"A book, too, can be a star, 'explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly,' a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe." - from Madeleine L'Engle's Newberry Medal Acceptance Speech

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Winners of Poetry Competition!!

Congratulations to the following students who will be published in City College's Poetry Publication called Poetry in Performance!

These poets will read at the annual poetry reading at City College on Friday, May 11!

Jake Lester, "A Sonnet of Meaning"
Joshua Wladman, "A Dream"
Isabel Arriaga, "A Sonnet for Princess"
Zack Polomo, "A Sonnet to the Rain Forest"
Yohance Barton, "My Mom Yells"


1 comment:

  1. All the sonnets chosen:
    (In possible order of greatness)


    A Sonnet Of Meaning
    By Jake Lester 813

    Emotions, emotions, what purpose served?

    No practical reason of existence.
    A perfect person can now be unnerved.
    And oh so very hard for resistance.
    In crucial moments cause hesitation.
    Causing impossible control of thoughts.
    Giving way to annoying sensation.
    Relief from this weight is what I have sought.

    But alas, it is what makes us human.
    For without that I ask, what would we be?
    Without the ocean, what would be the sand?
    A dessert as far as the eye can see.

    There would not be moisture, life just as well.
    And what would life be then? It would be hell.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    A Dream
    By Joshua Wladman 813

    A boy of three looks up at me with eyes
    of brown and shining blond tresses with curls.
    And what he wants is clear to me; here lies
    Some gifts which bear his name upon their twirls

    And then I see I look like him; the boy
    Who looks at me: I see the boy is me
    He waves his arms I see, perhaps to toy
    With me. Or he yet might just wave with glee.

    And so I wave to him as he had done
    And now it’s clear that I am not the one
    Who stands waving to him like he has won
    The game monopoly, of quite good fun.


    I wake with sunshine pouring in my room
    And sun rays shine without a sense of gloom.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    A Sonnet for Princess
    By Isabel Arriaga 813

    She prowls around the still kingdom at night
    Her ears are up, her pounce on the ready
    She keeps the world within her watchful sight
    Her paws pad soft and slow and ever steady
    Head high, streamlined, white whiskers lead the way
    Sharp teeth, strong claws, attack or else defend
    Way back she roamed the wild, stalking her prey
    House-bound she still sizes up a foe or friend

    So when it comes time for going to bed
    She purrs, meows, scratches at my shut door
    When I give in she goes right to my head
    Before I’m back she’s off to a loud snore

    Of course, you know, I’m so quick to forgive
    Sleeping without her now, I could not live.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    My sonnet for the rain forest
    By Zack Polomo 810

    The rain forest is a living being
    Tears of the leaves splash on the muddy ground
    The native creatures are wise, all seeing
    Aware in the home to which they are bound

    A savage howl echoes in a dark cave,
    Stalactites shake with the loud, intense noise
    Sun shines on the plants to which life he gave
    The small tree frog’s skin is tinted turquoise

    To outsiders, this place is dangerous
    In many ways, they are in fact correct
    The happenings here are spontaneous
    Nothing scientists could try and dissect

    Try to look upon it with your own eyes,
    And see the wilderness without disguise.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    MY MOM YELLS
    By Yohance Barton 807

    My mom yells at me when I kick and play
    So I tell my mommy that, "I'm sorry"
    But I'm not..... so I continue all day
    Why don't you sit down and watch some " murry"?
    I say no I would like to have some fun
    If you don't sit down you will be groubded
    Nahh stop I aint with that type of stuff son
    Do not make a sound is what sounded

    Mommy I would like to apologize
    She was so happy, I was about to cry
    So then I smiled, and then I arise
    to what a crazy suprise someone died

    I thought to myself that isn't funny
    then I got a wiff of some sweet hon

    ReplyDelete