, heart, strong yet tender,

In the coldest winter hides itself a summer,

Though relentless waves crashed against your shore,

You’re still standing, bruised, yet ready for more.

In shards of despair, blooms the flower of resilience,

In the canvas of night, stars trace their brilliance.

Heartbreak might have left you torn,

But it’s also where compassion is born.

So sing heart, sing your mournful hymn,

In sorrow’s river, learn to swim.

Beneath the weight of your sorrow, don’t bow or break,

Remember, even stars need the dark, to shine and awake.

Thus, heart, though you bleed and ache,

Find compassion within your heartbreak.

Rise, not with vengeance, but with love and grace,

For in the healing of hearts, one finds their place.

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Adult Poetry Runner Up, Writing Rammy 2023

Rough Castle by Andrew McAuley

For what it was, today it is remarkably peaceful
The breeze smooths the grasses and rustles the trees
Warm summer air rises from the ditches
Something engages the spirit in this place
A gateway for the imagination
Footsteps tracing footsteps.


A bastion of Roman rule
Unsteady north-western frontier
Facing Caledonia, a people
Not to be contained or tamed
Life was not easy for either side
A tough posting when the wind howls
Many leagues from home.


But today it whispers words of comfort
Mounds of earth hide the past
Weathered gateways, ditches
Faint traces of buildings
Give rise with imagination
To the centurion walking the rampart
Eyeing the lilia with trust
Gazing to the hills at a distance
Smoke rising from the barracks
Sounds of relaxation from the bathhouse
The fields rest beyond toil for today
As the sun sinks and the pace slows
At this outpost on the edge.

Tranquil today, 2,000 years on
But hear the ghosts of the Latin tongue
Carried on the breeze
And wonder.