Voice Showcase: Taekwondo 'Scotland Weekend'

This poem is about my taekwondo club and my experiences over the last 10 years with my Taekwondo family.  

Taekwondo

Scotland weekend 

The 7th September 2019,glasgow 

Later than the rest but yet its scotland weekend 

One of the best weekends of the year 

You go around the streets of glasgow 

Running laughing chatting shopping and kicking 

With 3 out of 4 of your best friends one missing 

Her presence replaced by that of her uncles when we visit his shop later that day 

An unescapable amount of pigeons a rubber ball a squishy rabbit and 2 dolls 

Both in doboks one green belt and one red 

The day before lots of hustle and bustle 

A lot of medals won mabye even a trophy 

I don’t remember I rarely ever do 

I just remember what fun we had how much we laughed what we listened to how much pizza we ate and the memories we made 

This weekend is the first weekend of September 

We should all be in scotland this weekend 

The unreal feeling that it has been 4 years since Scotland’s magic 

Memories creep in of 2020 playlist created in January. 

Cancelled by march 

You FaceTime those special friends and recreate scotland 

At least try to with the music 

The next year you listen to that same playlist alone in your room 

Tears dripping down your face 

Photos and videos watched on repeat 

You grieve 4 years later your love for scotland still so strong  

Memories so clear 

Yet things have moved on 3/5 remain at cheol.

All 5 doing very different things on scotland weekend 

3 at Saturday morning class one going for 3rd dan the green belt now black  

The other equally as mad but then goes home to revise 

The 4th she has left entirely she did almost 2 years ago now. 

Now into boys music politics and activism 

And as for the 5th Well that is me 

My scotland weekend will be spent majority in bed 

Pinning and grieving for that fun weekend in 

September Listening to the 2019 playlist, reflecting 

Anticipating that we will all go back in the future 

No longer teens but as adults still close 

But with a new and different perspective 

Scotland we will be back 

JUDGE'S COMMENT

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"Eden’s poetic style offers no flowery language or long metaphors, just the harsh reality of loss in the wake of Covid. The way they reflect on their love for taekwondo with such sure words of affection only infuses every little loss along the way with a knowing grief. A grief we all shared for time lost and that Eden really gets to the heart of with this piece."
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"Eden’s love for taekwondo comes through in her poem, which has a raw honesty to it that shows how important sport can be. It’s not just about the physical activity itself, but the sense of community and the way being part of something can help you to truly know yourself."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Eden Byrne

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I’m from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I’m currently on a gap year but I’m hoping to work with the children and young people in the future. I’m really passionate about youth voice and activism and do a lot of volunteering and work around these topics. I’ve had Long Covid for almost 2 1/2 years and writing poetry and talking about my experiences has really helped me manage my feelings and emotions around it. A fun fact about me is that I’m a black belt and Taekwondo  and I also really enjoy reading and writing

What attracted you to the artform? Was there a particular inspiration?

My experiences with long covid Ive always loved writing but mostly just wrote stories until last summer  

How did you learn to do this artform? Were there any challenges?

I experience brain fog and I have a lot of problems with my hands so writing can be a challenge sometimes but I use audio messages sometimes to write out what my feelings are and then write down at another stage when I’m not feeling as tired or sore. that’s come quite naturally to me and I haven’t necessarily learnt how to do it. I think you learn as you go. And getting feedback from others helps 

What is a tip that you would give to somebody else looking to get started in this artform?

Some advice I would give to somebody wanting to write poetry as to just go for a ride how you’re feeling and if you can’t think of the words at the time just come back to it make it your own and enjoy it. It is something that you can do to relax and if it brings up emotions then just channel those emotions into your writing and make it more personal  

Is this something you think you will continue to do?

Yes

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Author

Voice Magazine

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