2001 Winners | The America Library of Poetry

2001 Student Poetry Contest

Division Winners

Division I
(grades 4-5)

Untitled
by Allison Fogel

She nickers to me as I walk her to her stall
I groom her
The brush strokes following the direction of her gleaming skin
We ride, almost flying
The wind whistling through my hair and her mane
Time has stopped
If only this could go on
Forever

Princess of the Air
by Alexandria Pivarnik

She streaks the sky with morning light
She paints the stars of early night
Her breath is the wind, the sun is her hair
For she is the princess of the air

Division II
(grades 6-7)

She Walks
by Stevie Pearl

With others she walks

Alone, she dances into a pool of light
There she possesses freedom and joy
She is new, she is awakened
But afraid, she walks

Alone, she skips across mountains of laughter
Leaping above her troubles, she smiles, she lightens the heart
She is the spitting image of sunlight on a cloudy day
But to fit in, she walks

Alone, she leaps through fields of clover and wild flowers
She is one with the animals, she is one with nature
She is carefree and beautiful, a blooming flower among many weeds
A star in the midnight sky
But embarrassed, she walks

Alone, she lifts her arms and sails through the clouds of sunset
She sings, she is a wonder to those who spot her
She is today, she is tomorrow
She is a dot of color on a darkened land
A rainbow after a long storm
But afraid of being discovered, she walks

Tribute To Teaching
by Katie Begin

Gone are the days where a child’s appreciation is represented
by a meek smile or an anonymous apple amongst the clutter of papers
However simple that apple may be, it has an inner beauty
shown only in the star of seeds hidden in its heart
But however simple this gift may be and however carefully
it is placed in a humble corner of the worn desk
the child is always found, with his head hung low and his gaze fixed on the floor
He is the one with the desk in the corner
Never wishing to be called on
He is the one who has hung onto every word that you have ever recited
every comment you wrote in purple ink on his B+ work
He is the one who will always remember you
And I, though with no token of appreciation save this little poem
I will always remember you

Division III
(grades 8-9)

The Quilt of Our Nations
by Michelle Zellers

The world is a quilt and each patch is a nation
Bound by a thread since the days of creation
Adorned with great color and radiant splendor
Though divided by race and religion and gender
In some eyes, it is handsome, in others contorted
The patches are different, unmatched and unsorted
Incongruous in pattern, in shape and in color
Not one is much similar to any other
So some try to imagine one great design
But in truth our uniqueness is really just fine
Nations and patches of all kinds and all sorts
Customs, religions, languages, sports
This is okay if each patch has its space
And on the quilt of the world, each nation has its place
But the stitches that bind us are easily shed
By the wars that are fought and the words that are said
We must realize the appearance of no patch is inferior
And the ways of no nation can make it superior
Divided by oceans, united by a dream
The world is a quilt and our love is its seam

Look In the Corners
by Michelle Droeske

We are the ones who stand in the corners
Bothering no one
Wanting respect, but humbly taking it
Bright, flashy colors dance around before us, contrasting our meek, soft, pale colors
Momentarily we might stun the world, but after, we're forgotten
Dear to those who love and know us; and the gratefulness, love and honor we give in turn to them
You could say we treasure the simple things - the sky, a sunset, the great, everlasting green trees
We live our lives like any other person, but in the shadows of the dancing nobles
Yes, we are the sad, medieval peasants
We save the cards, but still value the gift, while tenderly using it
So live on the twirlers on the dance floor!
We're still here
Watching and waiting, till our time comes in the spot light - or perhaps, never at all
But happily living, working, loving, and dreaming, always there to help
In the corners

Division IV
(grades 10-12)

Jessica
by Lexis Graap

You hold her up
As some form of absolute love
As if she were the one that got away
Like no one could ever matter the way she did
Like I'm here to pass the time
Living in the shadow that her glow of perfection casts upon me
Nothing I do or could be will change that
I then find myself wondering
What am I doing with you?
When instead of seeing me
You see all the ways I'm not like her
And where does that leave me?

If You Can
by Kim Brynn

Can you feel in a whisper
The pulse of a word never spoken?
Can you hear in a silence
A beat of a heart if it's broken?

Can you sense it when you're walking
A hand holding yours from far away?
Can you create from the moonlight
A face in your mind everyday?

Can you control an emotion
A wanting of someone you miss?
Can you determine your future
And give it away for a kiss?