Blank Canvas

From Monday 21 March, physically punishing children became illegal in Wales. To mark the historical moment for children and their rights in Wales, Children’s Laureate Wales, Connor Allen, was commissioned to compose a poem for the occasion. The poem, published on UNESCO’s World Poetry Day, were written to celebrate children’s rights. Read more about this commission here.

Life starts as a blank canvas

And every stroke and every shade of the brush

you paint a picture.

A story is told

As your chapters unfold.

In different poetic stanzas

Your story,

Told how you like.

Your voice

Echoing as it should.

Your mind is the most powerful tool

Nobody can take that away from you

The possibilities you envision

The potential you’re given.

That all comes from you.

Because

You’re the future.

The next generation of leaders and healers

Gate keepers and inspirational speakers.

Just remember the future’s bright

It’s clear for all of Wales, all of the world to see,

So, ask yourself one question

in this future

who do I want to be?

Connor Allen,
Children’s Laureate Wales 2021-2023