Athlone Community College student wins Green Schools' poetry competition

A third year student from Athlone Community College has been chosen as the winner of the inaugural Green Schools 'Clean Air Week' poetry competition.

Josh Oyiki's poem, Differing Similarity, was picked as the overall winner from a pool of over 1,000 entries to the competition.

Organised by the Green Schools Travel programme, Clean Air Week took place in November 2020 and focused on raising awareness of, and taking action on, air pollution in and around the school gate.

This year, a poetry competition was added to the week's celebrations, to encourage students to think creatively about their journey to school.

Students were encouraged to learn about how car journeys impact air quality, and how air quality at the school gate can be improved when more students and teachers walk or cycle to school.

A survey conducted by the GLOBE programme in partnership with Green-Schools Travel found that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were higher for schools situated in major towns and cities when compared to schools located in rural areas.

Spoken word artist Sasha Terfous judged the poetry competition. Here's the poem by Josh which was selected as the winner among the secondary school entries:

Differing Similarity

by Josh Oyiki, 3rd Year, Athlone Community College

Two sycamore seeds soaring through the air,

one lost in the wind, found in despair,

one steadfast, mighty, galloping as a horse,

found fortune and luck ridden in his course.

.

Lost in the world with nowhere to go,

All on his own, tos-sed and thrown,

“Good things come in time” a fib he told

himself patiently waiting, twisting and turning.

Struggling when gliding, frowning while moaning.

The savage storms and vicious winds traversed,

until all hope was lost and landed, him cursed.

In dretched marsh, drowning and dying

.

In a deathbed of mud, doleful we mourn,

A pitiful sight of which we scorn.

Poor sycamore seed could’ve been so much more

A plight so forced unable to take flight,

of what could have been; this wrong not right.

.

Rich sycamore seed will thrive be grand, be strong,

Be tall a tree who will have faced nothing wrong

Of a wealth so fortunate; a life gotten by chance,

knew not of strife, ignorant in his stance.

.

Poor sycamore seed woke up revived

Of renewing winds marvelous in his eyes,

Poor too became rich, now landed graciously

For now known to him was a life extr’ordin’ry.

.

We see two paths: one straight, one crooked

Outwardly similar, differing in nature.