Poetry 99—Kids

Kids winners

First place

Almost Paralyzed

As the dark storm cloud forms above the stream,

a light flickers.

The furious thunder sounds like a plane.

I sit on a bench beside the Neptune blue stream;

I sit with delight.

While my damp head gets drizzled on,

the aggressive dark storm cloud strikes once more.

A homeless, tranquil cat sits by me
almost as if paralyzed.

-Cedar Bailey, 9

By now, Cedar Bailey has become a veteran of the CN&R’s writing contests, having been published in the paper every year since he was 7 years old, and winning both first and second place this year! In addition to writing, the Sherwood Montessori student still likes math and drawing, playing soccer and joining his older brother, Kolin (second-place finisher in this year’s junior-high division), with his skateboard to shred on their backyard half-pipe.

Second place

War

King and queen march in,

no empathy,

crowns sparkle,

as shields shiver and swords glitter.

Soldiers with no fear of dying

running into battle.

Almost all dead,

we surrender.

With both kings’ hearts half empty,

two lucky horses gallop through smoke and trees.

-Cedar Bailey

Third place

The Poet

The poet is cool

He has a pool,

He is overly excited

about nothing new.

He has a page

It has writing on it,

He gets a new page and writes,

I have no clue

-Mykaela Alarcon, 10

For Little Chico Creek Elementary student Mykaela Alarcon, writing—poetry, songs and stories “about my family and my pets”—is just one of her many interests. In addition to being a member of her school’s student council, she enjoys cheerleading, playing softball and training for a 5K with Girls on the Run.

Honorable mentions

Family

A girl on a rocking horse

two boys playing checkers

Father with head in a newspaper falls asleep

Mother making dinner

grandma knits

grampa snores

and though the world outside is shivering

and though the walls are thin

everyone inside this family

is safe and warm at home

-Isa Anderson, 9

Moon Ice

The moon dangling

in the sky like a bright

light

Seeing its reflection and a

little wink at the stars

the moon starts to sink like

a dead fish under water

away the moon goes the

waters frozen now.

-Joey Stuart, 11

Making a Better Day

I had a rough morning

try to get a better day

it’s still a rough evening

I’m still making a better day

It’s still afternoon,

I’m still! Making a better day,

why don’t you help me to make my day

better?

-Tommy Lim, 10

Hungry

If you are hungry

don’t be mean.

If you are happy

you might be full

and when you are full

you’ll be hungry.

And if you’re hungry

Fry an apple

or maybe

a coconut.

-James Nguyen, 11

MoonLit

On a moon lit night

I gaze at a firefly’s light burn

I hear a fire crackle

I smell the sweet aroma

of a flower

I feel the moist grass

I taste the delicious berries

that grow in this magical wonderland

-Ian Miller, 10

Fish

Fish look like tiny torpedoes

blasting through the water

splash splash splish

swimming under the waves

the water making tiny wakes

on the surface

-Matt Kuperman, 10