The Poems You Penned

On Oct. 15, we invited "Kidspace" readers to write a poem on the subject of home. We gave you some tips on how to get started, and in return, you sent us hundreds of poems. We were delighted! Some of you wrote about your favorite part of your house. Others wrote about the pets and people who make their homes come alive. Some took a broader approach and wrote about something they saw in their backyard or while on a family trip.

We received poems from every region of the United States, and even a few from Great Britain. The poetry was reviewed by three judges: Steven Ratiner, a poet who works with many schools in the Boston area; Diana Der-Hovanessian, president of the New England Poetry Club; and Elizabeth Lund, poetry editor of The Home Forum. Many thanks to everyone who participated. Here are the judges' favorites:

**Here I Stand**

Here I stand

In the moon's full light,

In my nightgown and slippers

And wait!

Here I stand

At the foot of my bed

At the night's cold peak,

And wait!

Here I stand

With fear of creeping shadows,

Clutching a book to my chest,

And wait!

Here I stand

When you enter the room,

When you tell me it's safe

And kiss me good night.

Aidan Kinsella

Grade 9

Raymond, N.H.

**Horses**

Cantering fast along a white fence

The wind whispering to them

Manes flapping across their backs

Tails floating straight out

Coats glistening in the sun

Ears perked up like a fox

Eyes wide open

Nostrils flaring

Now, going full speed

They jump the fence

And gallop toward the woods -

All along my bedroom wall

Christie Howe

Grade 4

Sherborn, Mass.

**Hojas del Otoo

(Autumn Leaves)**

fresca brisa

volando cayendo muriendo

triste fin

trocitos de fuego

cool breeze

flying falling dying

sad end

pieces of fire

Mercedes de la Riva

Grade 2

Carlsbad, Calif.

**Grandpa**

I ran,

Searching, searching.

Grandpa.

Where are you?

Slump against the wall,

Let the warm tear

Roll down my swollen cheek.

Let it fall onto

The frozen plum

In my shaking hand.

Where have you gone?

Inside your heart,

My love,

A soft voice said,

Inside.

That's where.

Cynthia Fong

Grade 7

Belmont, Mass.

**Music**

Bow plays up

and down,

Making a zing

ZING sound.

And the violin plays

a singing song.

Kyle Baldwin

Grade 1

Suisun City, Calif.

**A Hod Carrier's Day**

As I lay my head down

on the soft pillow

I began to think of

my long hard day

The roar of the mixer

the mason's clanging trowel

the heavy buckets of "mud"

otherwise known as cement

The deep mud tugged at my boots

they almost came off

just one more mud-board to lay

before we set off for break

After a while

our day came to an end

we were to go home

to rest from exhausting

We laid twelves that day

hard on me

harder on the mason

But we didn't care anymore

for our day had come to an end

now I lie here tired as can be

at last I'm home

Greg Gladden

Grade 7

Hesprus, Colo.

**The Little Treasured Doll**

As I watched from my bedroom window

I saw a little girl running down the street.

Her hair was tangled and she had no shoes.

She stopped at a door, yelling,

"Seora, seora! Mira lo que tengo!"*

Though I'm sure she had no bread

Or even a roof over her head

She had much joy

And a big smile on her face

For in her hands there was a doll.

Though I could see it only had one eye

And a broken nose

And was all tattered and torn

And though for us it would have been nothing

For her it was a treasure

A little yet big treasure.

*"Lady, lady! Look what I have!"

Nicole Enns

Grade 6

Akron, Penn.

**Home**

My house tells stories,

stories of winter, when

the wind blows high

and the sky looks cold

and there's snow on the

ground. My house tells

a story.

My house tells a story of

summer when the wind

does not blow, and the

sky looks musty, steaming

hot air everywhere.

Children gather in the cool lake.

My house tells a story.

My house tells a story

of spring, when the wind

blows slightly, and the

sky looks friendly. And

new animals are born. My

house tells a story.

My house tells a story

of fall, when the wind blows

friendly, and the sky

looks peaceful. And

when the leaves fall

from trees in all

different colors.

And that's when my house tells stories.

Emily Dunn

Grade 4

Madison, Wis.

**Green**

Green is the color of nature

The treasure of the earth

Green is the emerald

On the ring

Of a king

Green is a color of the rainbow

Or a stripe on a spinning wheel

Green is of kin

To the lazy lizard

And the flapping hummingbird

Green is the foliage

Of the jungle

A thousand plants

And a thousand trees

Brendan Wood

Grade 5

Jamaica, N.Y.

**Sand Castles**

Giant towers of golden pebbles

Wondrous rooms of silvery shells

Castles of glittering, shimmering sand

For mole crabs and rock crabs and me.

Allison R. Brown

Grade 5

Williamsport, Penn.

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