2023 Teen Poetry Contest Winners đ
đ High School, 1st Place đ„
âAnxiety Whaleâ
by Bella P., 9th Grade
Hall High School
Waiting with anticipation For the sparkling sound. A sea of people Crashes the auditorium, Waves surge to the edge, Claps and whistles wash over, As I sink to The ocean floor. The sound rocks me about, My eyes flooded to the brim Before spilling out Into my lungs. Plunge into the abyss Of my cavernous mind. Thoughts swirling into a vortex, Deeper and deeper, I weep as everyone fills The expanse of the theatre Their screams & laughter Muffling my ears. Floating over their swells, Bellowing as a sail of a thousand-year-old ship. Iâm gone with the whales.
đ High School, 2nd Place đ„
âFish Like To Swimâ
by Leo V., 12th Grade
Hall High School
Iâve never been a good swimmer The ocean always scared me I was afraid the current would rip me apart Afraid the waves would leave me stranded Youâve never been a good listener My thoughts would drown in a sea of yours My affection would go unnoticed through those eyes, that never glanced at mine It wasnât that what I did wasnât enough, it was that you never bothered to look And itâs harsh but itâs true, Itâd beat and bruise my heart, Just like you Until one (you) could no longer see it You said thereâs billions of fish in the sea And now I have to learn how to swim Properly, not like you And not to the brim, Of tears Loving, something you never were Selflessness, you never learned You never cared about anyone other than yourself Thatâs been confirmed Youâre a fish who likes to wander off Iâm a fish who wouldâve followed you anywhere You were afraid that staying in the same spot wouldâve wounded you It wouldnât have, it wouldâve always been me And now itâs questions galore Did you fall when I hadnât? Did I feel something you havenât? Would it be better if it hadnât, happened? I never saw it coming My eyes didnât adjust to the dark in time And if you knew there was a billion fish in the sea Then why the heck did you say you belonged with me?
đ High School, 3rd Place đ„
âPomelo Peelâ
by Yimin W., 10th Grade
Hall High School
Every day, Great Gram sat on an Antique stool, jabbing her jagged nails into the Spherical pomelo fruit with Yellow, porous peels. âWere you burnt in the oven as a baby?â My aunt joked, unknowing of how those words punctured my heart. Hoping that the dirt would wash away, I scrubbed away at my Skin with a wrinkled loofah until smooth, raw flesh was revealed underneath. As I walked past the whitening products plastered with thin, Pale models who had tall, defined Noses, I lifted up my hood in contempt. âWhat is that weird smell?â Repulsed by my favorite food, dozens of gazes Twisted towards my direction. I stabbed into the dumpling, stuffing Mushy meat inside my mouth as blistering juices gushed into my Eyes. Dribbling down my chin, the salty concoction of Pork juice and tears stained my sleeves Yellow. I preferred to buy lunch ever since. âWhy are your eyes like that?â He snickered while slanting his eyes up. In response, I Laughed and shrugged and imagined Wielding Dadâs acupuncture needles, Harvesting that boyâs sparkling, jade green eyes to replace my Dull, murky brown eyes. In the bathroom mirror, I stretched my Eyelids wide, pouring soap in my pupils, foaming swirling into a milky complexion With a crooked smile, Great Gram handed me a slice of the citrusâs Lustrous, precious flesh that Glowed my irises gold. Taking a careful nibble, Tangy, nectarous juices Tickled my tongue and Trickled down my throat, Sewing between cracks in the Rinds of my amber, pomelo heart.
đ Middle School, 1st Place đ„
âWhy am I Reading and Evading the Question?â
by Roxie G., 6th Grade
Sedgwick Middle School
Ok, so⊠I'm reading. Why am I reading? Well, I'll tell you why. I am reading because⊠It is homework I am bored I am going to the bathroom⊠Ok, now. I see. I am not fooling anyone. And this is getting gross. Ok, fine! You win. I am reading because⊠Amazing, right? Now, how did that feel? To be left in the dark In suspense And there is absolutely nothing That you can do about it. How does it feel To have an answer That is just out of reach? So⊠I'm reading. I am reading for one reason. One reason only. Not three Not two Just one. Now, how did that feel? You want an answer, right? Well, what about a straight answer? You are probably becoming bored- Or, you would be, if I did not use this Amazing tactic. You want an answer. You neeeeed an answer. But do you get one? Well, maybe eventually. You'll have to find out. So, anyway⊠I'm reading. Do you know why? Why I just can't stop reading? Well, I'll tell you why. Cliffhangers.
đ Middle School, 2nd Place đ„
âFamilyâ
by Annabelle B., 6th Grade
Sedgwick Middle School
Family What started it all One slip, one fall A broken hip Hospital trip Hushed voices on the phone Moving from the hospital To rehab for a broken bone We went to visit; we were critical Of the staff whoâs care made us cynical He was confused, slurred We were scared, felt absurd Wading in too deep As he fell asleep Patients were yelling, cursing Nurses were supposed to be nursing I never went back there again But he couldnât stay there forever Looking at places to stay Some close, some far away But the monthly fee Numbers with way to many zeros Crying, yelling, whispering, shouting I tried to be helpful though I felt like pouting It wasnât fair Why us I glare and Daydream of an epiphany where Life was a game that was fair We all took turns Playing and laughing But the real world is where Dreams go aâ crashing And when I went home One normal day, I heard the words âSell the house.â And all the fun and play Went away The house The house The house that Mama grew up in Aunt Michelle Aunt Abby Forty years, standing strong Forty years of memories, Good and bad There is no remedy All of those memories we had We tried to help The job is so big Empty the house Find memories as we dig We laugh, we cry All those memories We see rushing by And I realize That the memories Donât live in the house Or the things Now I know They live inside us And even though Things are changing, The one same thing Is my love for our family
đ Middle School, 3rd Place đ„
âThe Cycle of a Teenâ
by Mandy S., 8th Grade
Sedgwick Middle School
Iâm drowning It feels like I canât breathe I canât get the words out of my mouth You would think being perfect was easy No Itâs not Iâm drowning My mental health is plummeting And my grades too I need to be more than average To earn validation from all Iâm drowning I canât deal with the pressure that all has put on me Too many things to deal with I need to be an honors student Iâm drowning Iâm drowning with the thought of my brain Overthinking every decision of Will everyone turn their back on me one day? Iâm drowning I need someone to save me from drowning But I donât have the courage to speak up Will they think Iâm weak? Iâm drowning Weakness is what I am hiding All they need to is that I donât have one Iâm drowning Will anyone find out and come save me?