We were thrilled to work with author Lorna Hill for Book Week Scotland this year, creating poems about what hope means to us. In the morning we worked with 12 children from St Fillan’s and Houston Primary Schools, who wrote their very own pantoum poem. Lorna started the workshop with word games that encouraged the pupils to use their imagination to describe what colour happiness might be, what sadness might sound like, or how excitement might taste.

They also enjoyed delicious cupcakes from Bumblebee Bakes, in Bridge of Weir, then worked in pairs to write a line about what hope means to them, before everybody came together to create their pantoum poem. This is a Malaysian style of poem that creates a circular rhythm.

The outcome was this beautiful and uplifting poem:

Hope is believing in yourself and never giving up and good things will happen

Hope means you want something to happen that might not happen

Never giving up, just keep on trying, believe in yourself

There’s always light in the dark

 

Hope means you want something to happen that might not happen

Hope is the constant thought that every next day could be better than the last

There’s always light in the dark

You believe you can achieve

 

Hope is the constant thought that every next day could be better than the last

Never giving up, just keep on trying, believe in yourself

You believe you can achieve

Hope is believing in yourself and never giving up and good things will happen.

 

We then spent a wonderful afternoon with a small group of adults, creating a second community poem with Lorna.

Together the group reflected on what brings hope, before everyone wrote their own line describing what hope means to them and once again, Lorna helped bring everything together into the poem below:

Hope feels like the hands that come with soothing balm

There is always an alternative if you don’t succeed; even if it’s not where you thought it would be when you started out

While your heart is beating you will always find a way

If you fall or fail, hopefully you will learn from it and the sun will shine another day.

Both poems will be included in our Time Capsule, as part of our 150^th anniversary celebrations.

Our thanks to Lorna for leading the group, and to the Scottish Book Trust for funding the workshop as part of Book Week Scotland.