​​​St Thomas More College students achieved excellent results in the first Literacy Competition run by the Independent Education Union for Queensland and the Northern Territory. Caitlin McCusker came 2^nd in Years 7-8 with her personal poem, Where I'm From, and Emma Chambers came 2^nd in Years 9-10 with her inspiring poem, A Feminist's Fight. Congratulations to all students who wrote poems and short stories for this competition.  

Where I'm From

Caitlin McCusker​

I am from scrapbooks and memory boxes

from events that have come to pass

and best friends' birthday parties

and always arriving last

I am from mum and dad

and 'don't let the bed bugs bite'

'up and at 'em, Atom Ant'

in the early morning light

I'm from spaghetti Wednesdays and barra-Mondays

the fish is crumbed, of course

I am from late-night trips to Bunnings

and my parent's divorce

I am from candles and choccy milk

my brother's scar on his chin

games of Mario Kart and Just Dance

where I would always win

I am sarcasm, stubbornness, and strong opinions

always wanting to be right

I am the tears on my pillowcase

after a family fight

I am from mental illnesses

and 'stop being so sad'

I am from snapping too quickly

and always feeling bad

I am from distant friends

and always feeling lost

I am from making everyone happy

no matter the cost

I am from Beach House Bar & Grill

and holiday hair dye

I am from looking up and making shapes

of clouds up in the sky

I am from big dreams

but none of them making sense

wanting more and being scared—

always on the fence

I am all these things

these things are who I am

so, if you think you know me

I'd ask you to think again

for you may know the surface

of what I choose to show

but underneath there is much, much more

the things you'll never know

A Feminist's Fight

Emma Chambers

a ragged robe on her shoulders

a tattered crown on her head

her heart worn

her armour torn

she has no regrets

she is a whisper in the silence

she is an uncut, unpolished gem

she is a fighter and a crier

she is tangled in barbed wire

she is raising hellfire

pushing her cause higher and higher

she is nothing like the 'lady' in vogue magazine

not innocent or meek

she is strong and unique

yet the blood she spills is crimson

and she knows her true mission

equality and dignity

she is clothed in possibility