WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
TEEN POETRY CONTEST for National Library Week
Congratulations to the winners of the second Teen Poetry Contest hosted by the Franklin Lakes Public Library!
From left to right: Kimi, eighth grader at Franklin Avenue Middle School, won first place in the library's Teen Poetry Contest; and Kate, Teen Librarian at Franklin Lakes Public Library
Kimi, an eighth grader at Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes, received First Prize: a $50 American Express Gift Card.
Olivia, an eighth grader at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff, received Second Prize: a $25.00 Starbucks Gift Card.
Kaity, a sophomore at Bergen Academies, received Third Prize: a $25.00 Starbucks Gift Card.
The Teen Poetry Contest was part of the celebration of National Library Week 2009. At Franklin Lakes Public Library and area schools, teens in grades 7-12 were given a contest entry form and encouraged to create original poems or song lyrics. We received 43 awesome poems or songs, and three winners were chosen by a diverse panel of judges. Copies of the winning entries can also be found on display in the library or at the Teen Blog at http://katethelibrarian.blogspot.com. Thank you so much to all the teens who submitted entries for this contest – It made the job of choosing just three winners very difficult!
First Place — Teen Poetry Contest
To be Free
Shyness sits in the corner of the room,
Staring out fearfully.
Watching the world carefully,
She wants to be alone.
Watching me move around,
I look up, feeling her.
I see her in the corner waiting,
Waiting to be free.
So I leave,
But I hover near the door.
Watching carefully.
Slowly, she creeps out of her corner.
She pauses, checking all around.
Wondering why I left.
Wishing to be free.
Shyness is sure she is alone.
She clears a path,
Through the clutter.
There is a place to be free.
She opens her mouth,
Releasing a bell-like note.
A beautiful sound.
I watch her closely,
Seeing her every movement.
I listen carefully.
So carefully, soaking up the beauty.
The beauty coming from the one note.
The wonderful note,
So solid and still.
It is quavering, breaking off.
No!
She closes her mouth,
Cutting off the note.
Silence falls,
An unbearable silence.
So quiet, so placid, so peaceful.
She leaps up twirling,
And lands.
She leaps higher,
Twirling the whole time,
And lands.
She jumps again.
She almost touches the ceiling.
She lands.
She leaps one final time.
Touching the ceiling.
She lands.
She stops.
She stands.
I dare not move,
In fear of her catching me watching.
I dare not breathe,
I fear she will hear me.
She pulls out a pen,
Out of my drawer.
She pulls out my chair.
And sits.
I know now who she is.
Why she is here,
She is me.
I am her.
written by Kimi, Franklin Avenue Middle School
Second Place — Teen Poetry Contest
Memories
Fabric tears,
Colors fade,
Stitches unravel,
Friendships remain.
They sit there
Stranded on a shelf
Of old toys
And baby pictures.
Sometimes they were guests
At luxurious tea parties.
Most times, they were
Best friends I could share secrets with
Long into the night.
Now the days of pretending have ceased.
They are just button eyes,
Staring me down
Or
Welcoming me home.
At times I want to pack away
My childhood days
But somehow I can’t bring them up
To the attic, where
They will accumulate dust, where
Childhood friends
Can disappear
Forever.
written by Olivia, Eisenhower Middle School
Third Place — Teen Poetry Contest
Sorrow
As each of heaven’s tears drop and bless our given Earth,
The sky of wonder turns a deep dark shade of gray.
As the sun is slowly blinded by the clouds,
All cares are lost and evaporated away —
Leaving our soul free and innocent from worries . . .
Each drop of salty water relieves the grass’s thirst,
Each drop of cold rain leaves ornaments on a spider’s web,
Each drop a rounded gem sliding down the flower’s petals,
Leaving a tear-stained face.
The moon reveals beneath the clouds;
Silence envelopes the dark midnight reverie.
Yet, in the drifting distance, the thundering sobs echo . . .
written by Kaity, Bergen Academies