FRC Student Seniru Kothawala gets published!

Grade 10 FRC Student Seniru Kothawala was recently awarded third place in the National Poetry Contest held by Polar Expressions Publishing. His poem, entitled "Lost Jewels" and posted below, is now published in a collection of the top entries across the country entitled In the City, which has been added to the FRC Library collection. Polar Expressions offers no-entry fee contests in poetry and short stories for students across Canada. Congrats Seniru!

Lost Jewels

In the corner, the piano stands with immense pride, unobstructed 

Gleaming in its pure, shimmering, jet-black paint

Its smooth ivory keys are whiter than the stars 

And they beckon me to come and play

Its lustrous, smooth gold pedals hide under the piano

Yet glimmer magnificently under the light

The rich brown leather of the ancient piano bench

Pleads me to come sit down just once more

But as much as I want to play this beauty

As much as I want to pour my heart and soul into this

I cannot play this magnificent monarch at all

For my coarse, fragile hands refuse to move as freely as my music

I remember the times I used to empty my soul into the piano

The gateway to turn sounds into pure gold

It was the window for my true feelings to speak

The only way for my heart to sing

And now, that is all gone

I prized my talent beyond rubies and sapphires or any jewel that lay

Buried in the deep dark earth

My talent created the shimmering light 

That extinguished the dark shadows of our world

And now, it renders useless 

My jewel of music has shattered

The only thing that remains 

Is my beautiful black piano

by Seniru Kothalawala (Grade 10) Fort Richmond Collegiate Winnipeg, Manitoba