I Am Death

I am not light, Nor darkness. I am not joy, But I am not sadness. I am not sanity, And never am I madness.

I am innocent, Yet I still have a crime. I am not realistic But never mime. I do not like taking lives, But must do it to pass the time. I am never the end of lives But also not the beginning . I am Death, And yet I give life.

Lillian Chesak 1st Place Winner Ages 12-14

A Fairytale From Afar

An arrow shot, a teacup chipped, an apple eaten, a song sung. They went through their days, one by one.

They lived it; I watched it from far away, what difference does it make?

They’re smiling, I’m crying but it’s okay, I never mattered as much as them anyway.

They had their hard beginnings and happy endings with castles, fortune, and fame.

I had a hard beginning, where’s my happy ending? Somewhere far, far away.

Gretchen Stanford 2nd Place Winner Ages 12-14

Which Witch? She walked in wearing silver She walked out wearing gold A secret she was keeping; Nobody had she told

She turned the grass from green to blue And the sky to a magenta pink She grew so tall she could touch the clouds Then slowly started to shrink

Her frumpy appearance changed day-to-day Fat or sometimes thin A beak for a nose and fins for hands A frown or maybe a grin

She could woo the prince if her heart desired Or kill with a flick of her wrist She displays generosity when anger occurs And fury when kindness exists

When she sticks her tongue, it begins to snow And bowing makes everyone teary Her enigma arouses questions like Which witch is she really?

Deeya Prakash 3rd Place Winner Ages 12-14

Under My Bed

I have many weird and crazy things under my bed. I’ll tell you about all of them but not about the floating head… There’s a dozen dusty socks, a two ton hog, A magic bean, a carved wooden log, There’s a gross slimy hungry creature, My 4th grade social studies teacher, The sword of a knight, And a horror movie that gives me a fright Those are just some of the things under my bed.

Kyle White Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

I Remember

I remember We used to play pretend Princesses and dragons. Back then, The fun would never end. Then climbing twisted, gnarled trees and answering summer’s playful breeze Playing at the bus stop We run around and fall On the grass we look up, At the fireworks on the Fourth of July. At the colorful marvel of the sky. We get older, but We are still the same. Snow angels, forgotten shovels Beach in the backyard, false hotels Dolls in the driveway, sunburnt afterward 1st grade to 7th, we go together OF COURSE I remember It would be hard to forget. I remember. Why can’t you?

Covey Sperber Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

Normal

Tiz the curse of insanity The fear of abnormality A term among humanity The quality with no difference The label with no product, A trait you’re willing to die for

James W. Pewett Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

This Was Finally It

I awoke in the night I heard the train let out it’s breath ‘bout a mile away This was finally it I grabbed my suitcase; it’s been packed for years already I’ve always wanted to travel So, here’s my chance I could still hear the quiet hum of the train I quickly tip-toed down the creaking steps I flung open the door And ran so fast, I believed I felt my feet come off the ground I finally reached the train Its steam cloud filled the dark sky I handed the main in the weird hat the money I had been saving for years “Thank you, young lady,” he said. Then he tipped his hat at me This was finally it I stepped on, the train almost empty This train was my freedom, My way out into the world to explore This was finally it The train let out its “toot-toot” and stated moving I looked out my window to see the only world I ever knew s l o w l y passing by And I was off This was finally it Alivia Natcchioni Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

Childhood Nightmare

Roses are red Violets are blue Barney is Psycho An’ he is coming after you He hides in the shadows of dark corner rooms He waits until you sleep so he haunts your nightmares He has a bloody knife an’ it’s always by his side If you seem to make him mad he will snatch and stab you Don’t try to run because he will catch you An’ if you tell on him he will shoot you He kills the young ones because they’re easy to grab That’s why he started a TV show To steal all the attention from the little ones…

Dayton Lacinate Honorable Mention Ages 12 to 14

You’re Not Good Enough

The mirror yells back at me, “You aren’t good enough.” My skin too pale, my hair too long, Everything about me is wrong.

Society calls to me, “You aren’t good enough.” Too independent, too outspoken, I’m always showing too much emotion.

My teachers write to me, “You aren’t good enough.” Too dedicated, too talkative, I guess my words are provocative.

My friends shout at me, “You aren’t good enough.” Too clingy, too attached, I guess we’re just mismatched.

I tell myself “You are good enough.” I am perfectly imperfect, And that’s my final verdict.

Jillian Teeters Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

Reading

Reading is like an adventure With endless paths and doorways at the tips of your fingers The pages are lighter than feathers, yet they contain so much within them Every page I turn, the book smiles at me and encourages me to move on Every chapter that is read is an accomplishment Every book that is completed is a victory Reading occurs every night Every car ride Every morning Everywhere Anytime Books contain Fear Encouragement Happiness Despair And true emotion If reading was gone there would be no hope If reading was lost there would be no enjoyment Although blurred is my sight, I read on late into the night

Nick Morgan Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

I am not a diagnosis

I am not a series of words on a sheet next to date of birth and sex I am not a seat in a therapist’s office or a doctor’s waiting room I am not a prescription picked up at CVS or a pile of pills on the kitchen table I am not a broken child, a first try that didn’t go quite right, a problem to be fixed I am a person I am a girl with words in my head and places to go I am the feeling of euphoria when you hit just the right note I am the secret corners in an old house and the yellowed pages of forgotten books I am moonlight streaming through a window as raindrops pass through like falling stars I am the thoughts you have when you finish a book that didn’t end happily ever after I am ripped seams and scuffed shoes and a million other things I am words on a page but they are the ones I wrote

Aria Schottelkotte Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

The Girl in the Window

As if she’s sitting outside The tears that fall from her face Are like the rain Falling from the clouds Her trembling hands Like the thunder crackLing through the sky The quick flashes of memories Like the lightning striking in the distance As she sits alone in a room She wondered if she could’ve done better Wondered if she cared too much Expected too much She sat alone for hours Trying to find the answers She didn’t’ seem to have The wounds were opening The pain cutting deep The scars more than visible As she sat in a room She wondered if it wasn’t supposed to work out If it was for the best She let it go In hopes she would be more relieved But right now She just felt as if leaving is causing her pain Then staying She knows she can’t go back She tries all day not to think about it It just keeps consuming her thoughts Before she goes to bed When she wakes up And every hour in between There’s only one thing that would make her happy For it all to just to away One day the pain will cease And she will have a good day And she will look at life And say, “I have overcome you.” Until then She will be the girl in the window

Corin Hill Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

The Natural Color

the natural color of my life is always beautiful their eyes see a healthy independent me for in my dreams I am a star

Simah Sinichi and Samirah Sinichi

Honorable Mention

Ages 12-14

Clock

A pale face, blank and round Twitching with the slightest sound Bony, Black Fingers glide over its face, Covering lengths in a singular grace Slowly humming its mechanical song Feet unknowingly tap along Caged inside a vault of glass Beneath the surface spun by brass Lonely, isolated on the peeling wall, Whispering echoes down the hushed hall Innocent and small, in a framed crown, We all forget what’s counting down

Madelyn Kennebeck Honorable Mention Ages 12-14

Personal Library

I walk into my room And my eyes immediately go to my bookshelf.

Perhaps more than one hundred books, Just sitting here, Calling to me. To sit down and read. To neglect my chores, my work, and read. To read. To escape. To be immersed in another’s adventures.

These books are portals to other realms.

And there are so many, so many portals. Just sitting on my shelf

I try to go back to math homework, But my mind is laser focused On books, On rediscovering the twists and turns of cherished stories.

Abandoning functions, I eagerly grab the nearest novel I can find

It’s a fictional piece, A favorite.

One of damsels in distress, One of heroes riding on noble steads to save the day

It’s like the tide of an ocean,

Drawing me in

It’s like a lullaby Gently rocking me, Easing me into the thrills and chills Of words on a page.

“Megan!” I jump. My marvelous, magnificent mother has Drawn me out of my happy place.

I sigh

4 hours have passed me by

Then slowly, slowly, I ease back into the lives of others.

One more chapter, I think…

Megan Pidcock Honorable Mention Ages 12-14