Monolith was read last night by Kwame at our Royal Festival Hall’s event and provided a wonderful moment of poetry and contemplation for the 2,300-strong audience.

Kwame’s poem articulates the theme of legacy in a thoughtful and creative way, using the symbolism of the monolith to stress the 400-year endurance of our school, tying the poem wonderfully closely to our motto: 'qui patitur vincit'. The interesting use of imagery and the meaningful thematic content made this a stand-out poem, as it provokes reflection and praise for our school history.

The wise beacon
watches from a hill. Wooden
beams support its weight, make it
homely. People gather
beneath its wings sharing
love and knowledge,
sheltered from danger and
the violent torrents of
rain. After a while, the wood
splinters; wet mould
permeates the structure.
The people begin to
restore it, nurture it,
reinforce it with new materials,
transform the wood into gold.
And now, beneath polished pristine
ceilings, the sylvan skeleton
still remains.
The people
and the love they share
remains.