April was National Poetry Month, and both Bowlby Public Library and Flenniken Public Library held a poetry contest for the community. During the month of April, local citizens were encouraged to submit their original poems to both libraries.
The Bowlby Library is proud to announce the winners of its seventh annual poetry competition. From the 15 original poems that were submitted, the panel of judges narrowed it down to the winners.
Payton Duncan, K-2nd grade, won for her original poem “My Shadow.” Emma Bates, 6-8th grade, won for her winning entry, “When I Travel I Find Myself.” Brandi Kisner won the adult category, with her poem “No More Clouds, No More Rain.”
At Flenniken Library, a panel of judges read the poems and chose winners from the 25 original poems submitted in April.
Katelynn Schoenfeld, Pre-K-6th grade, won for her original poem. Emma Bates, 7-12th grade, won for her winning entry, “Love at First Song.” Jessica Reeves won the adult category, with her poem “Yellow.”
Love at First Song
Emma Bates
When the opening chords sound,
A certain mood is established
The key, lyric, and song
Come into community to create…
A Masterpiece.
When she hears the song,
It isn’t background music
Not an insignificant noise,
Nor a mere clanging cymbal.
No, this underscore becomes the
Very time’s own
Movie
Soundtrack
Story
Harmony
Riff
It gives me power
It is my secret of joy from God
Wait a while to know a person
Don’t judge a book by its cover
But it is perfect to fall in love at first song.
Untitled
Katelynn Schoenfeld
Falling from the tip of the tree
Floating down, down, down, down on thee
Falling down to the bottom,
I was once clean,
But now I’m color washed
Maybe once summer comes again,
I’ll watch down on thee
All the way up from the tip of the tree
Yellow
Jessica Reeves
Bright and beautiful, loving and warm
Ray of sunshine that took human form
The way she cares, the way she loves
For anyone else, it’d be more than enough
She’ll make you feel like you’re on top of the world
She’ll make you feel like you’ve truly been heard
What makes her so special is the meaning behind
Her kindness, her caring, her beauty inside
It is not because she wants rewarded
It is not so that she’ll feel supported
Rather, it is the empathy she has for others
The ability to understand what it’s like to suffer
It doesn’t matter what she’s been through
For if you need her, she’ll be there for you
Like beautiful wildflowers spread through the meadow
If God made people in colors, I know that she’d be yellow.
No More Clouds, No More Rain
Brandi Kisner
Lilly Ladybug opened her eyes
The sun was shining, to her surprise. No more clouds, no more rain.
She could play outside again.
Lilly Ladybug climbed out on a limb,
Slipped on a raindrop, and busted her chin.
But no more clouds, no more rain,
So she smiled through the pain.
Lilly Ladybug waded through the grass,
But Arthur Ant wouldn’t let her pass.
She turned around and stubbed her toe,
Which made her hobble to and fro.
But no more clouds, no more rain
No more scary hurricane.
Lilly Ladybug climbed up on a rock
It was nearly 12 o clock.
She closed her eyes, the sun shone down
She was comfy on her stone.
No more clouds, no more rain,
Time to nap on this beautiful day.
The sun beamed down as Lilly slept.
She didn’t see Spidey as he crept.
Over the rock and to her side,
Lilly jumped, full of surprise.
No more clouds, no more rain,
Lilly ladybug went on her way.
No more clouds and no more rain,
But, all the distractions, such a pain.
Lilly sulked and with a frown,
She was feeling really down.
Guess I’ll go home, Lilly said.
So she did…….
My Shadow
Payton Duncan
My shadow follows me here and there,
It shows up everywhere.
Sometimes it is big and fat, All the time,
it is really flat!
Sometimes my shadow walks by my side,
If the sun goes behind a cloud, my shadow will hide.
Sometimes my shadow is in front of me,
Or sometimes it hides behind a tree.
My shadow likes to ride my bike,
Or go with me on a hike.
If I run, it runs fast too,
It stops running when I am through.
It’s fun to make your own shadows,
Just use your hands to make it go.
Use a flashlight or the sun,
Guessing what they are is so much fun!
When I Travel, I Find Myself
Emma Bates
Each train
that passes
brings a
glimmer of hope
an excitement
nothing else can bring.
When the
silver streak
streams by,
it is a
holy
kind of noise.
The screech
of tracks,
squeal of
tires-
all running
to travel
to be different
to be you.
When I travel,
I get away,
see
distant lands
discover
hidden mysteries.
When I travel
I find myself,
see
who I want to be
use it as an
opportunity to
be kind
to all
