An ode to the Olympics

British supporters at the London 2012 Olympics wave flags as they cheer their team during a men's field hockey match

The London 2012 Olympic Games are coming to end on Sunday with what organisers promise to be a spectacular closing ceremony at the Olympic Stadium.

The motto of the Games is, 'inspire a generation'. What aspect of the Games has inspired you?

The success of London 2012 has been uplifting for many people. BBC News website readers have been inspired to compose these poems:

Kathy Holland, Bradford, UK

Watching the Olympics at home on my TV

Kathy Holland

Couldn't get a ticket, wasn't meant to be

It doesn't really matter have enjoyed it just the same

So many screens to choose from

Making my Olympic Games.

My lounge has been a stadium,

In sea, on sand, in pool

A velodrome, a football pitch

What is the offside rule?

So many sporting delights to watch

In our green and pleasant land

Showing off its beauty

With such pride we can all stand

United as a nation

Britain rules the waves

Thank you so much BBC

A blinder you have played.

Bill Bennett, Grays, Essex, UK

They said we won't be ready

Bill Bennett

They said it's doomed to fail

They said we'll never cope with it

There'll be chaos on road and rail

Now two weeks on it's all but done

The Olympic torch is spent

So let's look back on the last two weeks

And see just how it went:

First we had the torch relay

Roads lined with passionate Brits

A hint of something special perhaps

Runners in bright white kits.

A tour around the country

To invoke the Olympic dream

Our thoughts begin to turn

To our Olympic team.

Then we had the opening

A wonderful affair

A history of our Island

With music, dance and flair

The countries then paraded

The stadium soon filled

The Olympic Oath was taken

The very air seemed stilled.

The greatest athletes in the world

All gathered in one place

Each one hoping to win a gold

In their event or race

Then 16 days of wonder,

Each athlete giving their all

The sweat, the pain, the tears

In search of their ultimate goal

Team GB are in their stride

The medals start to mount

Our hearts begin to fill with pride

As we watch the medal count

Farrah, Murray, Ennis

Surely Britain at its best

Mckeever, Wiggins, Hoy

Each pass the ultimate test

A truly great Olympics

The best we've ever seen

A nation now united

By our own Olympic dream.

But now it's almost over

The Olympic games are spent

I wonder if we'll look back and wonder

Where the pessimists went?

Gill Swain, Truro, UK

Exhaustion and ache and early dawn break;

Gill Swain. Picture: Georgie Burns

a track to pound, a circuit to round, new strengths to be found

In rain, fog and storm, rise up from the warm;

tasks to complete, seconds to beat, new personal feat

Hours alone, longing for home;

a life on hold, a force unfold, a time to be bold

A sense of right, the challenge to fight;

with sabres, with bow, with paddles to row

A relentless drive, the will to thrive;

a timely skill, a handstand still, a dive to thrill

From finish line sights and equine heights;

a race to be run, a hammer spun, a clear round won

But when each of them strive, who can measure the drive

of those destined to hold, these medals tri-fold ; Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Jonny Benjamin, Manchester, UK

This Isle of Wonder,

Jonny Benjamin

Majestic in its glory;

United amongst its people,

Witnessing a story

To be passed down to the next generation;

The pride of a nation,

Joined together through a single flame,

The heart of the Olympic games.

This Isle of Wonder,

On which heroes have been born and bred;

To whom our hearts have been lifted,

And our tears have been shed;

Must herald the dawn of a new age of aspiration,

To be handed down to the next generation.

For never in our minds should we erase,

The spectacle that every single Olympian gave,

To this Isle of Wonder,

And to the World that has seen,

The greatest sportspeople on earth,

Fight for all they ever dreamed.

This is the stuff to inspire each next generation,

Long after the Games fade in their celebration.

For together we witnessed the greatest show on Earth,

And greater than gold has this show been worth.