And the winners are....
Back in November, we invited "Kidspace" readers to send in poems for our third annual young people's poetry contest. And send you did - more than 1,200 poems in all. We
were delighted.
Poems came from all regions of the United States, in both free verse and various forms. Many wrote about the seasons or the natural world; others wrote about love and relationships. A few chose to write about history or world events.
The poetry was reviewed by Diana Der-Hovanessian, president of the New England Poetry Club; Steven Ratiner, a poet who works in the Boston area; and Elizabeth Lund, the Monitor's poetry editor.
The judges were impressed with how many of this year's entries used rhythm and repetition well. There's a subtle music to many of the poems on these pages. We hope you'll enjoy reading them - and we hope you'll send in poems for next year's contest, too.
THE WIND
When the wind blows
quiet things speak.
Some whisper, some clang,
and some creak.
Grasses swish,
treetops sigh,
flags snap
and slap in the sky.
Wires on the poles
whistle and hum.
Trash cans roll,
windows drum.
When the wind stops
what happens then?...
All the quiet things
are quiet again.
Sara Sun Tranmer Goellner
Grade 8
Sarona, Wis.
AUTUMN
red and orange
paint chips fall
off the canvas
Georgia Brown
Grade 6
Denver, Colo.
DRIFTING
Don't fade away
dear horse.
Where are you going?
Only to find
a mysterious shape.
What? What's that?
A dragon.
No, an angel.
Fly away.
To become what now?
Drifting.
Plain.
A cloud.
That's all.
Carly Sakolove
Grade 7
Hingham, Mass.
WHITE
White, white, simple and bright
Hail
Like a bride's veil
White is see-through fog on a misty day
White stars gleaming late at night
White fluffy snow, cold
You know the white makes it glow
White is the sound of glory
And the mourning dove
White is the sound of love
Jenny Stephens
Grade 3
Harpswell, Maine
CITY RAIN
overcast oppressive humid
they wander
they run
they loosen ties
they button coats
they remember last night
they think about the meeting soon
they hurry on their ways
spray drops fog
they smile
they frown
they look up at the sky
they hide under awnings
they stick out their tongues
they take out umbrellas
they dash behind doors
drizzle steam wet
they sigh
they yawn
they wonder how long it lasted
they hope it won't start again
they linger just a little longer
they wipe steam from their windows
they move on again and forget
Sara Sanford
Grade 8
Gaithersburg, Md.
BRIGHT LIGHT
Bright lights, silent night
Shiny stars, sparkle bright
Crystal angels twinkle high
Lighting up the winter sky.
Topher Larsen
Kindergarten
Hingham, Mass.
ONE SMALL FINGER
a Holocaust poem
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it pins a star
Stand or bow, bow or stand...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it pulls you away
Run or follow, follow or run...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it locks a cage
Hope or despair, despair or hope...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it chooses your future
Right or left, left or right...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it beckons your family
Live or die, die or live...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it turns the shower knob
Gas or water, water or gas
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it pulls a trigger
Hit or miss, miss or hit...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it liberates you
Freedom or subjection, subjection or freedom...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it opens a door
Truth or lies, lies or truth
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it turns a page
Learn or deny, deny or learn...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it holds the memories
Share or keep, keep or share...
One small finger never meant so much,
Now it balances the world
War or peace, peace or war...
Never again
Sara Wade
Grade 10
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
