John Tinneny, the son of John and Eibhlin Tinneny of
Belfast, Northern Ireland, was named winner of the Yeats
International Poetry Competition 2019 Emerging Talent
Under 25 category.
The internationally recognized poetry competition was
initiated by the Hawk's
Well Theatre to mark the 50th Yeats
International Summer School, and the 70th
anniversary of the death of W.
B Yeats, and is an annual event. Entries for the
competition were received from across the globe and the
competition was in two categories; ‘General’, and
‘Emerging’ for poets aged 16 - 25, with John’s
poem ‘Animals’
coming out on top in the Emerging category.
Following is the poem:
Animals, by John Tinneny
We are like animals
because we live in a kingdom.
We are like ostriches
because our heads are in the sand.
We are like peacocks
because we are proud.
We are like snails
because we move at their pace.
We are like mules
because we are stubborn.
We are like invertebrates
because we are spineless.
We are like rabbits
because we breed like them.
We are like flies
because we drop like them.
We are like elephants
because we never forget.
And we are like goldfish
because we do.
© John Tinneny
John is the
great-great-great-grandson
of Francis
Tinneny of
Belturbet, County Cavan, Ireland.
