Going Home

• Freddie Young, Grade 5
• Poetry
• 2008

The slight breeze blew into Pete’s face as he sat down on the beach and watched the sun go down. Pete was an orphan who lived in an orphanage a few minutes from the beach. His parents had passed away in a car crash. He remembered coming to the beach with his parents and they would hold his hand and walk across the sand talking about their day, problems and the future. Pete never said much in these conversations but he listened. He smiled as he remembered this moment. He decided that he should go back to the orphanage because it was getting late and the caretakers would be wondering where he was. The small town was quiet and peaceful as he walked along the sidewalk. Soon he made it back to the orphanage and joined his friends in a game of basketball. As usual his team won. He smiled and ran back into the hall to have dinner. The curry was disgusting but the dessert afterwards made up for the lousy dinner. Pete and his friends went to the TV room to watch a movie. It was a comedy about a spy penguin who had to stop an evil genius from blowing up the world. When it finished they went to their dorms and got ready for bed. While everyone went to bed Pete stood up to finish an essay about the American civil war. He finished in about an hour and when his head touched the pillow he fell asleep straight away. In the morning Pete had so much energy he ran to the hall to have some toast. “Oh no we have history today!” said Pete. “I’ve forgotten to finish my essay,” said one of his friends. And with that he ran off to go and finish it. Soon the bell went and all the children dawdled off to class. After six hours of school the bell rang. Pete enjoyed dinner that night because it was pizza that they had for dinner. That night Pete couldn’t help but feel sad because he longed for home not this home but his real home. The only problem was he thought of his house that he had lived in when his parents were alive it just didn’t feel right. He kept on thinking of all these places but none of them felt right. From his Grandmothers to the playground none of them worked. He decided to get some rest before tomorrow. All through the next day Pete couldn’t focus, he was still trying to figure it out but he couldn’t do it. The class was learning the cycle of sewerage and how some of it went to the sea and then washed up on the beach. And that was when Pete realised. He got up and ran out of the school. People asked where he was going but all he said was home. He arrived at the beach and danced and played and sung until night fell.