Alfred Gerada wins poetry competition with Llanito tribute to dementia

Alfred Gerada was the overall winner of this year’s annual Poetry Competition with his composition ‘Te Pierdo Twice’.

The competition, organised by Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS) and the Gibraltar Chronicle, attracted a total of 252 entries this year, with a top prize of £1,000.

The awards were presented by the Minister for Culture, Christian Santos, last Wednesday at BOOKgem.

“To be honest, winning this top prize was quite unexpected for me, but a lovely experience nevertheless, which I was lucky enough to share with my family,” Mr Gerada told the Chronicle.

“At the same time, it felt deeply personal, since it confirmed that the emotion I poured into the poem had reached someone else.”

“For me, the beauty of poetry lies in its ability to transmit emotion and feeling through words, regardless of how long ago they were written.”

“Also, winning acts as momentum and encouragement for me to keep writing, and possibly sharing my poetry in future.”

The poem was not written with any competition in mind, he said, while also noting he was glad he submitted it.

It stemmed from an “emotional response to having been a part of Evelyn Diaz’s (my late mother in law) journey through dementia.”

He dedicated the poem to her memory, while also making it a tribute to anyone navigating the “quiet grief of this condition”.

“I came to realise that dementia represented a double loss for loved ones. The first ‘te pierdo’, losing someone gently, painfully, while they are still alive,” he said.

“The second loss, the one everyone understands, is the physical or official goodbye, despite the grieving probably starting a long time ago: the closing of a chapter you have been forced to read twice.”

Me Gerada was happy to see that a Llanito category poem has been chosen as overall winner since ]Llanito was, for him, the most natural way of expressing what he felt.

“Some emotions land more comfortably in Spanish, whilst others seem clearer in English,” he said.

“Together, they can form a beautiful weave that we take for granted.”

“I see Llanito as one of the most beautiful and underrated parts of our identity.”

The poet has viewed poetry as a tool for personal expression, and he has never written with a specific audience in mind.

Nevertheless, he said it is deeply rewarding when it reaches or resonates with someone else.

“I really enjoy the process of writing poems, from the initial stages of inspiration to that of completion, in what can sometimes feel like an almost therapeutic experience, since poetry forces the reader to slow down and feel, rather than just understand, what is written,” he said.

He also sees poetry as part of the broader cultural landscape of Gibraltar.

“Gibraltar culture is composed of a blend of languages and cultures. I enjoy writing poetry that is firmly grounded in Gibraltar,” he said.

And being from Gibraltar influences his writing and voice, with it shaping everything from his choice of language to his choice of metaphors.

“For such a small place, we live surrounded by many layers. The sea, a profound influence, the Rock with its unique Levante cloud, the border and the fusion of cultures all in one,” he said.

In the adult category, the winner was Kate Julianne Williamson for ‘Delivered Ten Years Ago’. The runner up was Tessa Rosado Standen for ‘If I spent More Time With My Two Year Old’, with a highly commended award going to Sarah Anne Duarte for ‘Maternity Leave’.

The best Spanish poem prize of £500 went to Bryley Anne Mor for ‘Cadenas Invisibles’. The runner up was Naomi Duarte with ‘El Nino No Tiene Culpa’, while Davina Barbara was highly commended for ‘Siempre Conmigo’.

The Llanito category was won by Jonathan Teuma for ‘Llanita Sea, Esta Odisea’, who received £500. The runner up was Colin Golt for ‘Haikus De Autumn’, and a highly commended award went to Julian Felice for ‘La Ultima Tecnica’.

In the school years 11 to 13 category, the winner was Jude James Everard for ‘Behind the Scenes’. The runner up was Daisy Moir for ‘Fields’, with a highly commended award going to Lyra Cant for ‘The Orchard Where Clocks Forgot To Tick’.

For school years 8 to 10, the winner was Danielle Shamir for ‘Tour Of The the Mind’. The runner up was Javier Oriol Holliday for ‘What Kind of God?’, and the highly commended entry was ‘The Mint That Changed Everything’ by Amelia Agudo Montero.

In the school years 6 to 7 category, Matthew Scott won with ‘The Name of War’. The runner up was Ella Jarvis with ‘A Night Where Dreams Belong’ and the highly commended poem was ‘My Little Place’ by Gisele Walley.

For school years 4 to 5, the winner was Alba Morales Llufrio with ‘Growing Up Too Fast’. The runner up was Leo Perez with ‘Sunshine’, and a highly commended award went to Amelia Gordon for ‘Honey the Bunny’.

All winning entries will be published in the Gibraltar Chronicle and on www.culture.gi.

The Gibraltar Chronicle has donated a three-month online subscription to the overall winner, as well as vouchers and pens for the winners of the school categories.

Gibraltar Cultural Services thanked the judges, the Gibraltar Chronicle and all participants for their continued support.