A-Levels student Mr. Ashish Katwal and post graduating student of psychology Ms. Najma Rai won the Shakespeare Poetry Challenge organized by the British Council Nepal.

Shakespeare Poetry Challenge was organized to celebrate the #ShakespeareLivesin2016 campaign. Out of two dozen submissions, Najma's What would Shakespeare Say and Ashish's I am Shakespeare I should Say won the prizes. Ms. Rhona Brown, Acting Country Director of the British Council Nepal, gave away the prizes to the winners. 

Both the winners recited their poems before receiving their prizes and shared how both of them love poetry and have been influenced by Shakespeare.

Their poems:

What would Shakespeare Say?

What would Shakespeare Say?

In the depth of my sadness, I stood silent, awake in my own madness,

The noises of my heart that is now broken,

Mocks me for it was I who gave it as a token,

What would Shakespeare say?

Would I be called Juliet?

For I was blindly in love who ended up with such a poisonous fate;

Or Would I be called the Lady Macbeth?

For my blind deeds are driving me insane.

The empty day turned into an endless ghastly night,

The great old trees began to whisper the words of lullaby,

Trying to close my eyes not knowing whether to fight or fly,

The sky feeling my heavy heart began to cry,

Alas! it was my tear that fell first, I could not lie.

 What would Shakespeare say?

Would he see this as comedy of errors?

For to kill me, he used the very dagger that I gave him to lift the curse;

Or Would he just call it a Lover's complaint?

For I have begun to use my own tear for my beloved's paint.

The dark sky blinded by my silent scream,

Turned to the dark side of the Moon for me to dream;

I tried drowning myself to sleep,

Just so the unforgivable memory could vanish.

Unable to sleep without crying,

Unable to stay awake without fighting,

What was I to do but gain the fate of Lady Macbeth,

Rather than fighting, take my life instead.

What would Shakespeare make of my life?

Would he call it a sad comedy or a hilarious tragedy?

For I handed the very own existence of my life to the one who destroyed it oh so easily.

The tempest in my soul grew as it flamed,

Like the night before Ceaser's death his beloved dreamt,

With a broken heart I lay,

Just another lifeless body waiting to fade,

Hopeless soul,

Once was enough to make me hate the world,

One man was enough to make my once loving heart so cruel,

Maybe it was just some winter's tale,

For it is sure to end,

Maybe it is just a dream,

A Midsummer Night's dream,

I pray,

 My love that burnt me, My beloved who could not see,

For I was blinded to the depth as the cold harsh day,

In love with him while he cut my heart into million pieces,

Of this, what would Shakespeare really say? 

- by Najma Rai

 

I am Shakespeare I should say 

I am Shakespeare I should say

When I am reading his poems

All over again.

 

Sometimes as Romeo 

Sometimes Juliet

I drift away my heart

Beneath his sonnets

 

I cried like hamlet cried

I died like Romeo died

I lived again

In front of Desdemona’s eye

 

Even though my life was rough 

I strived in pen and paper.

So, I should say

I am Shakespeare 

Now and always

 

When I am writing his sonnets.

- by Ashish Katwal