It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in the reference section of Batley Library where even more Batley Poets emerged with poetry worthy of any stage.

Over the past three years, during the Batley Festival, a dedicated segment for the poets has been run to allow established and new poets the chance to share what are often hidden works of art protected in the sanctuary of a locked room.

The mid-term performance gave discovery to four new poets each talented beyond their years.

Ten year old Maariyah Patel first read her a poem written by her older sister Safiya Patel, before composing a heart touching verse about her sister and performing it to a fortunate audience. Safiya herself nervously performed for the first time but held her nerves to deliver a stunning work of literature. Her work builds an immediate connection with the listener and walks the audience through thoughts and emotions.

A-Level student Yusuf Zubair was another debutant poet and his impressive compositions were both entertaining and thoughtful. This talented young gentleman seemed to be capable of drawing a verse on queue with the ingredient of a wisdom greater than his age.

The afternoon also saw Altaf Daji who had attended a number of poetry readings before, but this was the first time he read and later remarked how much he enjoyed it. He read apiece written by the famous poet and sufi Jalal Uddin Rumi.

The new comers were supported by recent debutants like 21 year-old Bilal Saloo performing for the second time after making his debut in the last Batley Festival. Bilal continues to impress with an insight wrapped within a vocabulary prose worthy to ponder in awe.

The afternoon also heard from established poets including Mr Ahmad Gul from the Gujarati Writers Forum, Judith Stone from the Talking Zebras and Osset’s  A Firm of Poets represented by Ralph Dartford and Matt Abbott.

The event was funded and organised by Batley Smile under the banner of #BatleyPoets. The organisers said “It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon full of eye widening talent that our beautifully creative town has produced naturally.

“We would love the chance to help spread this talent and let the world know all about #BatleyPoets!”