Using nature as his inspiration, Barnabus Ney has earned himself a third place in a national poetry contest with his poem titled Wind.
“The wind is diverse, it’s powerful at times and weak at times. It’s diverse, and that’s what inspired me,” said Ney, a 14-year-old Lighthouse Christian Academy student in Langford.
This is the second time Ney has taken third place in the annual Poetry Institute of Canada contest. The first time was in 2008 with a poem titled Victoria Winter.
With both wins, Ney’s work has been published in anthologies from the institute.
“I really appreciate what the institute has done. They have opened the door for me,” Ney said. “This has inspired me to keep writing.”
With two third place wins, Ney said taking first place would be nice, but that’s not his goal.
“There is always a hope (to place first), but there are extremely good poets in Canada,” Ney said. “The prize is a boost for sure but not the reason.”
Ney writes whenever he feels inspired. Sometimes that could be two poems in one day or as little as one a month, he said.
“Poetry is a way of expressing a lot of emotions and feelings with few words,” Ney said.
To help hone his skill, Ney tries to learn new words and expand his vocabulary at home and school.
For his craft, Ney’s biggest inspiration is nature.
“I’ve grown up next to nature and in tune with nature,” Ney said. “All my life I’ve lived in the woods or on the ocean. The power and beauty have inspired me.”
Ney lives in Sooke near the Metchosin border. He first stated writing poetry in the Grade 3 and has been hooked ever since.
While he has a passion for poetry, Ney is still not sure about what he wants to do in the future.
“In a way poetry has opened more doors and now it’s more difficult to choose,” Ney said. reporter@goldstreamgazette.com