It's a secret no longer... here are the
W I N N E R S ! ! !

I'm Not Telling You...
Poems by Rachel Rooney
Illustrated by Hannah Bryan. (Rabbit Press.)

What words are teasing, annoying, displeasing?
What's sure to put you in a stew?
What makes you cross when your brain's at a loss
for the answer? click here to find out

We are pleased to announce the five winners of the
Secret Poem Competition, chosen by Rachel Rooney.
They each win a signed copy of Rachel's book
I'm Not Telling You.

Laura Byng, Alysha Bhatt, Natalie Smith,
Georgie Barwick and Tracy Brinks

We had a huge number of entries and the standard was very high. So a big well done to the winners. Below are the winning poems plus the runners-up (no prize I'm afraid - but well done!) and the best of the rest. I'm sorry we haven't room to print everyone's poems.
(Winners should receive their books in the next ten days. If a prize doesn't arrive please let us know)

If you didn't win but would like to buy
Rachel's book visit Rabbit Press.

Laura's Secrets by Laura Byng (aged 9)

I had a boy friend who lived next door, but he hated the things I wore!
Skirts, shirts, velvet dress. I was so upset that I teased him as well!
Mucky jeans, rotten beans and broken trainers!
He shouted and screamed and left at once!
We went to his house and saw his old nanny
and what she said was really funny!
She said do you like my black and white dress?
At once my boyfriend said it was a mess!
She shouted and cried and told both of us to go out home!
We went swimming once and he pushed me under water!
So when the wave machine came on
I was pushed into the deep end by the waves!
After we came out of there we had a chocolate from the machine
but then he did not have any money!
So when I was not looking he sneaked it out my pocket!
I cried and screamed and left at once!
So that was the end of my boyfriend!

Secret Haiku by Alysha Bhatti (aged 10)

I'm not telling you.
It's not secret any more
If I let it out.

The Keeper of Secrets by Natalie Smith (aged 11)

I am the keeper of the secrets,
Everyone tells me them,
But ask to keep it quiet,
I did, but when it came to Emma Trem...

Her secret was the most delicious,
A real tasty treat,
The contents was so startling,
Of which I dare not repeat

I did of course repeat the secret,
So I might as well tell you,
She'd fell in love with my brother,
like she'd fallen down with the 'flu

I told my brother ,
What else could I do?
My brother got a bit big headed,
But that's boys for you

Emma found out about it,
And she was not best pleased,
She scorned me for hours,
She just squeezed and squeezed.

I am the big-mouthed secret teller,
No one tells me a thing,
They know I won't keep it quiet,
Just because of that Emma thing......

My Secret by Georgie Barwick (aged 12)

A secret I can never speak,
A secret that will never leak.
I can't tell.
I won't tell.
Never ever, ever
Never in a billion years.
You can't make me.
It's my special secret.
My special secret.
My secret.
Mine.

You'll Never Know My Secret by Tracy Brinks (Age 13)

My lips are sealed and that's the truth
You'll never know my secret.
No one knows, not even Ruth.
You'll never know my secret.
Don't even try to ask my mom
You'll never know my secret.
Although it's about to go off like a bomb.
You'll never know my secret.
No one knows and they never will.
You'll never know my secret.
Yet, I might have told my best friend Bill...
I hope he won't tell my secret!

Here are the R U N N E R S .U P

The Secret Next Door by Susie Fitzpatrick (aged 8)

Next door they're keeping secrets
They're keeping them from me
It's because I bought a crocodile.
And it wouldn't hurt a bee.

Next door they're keeping secrets
They're keeping them from me .
It's because I bought a shark
And he doesn't like the sea.

Mum says they're just rude
They should be gobbled up as shark food.
I just say they're rich they've been to the Nile
We should feed them to the crocodile.

Why Would I Tell You? by Tiffany

I won't tell you it's my secret.
I won't tell you even if you tickle me.
I won't tell how much you wanna bet.

Not in a million years will I tell.
Not even if you tell my mom.
You want to buy it's not for sale.

I'm acting four.
That may be so.
But who is the one that always want more?

I beat you at your game.
It's my secret.
What about your journal you won't let me read? It's the same.

Secret and Lies by Hannah Baukert (aged 11)

I know the way the world revolves on its axis
spinning like a glowing orb atop a pinpoint
I know the way the sunsets glow with color and truth
like fire burning bright
I know the way people tell secrets and lies
and try to hide it
I know the way that people break the hearts of others
because of the lies they tell
and the secrets they don't keep,
the way they lie
and try to hide it
But I shall not be one of them
These secrets shall be mine

Secrets by Maria English (aged 13)

Uncle Vincent has a box
Fitted with sixty-seven locks
A chain
One point eight centimetres thick
An outer casing made of brick
A super-sensitive motion sensor
Designed by the vice-president
of MENSA
And a security laser that glows bright green
When you walk within three metres
Of its air-projected screen

One day, I saw Uncle Vincent
Open up the lid
'Promise to never tell a soul,' he said

And I never did.

Somebody by Nicole Braganza

What gives me passion pimples,
What makes me feel brand new,
What puts that smile back on my face
Oh, I'm not telling you!

What makes me feel all special
What gets me in the mood
What sets my heart a-flutter
Oh! I'm not telling you!

What puts the stars into my eyes
What has me like a tongue-tied fool
What makes me a helpless romantic
I'm not telling you !

Selfish Pain by Leah Hamilton

It waits behind my thoughts,
waiting
wanting.

Wanting me to let it
out.

But I won't.
It's mine.

When teary eyes
beckon kind responses,
I set up a wall.

They must not come through.
Secret release of mind and soul
heralds worried questions.

So next time
I cry quietly
inside me
So my eyes are dry.

I will not tell them.
It's mine.

My Secret by Hannah Baukert (aged 11)

I stare out the window,
thinking about him
silver eyes
flickering with intelligence
his smile gleaming
with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns
yet, shining with a constant innocence,
scrunching up his face,
with a happy grimace
his laugh, makes me giggle like a little child with a secret,
this secret I keep,
never to tell anyone,
shhhhhh....

I Know by Crystal Mendoza (aged 11)

I know why we don't live on Pluto.
I know why we are called humans and not something else.
I know exactly how our governor of California became who he is.

I know if there are aliens or not.
I know if our lives are not really real.
I know when the world will end.

I know everything you don't know.
I know everything you want to know.
I know.
But I won't tell you one word
Of my knowledge.

My Secret by Nicola Churchman

A secret locked within my heart,
A destiny destroyed,
The truth would rip your life in two,
The darkness presses deep.

I lie in deepest darkest shadow,
Awaiting the blessed gift,
But deep down inside my heart I know,
I'm too weak to win this fight.

I could not tell you face to face,
I'd hate to see you cry,
Continue with your righteous life,
And win another's heart.

Knowledge, Deceit, Truth by Anne Johnson

Knowledge; a treasure so divine,
for those who possess the most.
So precious is the human mind,
That lies within the host

Deceit; a mortal sin,
Lying to all the world.
Keeping truth locked within
the mind; a secret's hold.

Truth; an absolute joy,
Often lined with sorrow.
Secrets hidden from those who cry,
Protect the heart from woe.

Smiles; worn by many,
Secrets; hidden from them
Tears; when there's plenty,
The truth's revealed again.

Ocean by Hannah Baukert (aged 11)

My secret dream,
to live by the ocean,
although lakes are beautiful,
they do not go on forever,
like the ocean does
My secret dream is to live in the ocean,
swimming on forever and ever
in the sparkling abyss
free from the chains of humanity,
a literal meaning to swimming with the fishes
a literal meaning to eternal happiness
My deepest secret is that I feel the need to break free
no one will ever understand this secret,
not even me
this need
to live in the ocean
where the light can hit the water and scatter
in a parallel dimension
nothing can stop me
My deepest secret is that I feel the need to live in an underwater world,
where everything stops spinning
and water is no longer just blue because it reflects the sky,
and there is no longer an ending to the ocean,
only an ending to the land, and the sky
for as long as I can be underneath the water,
I will forever be happy,
eternal sunshine on my mind,
cleansed of stains by the water,
This is my secret

The Secret Of The Tiger by Thai Holland (aged 10)

I know the secrets of the tiger
The way they hunt at night
The way they pounce upon their prey
In the dim moonlight
The way they slyly move
Swift and silent as the night
The secrets of the tiger

The way the pale moonlight
Reflects off their sharp narrow eyes
With its cubs the tiger plays
They nip each other playfully
The power they will need to hunt
Then as the future generation
They will need this skill
To save them from extinction
The secrets of the tiger

The way they tear apart their prey
Using their talons and claws
Their muscles rippling
They are incredibly strong
This will help them survive
To help the population of tigers increase
The secrets of the tiger

Millie's Secret by Emily Wayne (aged 11)

When Millie came to school today,
She wasn't quite the same;
Hunched upon the little desk,
Her face all limp and lame.

Tears shone in Millie's eyes
And when we went to play,
Instead of joining with the rest
She sat alone all day.

I talked to her, and called her name,
But she ignored me too,
At lunch she wouldn't eat at all -
She was really feeling blue.

When Millie's step-dad picked her up,
She screamed at him and cried,
Then she fell upon the floor.
The step-dad only sighed.

When Millie came to school today,
She wasn't quite the same,
I felt so sorry and sad for her -
She was nice...it's a shame.

The Best of the Rest

The Midnight Horse by Julia A. Carroll (aged 11)

As the dust piles up
On the side of the fence,
A mysterious horse gallops,
Oh, his eyes so intense.

As he starts towards me,
With a flick of his tail,
It feels as if he's staring right through me,
His gaze sharp as a nail.

Snorting with impatience,
Waiting for me to jump on his back,
I feel his deep velvet mane,
Even darker than black.

It was later than midnight,
And his eyes turned a bright red,
I wanted to get off,
But I stayed instead.

As we galloped away,
As scary as it may seem,
I'll tell you my secret,
It was only a dream.

My Big Secret by Tiffany

I have two lives.
Not because I lie.
But because of my secret.

My secret makes me keep to myself.
I carry my journal with me just so no one can find out what my secret is.
I would have to move to a new school if anyone ever found out.

At school I act as if nothing is wrong with me.
At my house I cry about the things that are wrong with me.
My mom, sister, friends, or cousins don't know this secret.

I keep it all to myself.
It's tearing me up inside.
Some days I just want to yell I write poetry go ahead laugh.

Yeah I bet you didn't know that I was ashamed of what I love,
That's why I look for so many ways to see if it's good or not.
For I can't tell anyone else.

I feel as if the world will never know the real me.
I feel as if the world will never know how that I'm not as happy as I seem
I fear everyday that someone will find out what I love to do.

A Father to Daughter Poem He Never Told Her by Robyn Wiles (aged 12)

You're an angel from God up above
and I'm thankful for your understanding love
because when you're around everything seems right
and for you, until the end, I will fight.

It doesn't matter what you do or say
because you'll be my friend anyway
I know the real you that's down deep inside
and in you, I'll always confide.

Thanks for being the friend you are
you're my best friend, an angel by far
everything in you is an inspiration to do great
and you'll be loved by all because that's your fate!

So never stop being the real and wonderful you
cause God shines through in all that you do
and whenever it seems like I'm never there
remember this: I love you and I'll always care!"

Sister's Secret by Harriet Law (aged 12)

Sister's got a secret, I can tell,
She's told everybody, even Nell.
Is it about me?
Or maybe I'll just have to wait and see.
I want to know her secret!
Sister's got a secret, I can tell.

The End of My Secret by Georgina Law (aged 9)

My Mum said not to tell
Not even my best friend, Chantelle
But I told the whole school,
Even the people in the pool!

My secret spread far and wide,
Even across the other side,
Now my secret is no more,
The End by Georgina Law

What If He Knew? by Mihiri Tantirimudalige

He apologized to me,
and I forgave
If only he'd stop being,
as ignorant as he is
Then he'd know,
what I know
But, how can he?
I guard what I know,
and feed it each day
Each day it grows,
strong and old
If only he knew
But, he never will
And each day I tightly hold it
Half buried in the past
Like an ember bathed
in soot and ashes
Quite obvious,
to the sharp-eyed
But, not to the poor boy
who knows not

My Secret Boyfriend by Sophie Box (aged 8)

My boyfriend loves me lots
He thinks I'm real hot
He kisses me
Upon the knee
We love each other
Like our mother
I see him every day
In the hay
We almost live near
I can hear
See yah soon
On the moon
We will have a baby
Soon maybe

My Teacher by Harry Burman (9) and Jack Harries (8)

Our teacher is really a monster
She acts like she's just plain,
She likes to eat spiders,
And she's very insane.

Our teacher is quite tall,
And has got lots of spots,
She growled at Ms Socket,
And she jumped out of her socks.

Our teacher is pale green,
Her nails our very long,
She nibbles them quite quickly,
And she gets 1 + 1 wrong.

My Teachers Secret! by Olivia Davies and Katie Stewart (both aged 8)

My teacher is an alien,
An alien she is.
She is red, yellow, blue, green and purple.
But I only know!
She has black hairs sprouting out her nose,
People say I'm crazy,
When I tell them,
About my teacher.
For her packed lunch,
She has red ants for her sandwiches,
She has nettles for her fruit
And her name is Sarah Griffiths !!!

My Gran's a Rock Star! by Aimee Craine (aged 8)

I went to stay with my poor, old gran
Who hobbles about in a wheelchair
Her faithful next-door neighbour
Once did her a great favour
His name is Mr Morrison
He is 72
He walks about the town with a walking stick
It really makes me feel quite sick

I went to the pub one night
And had a great fright
To see her neighbour and my gran
Banging around on a frying pan

The music made me say whoa
It reminded me of Status Quo
My gran's neighbour is quite bossy
But he can't sing like Frances Rossi

The Secret of the Wicked Witch by Jack Warner (aged 9)

Our teacher is wicked she's called Mrs Griffith
She's got a long pointed hairy chin and a long thin nose.
She's got size eighteen boots and wears clothes like a witch.
One night in the park when I was sitting on the slide
I saw Mrs Griffith sitting on the swing
then she suddenly went flying of on a broomstick
and then I realized
Mrs Griffith was a witch.

My Mother's Secret! by Zeena Gyomrey (aged 9)

My mother is an alien,
Purple, red and blue skin split in two,
All colours of the rainbow,
Head red, eyes blue, purple ears,

My mother eats chocolate ants,
And chocolate scorpions too,
She hates children, that's how I know,
She is annoying very annoying,

My mother is an alien,
Her name is Jan.

Sophie G's Secret! by Sophie G. (aged 8)

My mum and dad are pop stars,
And took a lift to Mars,
At a night they dressed up,
As a cute little pup,
They entered the room,
Where we danced in the moon,
And they saw car,
As well as being a pop star,
They decided to go home,
So they could have a little moan,
Went to have a sleep
Then I had a little peep
Finally they got sleep and so did I

The Secret Life of My Brother! by Leah White (aged 8)

You'll never guess the secret of my brother
One night I saw him going out with a girl
Don't know where.
But I know why.
I secretly followed him
In to the disco
And…
I had a fright
It was a sight!
You'll never guess the secret of my brother
Early one morning I saw him going out with a girl
A different one too!
Don't know where
But I know why
I secretly followed him
Into the park
And…
I saw a sight
It gave me a big fright
Then I suddenly thought…

The Secret in the Woods by Daniel.G Smith and Chris Pittam (aged 10)

What is the secret in the woods?
Is it a ghost, is it a witch or is it the grave of a sailor
What is the secret in the woods?
I wanted to find out so I set off saying
What is the secret in the woods?
I walk through the cold dark town saying
What is the secret in the woods?
I cross over the broken bridge saying
What is the secret in the woods?
I see the woods through the fog and wonder
What is the secret in the woods?
I enter the woods my heart pounding
What is the secret in the woods?
The dead leaves crunching underneath my feet
What is the secret in the woods?
I pass lots of eerie looking trees and think
What is the secret in the woods?
The wind is blowing the leaves and whistling
What is the secret in the woods?
I am started to get scared and I try to run
What was the secret in the woods?
I don't want to know now
What was the secret in the woods?
I forget which way I went
What was the secret in the woods
I start to scream, but nobody replies
What was the secret in the woods?
I start to run I don't care where I go
What was the secret in the woods?
I finally see the secret in the woods
It was the only one in the whole woods
It was a… a fish with two bodies and ONE HEAD!
I now know the secret in the woods

Where Do Teachers Come From? by Kirsty Lane

Where do teachers come from?
I often ask myself,
Are they from Mars or Pluto
Or even somewhere else.
Maybe they are aliens
Come to take control
But half the time they're busy
Or playing a stupid fool.
They are from a different planet
Not like you or me
They are a new kind of species
Don't you see?
They look different
Their brains are different too
They're probably from space
Or even the Zoo.
The staffroom's their secret hideout
All business takes place there
From drinking coffee,
To marking books, which is often very rare
Next time you see a teacher
Don't just stop and stare
Just think to yourself
Teachers do come from somewhere!

My Secret Mermaid by Shalini Brandreth (aged 9)

She is shaped like a fish,
Her hair is crushed like a gold leaf,
She's sparkly fish-like,
Quite suspicious,
Like salty water.
The Story of Snap by Tara Leander (aged 11)
Me and my beloved friends had gotten lost
in a deep abyss of learning.
Then through unforeseeable fog came a lone, wise stranger.
Unfortunately he left me and my other friend behind in the dust.
Along came my guardian angle from my pits heart.
Who guided us through the trail of fire.
Then standing next to my guardian angel
who I dare not say his name
we see lost wanderer.
Then who joined our wayward crew.
Then my guardian angel fought us through the path of evil.
When we reached shore he said, "'Bye then."
After that my heart was doing flips,
our journey was completed;
that I was not ready to end.
That is the secret I dare not say.

I'm not telling you!

To buy a copy of Rachel's new book visit Rabbit Press at
www.rabbitpress.com

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