Poetry Contest Winners

3rd Place
“Specks of Gold” by Amanda D.
Jefferson Middle School Grade 7

Looks like the reflection of the beautiful setting sun on the calm sea
Smells like a freshly cut bouquet of lillie blossoms
Sounds like the sweet singing of all the birds in the forest
Tastes like a crisp, juicy apple plucked just off the tree
Feels like a soft, gentle breeze on a warm, summer day

Honorable Mention
“Tears” by Marie-Louise H.
Jefferson Middle School Grade 6

I
look at
the mourning
sky as she sheds
her tears. They say
it is raining, but I know
better. Has an old willow
died for the house of a family?
Has a small creek dried up for
the drink of a child? Has the
night air gone bad for the
work of a beggar? Or
has it been raining,

as the people say?

Honorable Mention
“China Doll” by Sarah S
Northeast Middle School Grade 7

Cold, lifeless.
A hint of a smile etched across porcelain features.
Why not a frown?
A doll,
once treasured,
now lays forgotten.
There is no hope for her,
except an eternity,
spent on a shelf.
Is there life still there, waiting?
Or did the light die out,
as an owner's love died also?
How would we feel,
wrestled into a worn dress,
hair cut in a ragged crown?
Would we burst with our sorrow,
or just turn away from the world,
weary of life?
Who knows
if those glassy, perfect eyes
are swimming with tears.
Or if under
that innocent face,
there is a blur of confusion.
Why? She must ask,
how could we stifle her beauty,
and leave her in shambles?
But still she waits on a lonely shelf,
full of hope,
for a day that will never come.

1st Place
“Soot” by Ashley B.
Dow High School Grade 12

I haunted the edge
of the firelight's orange
on the red brick
where the shadow-lines
shivered
like moth wings. I watched

him-bent over the ringing
and clanging
of hammer on metal, watched the sparks
fizzle, snapping
like pop-rocks, skittering
from the steel's red glow
to the anvil's cold. I saw

the metal bend
with his devotion, his rising
weariness, his shoulders

warping the timber
with the weight.

I crept in close,
by the clanging,
by the heat, and I

borrowed the soot
from his warm
calloused hands.

2nd Place
“Running” by Christine T.
Dow High School Grade 10

Running through the forest
The fall leaves floating to the ground
Our mind stays on one thing
Using the forest like an object
To defeat the competitors around us
We run, speeding up and slowing down
The green uniforms, a signal to others
That we are a team
We move in a pack, like hungry lions, waiting for their pray
Eventually, we will strike
Our feet clawing at the ground
Beating the others to the finish line

3rd Place
“Too Near” by Diane J.
Dow High School Grade 9

I remember caressing each fragile hope
Away from pondering whisper and eye,
Zealously guarding each tender bud
With flutters of anxious anticipation.
In the end I held it too close,
Left it no room to grow, no sky to fill
And my flower was smothered, extinguished;
I loved it too fiercely with abandon.

Honorable Mention
“Teatime” by Diane J.
Dow High School Grade 9

I hear the British take their tea
With lemon and such, quite bitterly
While Americans like it nice and hot
And gushing forth from a coffeepot.
But as for us, black-haired, black-eyed
Yet molten gold all inside
We drink tea with a square tea bag-
Cradled in the small hollow of the cup, it sags.
Add barley or grain, a swift gush of water-
Boil it, smell the steam as it hisses, hotter.
Then sip it slowly, the fragrance clean,
A work of art to be tasted and seen
'Till all that's left are the dregs of tea,
Myself, the cups, and good company.

Honorable Mention
“Ataraxia” by Mark O.
Midland High School Grade 11

As the night creeps
And the world sleeps
I blink
As I think
I breathe
As my thoughts begin to dull
And I unwrap my mind
I bind
As I rearrange
I build
As my eyes get deep
As I hold my head high
I believe
As I leave
I fly
As the night creeps
And the world sleeps

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Teen Poetry Winners for 2007