Categories
Arts & Music

Poetry

This year’s Carrboro Day poetry reading includes a new feature — the first annual readings by the winners of the town’s Youth Poetry Contest. Sponsored by Carrboro Recreation & Parks and coordinated by Carrboro’s Poet Laureate Neal McTighe, the contest had more than 50 entries from students in elementary, middle and high school.

The winners will be recognized on Carrboro Day at 4 p.m. at the Town Hall board room, where they and others will participate in the annual poetry reading from 4-5:30 p.m.

High School Division

Becky Bush
Chapel Hill High School

Sixteen-year-old Becky Bush believes that “beauty comes in all forms, shapes, and sizes” and “needs to be spread throughout the world.” She writes that she hopes that through her poem “readers can view themselves
differently and find that they too are beautiful.”

Summer Hope
dedicated to a young camper who changed my life
I tried to come up with a topic,
A topic that would explain,
The love I felt for this girl,
And the pain I never gained.
Her name was Summer Hope.
The memory,
Those eyes, her smile,
Sparkled like the delicious sun of Eden.
I was supposed to be her counselor,
Instead, she became my friend.
I never knew a friend could be,
That life-changing, chicken noodle soup story.
What she didn’t believe,
Could change her life.
Three words,
Changing the image the mirror saw.
My heart like a shattered window,
When I knew what the mirror saw,
A distorted face,
That ugly smile.
I kept repeating the soft words,
As the week went on.
Hoping I could make a difference,
And the window would be cleared.
Finally on that last night,
I said one more time,
“Being beautiful is
On the inside and out.”
And “you are beautiful,”
Summer Hope didn’t object.
Somehow I knew,
Next time Summer Hope was knocked down,
She would be able to stand back up.
Keeping her nine year old feet,
Firmly planted on the ground.
Beauty—a strange noun,
Describing people who can make you smile,
And although my eyes are filled with tears,
Summer Hope’s window is finally clear.

Honorable Mention: Becca Desper of Chapel Hill High School

High School Junior Becca Desper has been writing poems, songs and short stories since she first learned how to write. But it’s not only writing she is passionate about, horses and riding have taken the other part of her heart.

Effortless Breath
And effortless breath,
But yet grasped for.
An internal cut,
But yet a healed scar.
Is life everlasting?
Or a deadly poison dart,
That penetrates the skin?
Will the world continue revolving,
Around and round successfully?
Or will this spectacular planet,
End heartbreakingly tragically?
A deadly secret kept,
Inside her scared head,
Leads to an unfortunate wish,
A wish that she was dead.
This effortless breath once taken,
Now starts defining death.
This scared teenage girl,
Should have never started meth.
She holds her hand to her throat,
And now begins painfully to choke.
In her head she now wishes,
That she never started coke.
One last breath effortless breath,
One more last gasp.
One more internal cut,
But no longer a healed scar.
No, life is not everlasting,
But is a poison dart
Penetrating the skin.
If only this girl could hear this,
“I love you baby, please don’t leave me”
But this young girl lays there motionless.

Middle School Division

Shannon Mumper

McDougle Middle School

Twelve-year-old Shannon Mumper has done quite a bit of traveling! Born in Texas, moved to Kentucky, and now our beloved North Carolina. Shannon says she loves to write. She is already making quite a name for herself, having entered and won other poetry competitions. May she continue her success. Her poem is a perfect match for the weather outside.

Spring is here
They run through the street
with no worries
as the bright sun dances in the sky
The warm breeze
sways with the trees
and gently waves to the Earth
With winter hidden
spring arrives
with summer not too far behind
Rays of light
shine much brighter than the night
above the Earth and over the children
And with the beauty of nature
the flowers bloom and light up the world
with color and happiness,
one daisy and tulip at a time
He holds a brush
and with serenity,
he paints a joyful mood
at his fingertips
He smiles,
looking out
into the distance, for spring is here

Honorable Mention
Aylee Peck Whitesides
Smith Middle School

Eleven-year-old Aylee of Smith Middle School has some wonderful ideas about Peace, what it is, where it can be found, and why we should aspire to it.

Peace is…

Peace is a dream, when my eyes shut at night.
Peace is my future, when all the wars end.
Peace is a quiet place to read.
Peace is a golden heart, in a wonderful person.
Peace is that twinkle, in her dark brown eyes.
Peace is a calm, sweet animal, in need of attention.
Peace is a loving mother, holding her little child.
Peace is our world, our world with no war.
Peace is a softball landing, with a “plop” in the mitt.
Peace is a soccer ball, gliding through the air.
Peace is a dark night sky, scattered with bright twinkling stars.
Peace is a pair of shoes, hitting the hard, black asphalt.
Peace is a painting, with a calm scene on it.
Peace is a feather pillow, laying on a soft feeling bed.
Peace is what you say it should be.
Peace is my mother,
my wonderful mother and me!

Elementary School Division

Elizabeth Yang
Carrboro Elementary

Eight-year-old Elizabeth Yang—two school years advanced for her age—writes that she intends to be “a poet, a musician, a doctor, a scientist, an artist, a writer, a pilot, an inventor, a marine scientist, an astronaut, and a president.” From her poem it appears that she’s already become many of those.

The Magicmathical Interchange

One day Mr. Quarter was coming home,
But then he saw a mysterious dome,
Flashing with a golden light,
He thought his eyes weren’t going right.
“I shall go in,” he said to himself,
Then strangely he saw a beautiful elf,
Who really was a magicmathical fairy,
Omnipotent but not so hairy.
“Any wish of interchange I will gladly grant,”
So quarter (a fraction) tilted his head in a slant,
“I want to be a percent!” his eyes shining,
So the fairy whooshed with her magic lining.
Now he was a percent, 25% out of a hundred,
He was surprised you could have read,
But if ¼ = 25% there must be another form he thought,
“A decimal!” he cried and then appeared a dot.
Now he realized he was special,
A fraction, percent and even a decimal!

Honorable Mention

Charlotte Deming

McDougle Elementary

Eleven-year-old Charlotte Deming enjoys reading, drawing and writing. Her favorite sport is swimming, favorite animal a dog, favorite color, silver. Her poem speaks for itself.

No More Fire

The heat that smolders
and burns my eyes
comes from no other
than you
you hold the anger
that flashes red
in my mind
blazing my soul
with hot madness
you are the person
that lights my mind
with a star that shines
like the sun
yet you are the person
that has put out my fire
hiding the coals
with pale, grey ash

Honorable Mention

Maggie Weber
Carrboro Elementary

Seven-year-old Maggie Weber loves “writing poetry” and “animals.” Maggie’s poem will keep ringing and ringing and ringing in your mind.

Pencil Topper
My little purple pencil topper
is an alligator
that eats
mistakes
like
CapiTals ThaT don’T beLong.