Congratulations to all poets who entered our contest. Below are the winning poems.
Best Poet Adult Category: Gary S. Elam
Loss
A void is created
A feeling of despair
A tortuous affliction
That often does impair.
A trial of the heart
And torment of the soul
Leaving a great emptiness
Time must soon make whole.
Suffering in sadness
Stopping now to mourn
Wading through the darkness
A life completely torn.
Grieving for tomorrow
While weeping for today
Praying that the heartache
Will slowly fade away.
An emotional departure
A struggle to move on
Coping with despondency
But hope is never gone.
2nd Place Poet Adult Category: Robert J. Fritz
The Great Fifty-Eight
There lies a wall, that's long and sound
Fifty eight thousand was how it was found.
There lies a wall, somewhere in the cold
Of the fifty eight thousand is the story it told.
There lies a wall, that's tall and wide
Of the fifty eight thousand young men who had died.
There lies a wall, of death and much more
The origin of which was the living room war.
There lies a wall, that we sometimes hide
Of the fifty eight thousands of mothers that cried.
There lies a wall, of the great fifty eight
No mother's son should have suffered that fate.
There lies a wall, has anyone cared
Of the fifty eight thousand whose days disappearted?
There lies a wall, created through three presidents
Who made fifty eight thousand its permanent residents.
There lies a wall, somewhere in DC, to open our eyes
And teach us to be, aware of a time of trauma, of war.
When our nation was torn, they came home forgotten
They came home to scorn.
There lies a wall, I think all should know
About the fifty eight thousands of dead G. I. Joe.
There lies a wall, and yet I've never been
To see all the names, I think that's a sin.
There lies a wall, at least that's what I hear
I hope to see some day, well, maybe next year.
3rd Place Poet Adult Category: Andrea Bianco Skrip
Dormont My Home
A borough known to be one mile square
a community connected by citizens who care.
Early settlers we are told, coined its name "the mountain of gold."
Independent ancestors stood tall on their own,
and built a prosperous town that has grown and grown.
One by one, more families arrived, full of energy
and a strong will to survive.
Houses were built, lot-by-lot
many a folk developed that land they bought.
Generations, some second and third established their roots,
in our Dormont, a place that most, it suits!!
Many a family have come and gone, grandparents, parents,
their children and so on and on.
Dormont, a town full of history and pride, many a landmark
still does survive.
Our pool, built in 1928, still looked upon my many, as first rate.
Dormont Park, so vast and so green, the 4th of July, Baseball,
Picnics, Our fireworks, still reign supreme!!
Unique is Dormont, now modern day, has a renewed energy,
all of its residents say.
Our borough with its businesses and neighborhoods, alike,
must continue to strive for new goals, new optimism, and a continued quality of life.
Our Dormont will always live up to its name,
to me, my home, all one in the same.
Dormont my home will never foreshadow, but only SHINE!!
as my future, my life, for me and mine.
Best Poet High School Category: Joe White
A Cold in Other Terms...
To be ill at ease --is it the same as raging disease?
Infiltrating the pores, it fills you, almost complete in its conquering
Slowly eating your health
A devouring monster
A microscopic war unfolds, forced to be waited out
Nose a stuffed animal -- it has its own roaring sound
A constant running and clogging
Throat like wild beasts, hoarse and rough
The turning of tides, Fever breaks like the first light of a rising sun
A relieved triumphant body all the wiser to the enemies trickery.
Best Poet Middle School Category: Maria Inks
I Am
I am a girl who likes memories and new experiences
I wonder what my mom was like when she was my age
I hear my parents and grandparents' loving guidance
I see through a camera lens of memories
I want to review my past and keep my future a surprise
I am a girl who likes memories and new experiences
I pretend to imagine a different world with no time
I feel not only excitement but anticipation for the next step
I touch the pressed photographs of my old times
I worry that I can't see myself from different points of view
I cry when things seem to go to fast
I am a girl who likes memories and new experiences
I understand how sometimes good things happen so fast you can barely remember
I say there there should be a way to slow down or always remember
I dream of seeing myself when I'm older and how I will be
I try to be more creative and follow my dreams
I hope to be imaginative and open to my future
I am a girl who likes memories and new experiences
2nd Place Poet Middle School Category: Katie O'Toole
Winter Wonderland
iPods sing are you listening
Diamond rings are a glistening
Dad puts up the lights
Mom says they aren't right
Walking in a winter wonderland
Gone away is the homework
Later on we'll have new work
It never seems long as we go along
Walking in a winter wonderland
In the toy store we can buy a Barbie
And pretend that she is Carson Brown
Ken'll say are you married She'll say no man,
But I can marry you while you're in town
In the mall we'll conspire,
As we become pro-buyers.
To face unafraid, the list the kids made,
Walking in a winter wonderland
In the shoe store we can buy stilettos,
And some ballet flats with no high heels
We'll have lots of fun with all our new shoes,
Not caring how the other kids feel
When Christmas comes ain't it thrilling
Some hot chocolate cures the chilling
We'll sing carols and pray,
The traditional way,
Walking in a winter wonderland
3rd Place Poet Middle School Category: Joseph Christopher
Jack Sprat
Jack Sprat could only eat fat
His wife could only eat lean
And so betwixt the two of them
They ate everything even the bean.
Joan devoured all the lean
Jack got really fat
He ate even the chicken bone
And nothing left for the cat
Jack Sprat was dragging
His wife to the ditch
He spun her around and around
And in she did pitch
Jack said "She be drowned!"
Joan did not reply
She drowned! She drowned!
So he went home and ate apple pie
Best Poet Elementary School Category: Kla Washington
In a Day in the life of me
In a day in the life of me I will climb
the tallest mountain,
In a day in the life of me I will climb
the grandest tree,
In a day in the life of me I will scale
the biggest building,
In a day in the life of me I will sing
on the largest stage,
In a day in the life of me I will tame
the wildest beast,
In a day in the life of me I will grow
the most beautiful flower,
In a day in the life of me I will read
the longest book,
In a day in the life of me is a day in
the life of my dreams
