2005 Winners | The America Library of Poetry

2005 Student Poetry Contest

Division Winners

Division I
(grades 4-5)

Daddy's Heart
by Brittany Cormier

When I slide my little palm into his
I feel the whole world stop
A shield of protection glides around me
I cradle my head into his chest
The constancy of his heart beats with my own
Even as I grow
I will be his baby
In my daddy’s heart
I know he loves me!

Mommy
by Chené Benoit

I am blessed with an angel
Who knows how I like my tea
My guardian angel and special friend
Who watches over me
She hugs me when I’m sad
Even when I make her mad
She calls me her miracle
But I’m the one who feels lucky
God sent me a guardian angel
That I can call Mommy

Division II
(grades 6-7)

Innocence
by Emily Graham

A little girl
Twisting and turning to music only she can hear
She dances free and wild on the wet sand
As the waves crash and the foam settles
On her little toes
Her arms sway
Her spirit soars
She is alone
But happy
I wish I could be her again

Autism
by Bailey McCann

It’s horrible to see
When you know you can’t help
It’s ineffectual to speak
When you know the words are worthless
It is incurable
It’s just like being dead – only worse
My brother suffers through so much
Why not me?
He’ll never understand why he doesn’t fit in
Why the other kids ridicule
Why mom tries to cure him with these things
Like soymilk and fish oil pills
Why he is told he acts two, when he’s ten
Why his best friend isn’t allowed to play with him
It’s like an extraordinary secret
Which he’ll never comprehend

Division III
(grades 8-9)

A Birthday Wish
by Victoria Adel Gibson

Two people sit next to each other
I asked them to and they obliged
However I feel, that if it were their way
One would not have come
But today is my day, I will not listen to fear
Today there is hope that old wounds will heal
Today I wish on twelve minute lights
That I will have to endure this separation no longer
The day was wonderful; I received many gifts
But there still was that unease of reality
And somehow I knew this was only a day
And never again would I have this union to endure
Never again will those two sit in a state of truce
Never again will they be at peace together
But today is my day, I will not listen to fear
Today I can hope that old wounds will heal
I made it my wish and I took extra care
To extinguish each light in one, giant breath
Today I wish to suffer no more
Today I dream, for upon the morrow, I wake

Lighter Than Air
by Liz Gildea

I stand on the corner of two dark, diverging streets
Quietly holding a bunch of balloons
They are of many different colors
The blues just as beautiful as the reds
Some of them burst; some simply die
They fall slowly, and I watch with disappointment
Until they touch the sidewalk
But then, I sigh and smile again
And retrieve a new one from my pocket
And fill it with warm, gentle breaths
I hold on for a while
But the thin ribbon beneath my fingers isn’t enough
To keep it from the inevitable breeze
Which catches me unaware
And lifts the balloon away
I couldn’t bring it back if I tried
Instead, I follow with shining eyes
As it sails on its own
Toward a new sun

Division IV
(grades 10-12)

Father
by Sara Marie Johnson

A four-year-old princess
Stood on a folding chair
The painted smile on her face
Was pure and innocent
She was blinded by the pink flowers
That decorated her dress
And the cheap smiles her dad
Gave to the stranger across the room
The smell of his cologne
And Captain Morgan’s rum
That still lingered on his breath
Made her nauseous
Chills ran up her spine
And she squirmed
While his fingers circled her back
His nostrils were coated
With powdered sugar
That gave him the energy
To be her knight and shining father

Tranquility & Chaos
by Adam Valdez

Tranquility; that four-syllable sound
With so much bliss
Tranquility is peppermint breath
Blue skies, cooing birds, and the toss of a woman’s hair
I live for the peace of mind
Yet, I’m ashamed to say, Chaos seems more pleasing
Lust, Greed, and Entropy, all wonderful things!
The crashing of plates, the smog filled skies
The taste of alcohol on the lips, how delightfully delicious
Tranquility and Chaos my two favorite girlfriends
I’m just glad that they’ll never be in the same room together ...