Over Sir John's Hill

Over Sir John’s Hill... ... was Sir John’s House A response to the life and work of Dylan Thomas.

by pupils of Dylan Thomas Community School Autumn 2014

Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea

The poems Š the respective poets Selection, editing & layout: Emily Hinshelwood Photographs: Lee Aspland, Nicola Kelly & Emily Hinshelwood

‘You have honey and senna. Mix them together, dip your pen into them and write.’ Dylan Thomas in a letter to Trevor Hughes.

1933

CONTENTS

Nicola Davies

The Move

Billy Richards

Broken Elbow

Chloe Davies

Grand Canyon

Chloe Reynolds

Halloween (extract)

Ashleigh Owen

The Night before Christmas

Billy Richards

Prepare for the Power.

Chloe Howell

The Christmas Rush

Billy Richards, Alisha Williams, Libby Twomey

Shopping

Nicola Davies and Chloe Reynolds

Biker Town

Charmaine Lewis

Only when the Future is Bright

Billy Richards

On my Way Home from School

Libby Twomey

On the Roof

Libby Twomey

Broken Teeth

Alisha Williams

In the Car

Alisha Williams

Loneliness

Group poem

This morning, I saw...

8 9 10 12 14 14 15 16 17 17 18 19 19 20 21 22

Alisha Williams

Happy Families

Billy Richards

Stuck in the Washing Machine

Nicola Davies

Meeting Danny Dyer

Chloe Reynolds

Cookies

Ashleigh Owen

The Bike

Chloe Howell

Cockle City

Chloe Howell

The Crayon

Chloe Davies

Live life like a Leopard

Libby Twomey

Nobody told him

Charmaine Lewis

My Mum is Naughty in Class

23 23 24 24 25 26 26 27 27 28

Introduction

Mr Rob Phillips, Head Teacher, Dylan Thomas Community School At Dylan Thomas Community School, we are delighted to have formed an exciting partnership with the Dylan Thomas Centre to provide additional opportunities for our students to develop their creative writing skills. It is important that we remember and celebrate the talents of Swansea’s best known poet, and our namesake, and this project has certainly achieved that.

The work the students have achieved is of an exceptionally high standard demonstrating their skills and dedication to the task.

It is my hope that this experience will inspire them to continue writing and, who knows, perhaps they will achieve success as poets, playwrights or authors themselves.

Lee Aspland, Dylan Thomas Centre.

This particular project is linked to the exhibition of Dylan Thomas’ Notebooks which have been on display at the Dylan Thomas Centre this year. The project has been funded by a grant from the Clore Duffield Foundation with the aim of inspiring young people to create their own poetry and short stories. Two groups have participated: a year 10 group of most able and talented (MAT) pupils and a group from Townhill Youth Service, who also attend Dylan Thomas Community School. The pupils have worked with writer Emily Hinshelwood, over three months, visiting the National library, viewing the Notebooks and reading Dylan’s work.

Emily Hinshelwood, Writer It’s been an engaging experience working with pupils from the Dylan Thomas Community School on this project. Using Dylan Thomas as a starting point, the pupils worked at a fast-pace to produce ideas, concepts and to come up with their own take on subjects, like childhood, that Dylan himself was concerned with. The pieces in this collection were all written during the sessions, often with a minimal time limit, and to strict rules. The results you read here are testament to the pupils’ ability to think creatively, and with original voices.

7

Nicola Davies The Move About to move in my new home, Because my other one was too small, Carrying all the boxes, down the stairs, Everyone’s hands full, Going to the van, carrying heavy things, In my house there are loads, Just too much to move, Knowing I could drop them, Least of all I have my mother’s ornaments, Near the edge of the box, Pressure on me, Quickly getting it to the van, Running as fast as I can, Skidding to a stop, Tripping over my own two feet, Under the van I fly, Very worried what my mother will do, X-ray on my arm, Yelling in pain, Zig-zag stitches up my arm.

8

My little street, so quiet and petite until the kids come out.

We all run around, the dares go out.

That dreaded cartwheel, that leap of faith.

I felt no pain.

It broke, It snapped, It cracked.

My elbow? My arm?

What happened to me?

Numb.

The hospital not quite so fun.

But the laughs will go on and the games I’ll always win…

Even in a sling!

9

In 1914 he peed on the wall ‘God Save the Queen’.

Billy Richards Broken Elbow

Chloe Davies Grand Canyon In my backpack my camera, climbing stuff my chicken sandwiches my phone and a first aid kit.

Water, some rope and my hope.

A bus full of bonjours, holĂĄs and hellos two little kids playing a clapping game.

Jess and I travel from the city to the hot rocks.

We get off the bus at the end of the road.

We leave civilization behind.

We walk. The rocks are as tall at the Grape and Olive in Swansea; the colour of clay.

A lizard with yellow spots rushes into a hole.

His spots change to blue.

I pull out my phone I shine it down the hole.

Only darkness.

I remember putting a sea snail on my auntie’s pillow when I was on holiday.

Chloe Reynolds.

10

We reach the top.

Look down people as small as ants ridged edges.

We are on top of the world.

I’ve made it!

11

Sometimes it took him weeks to write one sentence.

We start climbing hammering the pegs into the rock attaching the rope along the way.

Jess slips, pulls on my harness.

Time stops.

Chloe Reynolds Halloween (extract) I’ve started putting the spooky decorations up as it is the night before Halloween and because I’m 16 years old. I’ve just left high school and it is my first Halloween party. I’m really nervous.

‘Jenna, you got to come see this, it’s really bad’. This is why I’m nervous. Everything seems to go wrong.

‘What, Tam? What’s gone wrong now?’ I says.

‘The zombie’s broken, and the bats aren’t floating like they did earlier.’ ‘ O my seriously! It would be the zombie. The only one that I really like’.

‘It’s okay, we got the warranty on it, we’ll just take it to the shop, get it fixed and then we fetch it back, put it out the front, and bob’s your uncle. We done it!’

Whenever I panic, my best friend Tamara always seem to calm me down. ‘Right, good idea’.

‘I know, let’s put the rest up then’.

We finished putting the decorations up and the morning of Halloween is a Friday. Unfortunately, I have to go to the shop where I bought the broken down zombie statue from as I still got warrenty on it. As we get to the shop, is a sign on the door saying it’s shut till 2pm.

‘OMG, it’s only 11am now and we got to go to the fancy dress shop.

‘Wait! There’s the owner, Mr Fred! Mr Fred! Mr. Fred, wait there.

‘Hello Jenna, Tamara what can I do for you?’

‘Well, the zombie I bought off you a year ago has broke’.

‘Ow yeah, I remember, do you have the warrenty?’

‘Yeah, right here’.

‘Good, I’ll take a look at it now. You’ll have to come back at 3pm because I’m going somewhere right now as you can see’.

‘Okay, Sir, thank you,’ I reply.

12

13

He skipped lessons to spend time on writing.

It’s now 3.30pm and we’ve been to the fancy dress shop, got our outfits and given Mr Fred an extra 30 minutes.

It’s probably done by now - hopefully anyway. It’s now 4.30pm and Mr Fred’s nowhere to be seen and I’m starting to get nervous yet again. I was just about to give up and Mr Fred walked around the corner of his shop.

‘I’m so sorry, Jenna, but I was running a bit late’.

I say quietly to myself a bit late is an understatement but I go with the politer version.

‘It’s okay, Mr Fred, no problem at all’.

‘Well the good thing is…’

‘You fixed it?’

‘No I’m afraid that’s the bad news, I’m afraid it’s broken completely. So sorry Jenna it’s nothing I can do’.

‘Are you joking?’ ….

Ashleigh Owen The Night before Christmas As I walked into a shop I saw it was full of parents trying to get presents for their children. There was a loud bang. People were rushing. A huge Christmas tree had fallen to the ground and it seemed to have hit a water fountain over. The water was twirling around. I enjoyed seeing all the people panicking. It was the Christmas holidays and people were singing Silent Night. Then they went home and it was quiet all of a sudden.

Billy Richards Prepare for the Power.

Who turned out the lights?

It gives the kids such a fright.

They turned off and back on but where did it all come from?

The Western Power Distribution blame Swansea west grid station.

Has it finished yet? or is it that the weather is too wet?

14

Full as always at this time of year.

People can’t stop and relax.

Loud children playing - excited, parents rushing around.

Christmas is coming!

The Holiday is here!

Water freezes as cold nights arrive twirling skaters as they dance on ice.

People enjoying laughing dancing Some are stressed but happy too as the holiday is days away cold nights next to the burning fire.

Sleeping quietly waiting for early Christmas morning.

I remember singing in the Christmas play and falling off stage.

Ashleigh Owen.

15

His 1st letter was to his sister & was full of jokes.

Chloe Howell The Christmas Rush

Billy Richards, Alisha Williams, Libby Twomey Shopping Peter’s peas and puff pastry pies, perfectly prepared.

Merry Berry’s creamy cakes, brownies and fruit bread.

Saw my friend with his mates, stealing all the smiles.

Teething chewers, toffee, towels, on an individual aisle.

Queuing at the checkout, been here for a while.

I remember seeing a man smoking a cigar and asking ‘why is he smoking a stick?’ Nicola Davies.

16

Deep down in the bikers’ town plenty of things to see.

Smell the freshly baked pastry pie sizzling next to me.

Sniff that stunning smell of fudge brownies.

Children having fun with their iced buns.

Riding their mountain bikes, BMX with stabilizers, tricycles too.

Watch out for that little girl sitting on the bench waiting for her friends again – she’s having a little break.

Because they are always late.

Charmaine Lewis Only when the Future is Bright Light arrives transparently.

A rough draft of real artistry.

Life at full volume.

Darkness tested.

A furious time.

17

News reporting opened his eyes to social inequality.

Nicola Davies and Chloe Reynolds Biker Town

Billy Richards On my Way Home from School After school when I was young, I would Beat my brother home. We would Chase each other all the way Down the hill.

Each day, I Fell into the same hole in the Ground.

He must have pushed me Into it.

Jordan was his name. I swear he was trying to Kill me. But we still Like each other.

Mum used to shout at him and say ‘No!’ when he pushed me Over. But lots of People laughed when I shouted ‘Queen Elizabeth the 21st! That Really hurt!’

So To get revenge, I would Use my Violin to hit him and he Would say ‘Ow! I need an X-ray You just broke my Zebra’s leg with your violin!’

18

Standing on top of my mum’s shop watching the birds and clouds rush by eleven years old, not a care in the world.

Hear a frantic scream down below.

Walk in to see my mother ready for a row.

A tall, dark, unfamiliar man tells me not to stand on roofs again.

An unknown stranger feared for my life Called the police, thinking it was right.

Libby Twomey Broken Teeth My neighbour comes out of his house.

‘What the hell happened?’

Blood dripping down my shirt The bike wheels stopping.

A loud crack.

Gravel.

A girl screaming.

Cracked like broken glass.

19

Dylan did crosswords with his dad.

Libby Twomey On the Roof

Alisha Williams In the Car Driving home across the Tawe Bridge around the age of seven.

I pulled a parking ticket off the window of the car and rolled it into a tube.

I slowly wedged it up my nose.

Until it couldn’t go up any more.

I remember leaving my sister in the charity Shop Billy Richards.

20

All the time I was alone Because I don’t get on with people.

Chloe is my only friend. I Don’t know what to do anymore.

Everyone is out partying.

Forever stuck in my house.

Good life I have!

Ha ha!

I’m only Joking.

Kerry is my mum.

Larry is my dad.

My parents are my true friends Never letting me down.

Oh wait there Peter, my brother Quiet and innocent, I Really don’t like him Sometimes we argue.

Too bad I guess.

Understandably that’s what brothers and sisters do.

Very silly if you ask me.

Wait there! The favourite thing is my X-box.

‘You’re very unsociable,’ my mum tells me. And Zombies are very scary on the X-box.

21

He said ‘Swansea had died’ after the bombing.

Alisha Williams Loneliness

Group poem This morning, I saw...

I saw rain appear on my page I saw leaves driving a crane I saw a bird drinking coffee I saw a car flying over Swansea I saw a boy falling from the sky I saw a tree riding a bike I saw my bed dripping on the windscreen I saw my phone drinking a cup of tea.

I saw children being cleaned in my mouth.

I saw cheerios going to school I saw my uniform floating in the bowl I saw my dog picking her nose I saw teachers messing around in the corridor I saw trees popping out of the toaster I saw the teachers blowing in the wind I saw my toothbrush waiting for her friend.

I saw a seagull drop her books on the pavement.

I remember falling down the stairs because I had my mother’s heels on.

Chloe Howell.

22

Nobody told him that he was adopted.

They just played along.

Happy Families.

Billy Richards Stuck in the Washing Machine Laughing Struggling to get out Crammed in like a suitcase Squeezing my legs through the door!

Washing powder ‘Get in’ Pushing the door to ram me in Screaming.

23

He would sit alone and write in a small wooden shed.

Alisha Williams Happy Families

Nicola Davies Meeting Danny Dyer People are still on the pitch ‘OMG I met Danny Dyer’ Music My family in the background People screaming Smell of fresh grass.

Climbing over the chairs to get to the front.

Chloe Reynolds Cookies One boiling afternoon, I adventured into the kitchen.

The delicious mouth-watering stomach-rumbling smell of freshly baked, chocolate-chip goowey cookies drifted up my nostril.

I felt the roaring heat of the oven gushing upon my cheek the scorching heat was warm.

Very cosy on the cold winter night.

24

A crack. Me screaming.

Panicked mother.

A brick from the wall had disappeared. “Are you okay?

What did you do?�

My ankle swollen.

The smell of mud.

I remember getting my head stuck between the bannisters.

Alisha Williams.

25

Under Milk Wood had 14 standing ovations.

Ashleigh Owen The Bike

Chloe Howell Cockle City On a cold Christmas, in Cockle City, Chloe collected cockles for the kids to create King Clive’s crown.

King Clive was coronated at the carnival.

The city was calm until Chloe’s cunning, clever quest continued.

I remember a girl biting a chunk of skin out of my arm Libby Twomey

Chloe Howell The Crayon I force a crayon in my ear.

I cry because it goes too far.

My sister is picking up the toys ‘Mam, Chloe stuck a crayon down her ear!’

My room is messy with toys and dolls everywhere Sophie is being loud.

I’m screaming like a baby and I smell Febreze.

26

His funeral was recorded and a cast made of his head.

Chloe Davies Live life like a Leopard Liz lives life like a leopard.

She laughs lots loudly and lurks by lakes.

Libby Twomey Nobody told him Nobody told him where to go Nobody told him who to meet Nobody told him what to wear Nobody told him who to be Nobody told him.

27

Charmaine Lewis My Mum is Naughty in Class My mum is naughty in class.

She chucks extra white chewing gum at Mrs Wallis.

It gets stuck in her hair.

She will need to cut it out.

My mum climbs on the table.

She walks barefoot across my English work: 500 words about Aberfan.

Muddy foot prints.

She throws an apple at her friend Rachel.

It hits her in the eye and Rachel cries.

Rachel goes to the nurse.

My mum gets detention and tells the teacher to f*** off.

My dad is good in lessons.

He sits down and does his work about the Stuarts.

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