Royal Liver Poetry of Place Competition

Memories of Granby Street
By Tahani Baggash, Year 9

The ghost of Granby roams in my street.
He glides past my house, as quiet as a mouse,
Gum-stained pavement beneath his feet.

He stares at Muneera’s grocery store.
He’s laughing yet weeping, the shop is now sleeping.
And shall never wake once more.

The ghost of Granby begins to curse;
Few still live here, their homes they hold dear,
Without them, Granby would be much worse.

He hears the thunder of abandoned shutters.
They shout and scream, ‘How could you leave!?’
As the wind whistles amongst the clutter.

‘It may not be much’, to himself he mumbled.
‘If you knew, you’d cry, as you quickly walk by.
But at least it has not yet crumbled’.

With a history of business, money, success,
We all loved it, couldn’t get enough of it:
Yes, Granby was amongst the best.

But Granby still has a heart where people are one.
Yes, the shop we adore, Danny’s Continental Store,
Where the Ghost of Granby can live on.

The scent of sunny Jamaica in the air,
With convenience goods, international foods.
Let’s just hope it stays there.

Royal Liver Poetry of Place Competition

An Unsolved Mystery (The Mystery Wavertree)
By Elle Murphy, Year 9

A young girl, with two pigtails, jogs past,
A tiny Yorkshire terrier at her heels,
She will be back later, with a friend.
I ought to know, a park always knows.

A boy, about 7, walks past with his mum,
To the school which is perched on my shoulder,
A car runs the length of my arm to the city
I ought to know, a park always knows

At 12 o’clock, the children swarm,
Around my ears, where I eavesdrop
On their arguments and games
I ought to know, a park always knows

The parents gather around my head,
As the 3:30 school bell goes,
The children get tangled in my hair, as they want to go home
I ought to know, a park always knows.

As it gets colder, I snuggle in a blanket of darkness,
I gaze at the stars as they dance in the moonlight
Lonely, I cry myself to sleep, leaving puddles on the ground
I ought to know, a park always knows

Some say I’m a detective,
Others a mystery,
But you see
I don’t know, a park never knows.