5th Per. 2018-19 Poet Laureate's Contest Entries

“Poem of Life”

By: Trinity Bowie

I am not that old.

I have learned things.

I will learn things,

as I go.

I hope not to die young.

I hope I don’t suffer when I’m old and frail.

I've seen much suffering.

I’ve done much suffering,

that you may never know.

My life story so far,

is too much for now.

I want peace.

I win and loose peace,

as goes the story of life.

I wish my family well,

and that it goes on for some time.

Though I am not ready to die,

one day, I’ll be ready to die,

as does my grandmother.

She says she wants to go home to the lord.

All we do is cry.

We are not ready.

We will not be ready.

We can only hide our eyes.

“Don’t Blink”

By Harlie Corner

The baby wakes up,

Eyes open like the sky.

Her parents lean over her

And her laughter fills the room.

The child wakes up,

Her eyes narrow with glee

As she runs through the grass.

Not a care in the world,

And she feels as if she can fly.

The young lady wakes up

With eyes all aglow.

Her smile is contagious

As she walks down the aisle.

The woman wakes up,

But her eyes stay closed in prayer.

Not a day goes by

When she doesn’t miss him.

The old lady wakes up,

Cloudy eyes that cannot see.

As she takes a final breath,

She smiles once more.

“Life is More”

 By : Reagan Wimberly

Many believe life is one big cycle,

You are born, you live, you die.

But life is much more.

The start, screaming, crying

People in awe, overwhelmed by the beauty.

The toddler, living without a care,

Full of hope, full of joy.

The teenager, full of beginnings and ends

A time of rebelling, trials and hardships,

The immense schools load, moments made and never forgotten.

The young adult, fresh in love and laughter,

Awaiting the day you have dreamed about,

Saying I do.

The parents, endless nights with no sleep,

Welcoming your best friend into this world, choices to be made.

The worker, a family to provide for,

Bills to be paid, work to be done,

Yet still making time for the things you care about most.

The end, a life well lived,

Full of memories,

Good times, bad times.

No regrets,

As you say goodbye to everything you have ever known.

A new journey begins.

“Time After Time”

By Hannah Hermann

When we are young,

            All we want is to grow up.

            The funny thing is that,

            When we are old,

            We just want to be young again.

            We start out with wild imaginations,

            But as we age, our imaginations dull.

            Time is a horse no man can break,

            It takes you for one wild ride.

            When we are young,

            We are energetic and in eternal bliss.

            When we are old,

            We are lethargic and face hardships.

            Life can flash in the blink of an eye,

            So live life to the fullest.

            All chapters must end,

            So write your own story.

“A Life Is Like A Football Career”

By: Raleigh Hagler

My life is like a football career,

And the people around me are players,

Players added and traded away.

And it is in stages. First is high school,

Learning, building reputation.

Then to college,trying to overcome the

Upperclassman, working harder

Than most. Then being drafted,

Moving far away from family,

But hoping to make another.

Then moving around, and

Closer to home. Meeting new

Players and meeting some more

After getting traded again.

Then finally making your

Mark on a team to bring

Glory to your name. Having

Great seasons then some

Regular seasons. Then it is

Time to retire, to try

Something new. So you start

To coach to help others,

That want to be just like

You. But after time you

Can not do it anymore, so

You stop coaching, and leave

It alone for the last time.

The Sunflower Field

By Leslie Fernandez

A seed was planted in the ground,

Like a baby in its mother’s womb.

Once sprouted, the crying came

Both being brought into the world.

Learning the way of life,

Eating and sleeping,

Growth was shown.

The seedling had sprouted her first leaves

And the baby had walked her first steps.

Learning to run and play, while the other

Learning to catch the sun to feast.

Soon their adventure into life began.

The growth was continuing.

The seedling soon had a bud

While the girl grew into her mother’s shoes

Time was still needed before she bloomed

And time was given to both plant and girl.

The flower nearing her bloom and the girl did too

But the girl had a surprise, for she had a seedling too.

And soon the flower bloom and the seedling grew.

The girl was at the end of her rope

As she had fallen ill, and her flower of life

Had started to wither.

Withered away were both, but hope was near

As the cycle of life appeared again,

For her seedling had been left behind.

“Life”

By: Andrew Golden

Life has many diverse parts,

Lots of different changes in between each part.

It can be tough at times,

But you can make it through.

The first part is the child stage,

At this age you start to learn.

How to tie a shoe,

How to write a complete sentence,

How to add numbers.

The second part is the teenager stage.

This stage can be the most difficult.

You start to learn who you are,

Also your place in the real world.

Then comes adulthood,

You have a lot more responsibilities,

A full time job,

And bills to pay.

Next is the mid-life stage,

Where your not old yet but not young either.

You start to think about retirement,

And what to do next.

Next is the elderly stage,

You have children all grown up,

Grandchildren to see,

Then someday, it's all gone.

“Some People Aren’t Prepared”

Lucy Wiegert

She looked around,

And saw these people from her childhood.

So many had changed.

So many had grown.

She looked around,

And saw the students she had shared her life with.

Some were tall and lanky.

Some were short and stocky.

She looked around,

And saw the faces of her friends.

Some she’d had forever

Others were new acquaintances.

She looked around,

And saw deep emotion.

Some were happy

Others were sad.

She looked around,

And thought to herself,

“Some grow old quick

Others stay childish forever.”

She looked around,

And she knew

That some people weren’t prepared

For the real world.

“The Great Roller Coaster”

By: Morgan Pritchett

Life is like a roller coaster.

A very very unpredictable one.

One second you’re at the top,

The next you are at the bottom.

Some people have everything,

Then they have nothing.

Some people have nothing,

Then they have everything.

But as your grow up,

You realise that materialistic things do not matter.

All that matters is the future,

Not what you did yesterday

Or the day before.

We all have our ups and downs.

Like I said before life is a roller coaster.

So live it to the fullest.

Don’t worry about what other people think.

Just do you.

Because one day that roller coaster will come to an end.

Do not end it with regrets,

Wishing you would’ve opened your eyes at the top and saw the view,

Or thrown your hands up as you’re diving down.

Just make it count.

Because you only have one ticket for the ride.

“Growing Up’’

By Amaya Smith

Only just born into the world

An infant crying, while being held.

Holding his mom’s hand,

The infant now a young boy

Smiles with his new bookbag on

Ready for his first day of Kindergarten.

The young boy, now a teenager

Who just wants to fit in with all his friends,

 Rebellion starts to creep in.

The young man, who wants to explore

Leaves his home to take on the world.

Just like that, he is an old man

Playing with all of his grandchildren

Holding on to his wife’s hand

Spending as much time with her as he can.

Having to depend on everyone,

The old man has now reached the end

Trying to enjoy every second with his family

Slowly counting down the days

Till he sees his wife again.

The Life of Jasper

By Clay Thompson

A child once was I,                              

Full of energetic thoughts,

And playing all day long.

My entire world was home,

No other space accompanying me

In my adventures learning all the while,

Until to school I left.

Oh, how the early years seemed far distant

As I, stumbling, traversed through life.

When arising, then leaving for school

Seemed “normal” to me in that stage.

Then I, growing older all the while,

Raced through life like a bullet,

Not a care in the world had I then,

Oh, how those choices then affect me now.

Growing old is like a horrible experience,

Your life slipping slowly away,

But all of it you deem not so,

Yet you still approach the final door.

Life of Brannon

By Carter Brannon

Growing up has many blessings

When I was an infant

I would grab hold of anything

And wanted my parents close

Then I started school

And made friends with the others

We would play forever

Inside or out

As I got older

The outside became less of life

And inside took all our time

Watching tv and playing fortnite

Then I was in high school

Recent years went by like a blink

Where I work every morning

And eat the rest of the day

Now I am half way through the year

Grades are ok but could improve

Have things on my mind full time

And got teammates who got my back.

Life will pass by

By: Brianna Crockett

Life is a mystery,

One that we have yet to solve.

First, his birth, an infant crying,

Needing warmth, needing air,

Needing love and care. The descent

Into school, while quick and fierce,

Is a child with a loathing fire.

Then a young man,

With great passion and desire,

To be better, to rise higher.

A jealous eruption, and yearning to fight;

Stopped by a fair maiden.

Then an adult, with thick full beard

And the maiden now wife; she gives a child.

Now the man very old, very frail,

Watches his young son, and his beautiful wife.

He sits and thinks, about past now gone, first infant,

Then boy, a young man and a grown one.

And happily watching he drifts,

Drifts into an eerie silence.

“Life Goes On”

By: Lydia Belflower

The news had came they had long awaited,

The baby was finally here.

Mother and Father all in awe,

Crying tears of joy meeting their new baby girl.

Little did the crying infant know,

What life had in store for her.

Time grew older, and so did she.

In a few months she was crawling and walking.

She cried on the first day of school,

And begged for Mommy to stay.

She grew and grew and was unstoppable.

She was learning to drive and then she brings her boyfriend home,

Hoping her Daddy would have her approval.

She graduated school, and then she graduated college.

She got a husband she loved and got her a job.

Soon, she would start a family of her own.

The cycle began once more, leaving the task up to her own children.

In her last days she reflected, “In life, all thing must pass by,

Like a car on the highway.

Life is short and enjoy every moment,

Make sure to live, laugh, but most importantly love.”

“The Game of Life”

By: Dustin Yearty

Life’s a passage,

with many destinations to go.

Small, infantile is the first stop,

Being helpless without your guides.

It’s hopeless to be independent yet.

Now, it pauses at a scholar,

wondering many questions and answers.

Though you may think its rough,

deep down you like it.

Continuing as a young lover, you take your shots.

Serenading fellow sweethearts

with your self perceived romantic tune.

Now, as a soldier, you stand your ground.

Your opinions are the basis of your life.

The passage continues.

Soon, you’re a justice, you’ve learned so much.

To pass it on is your goal, your purpose.

Later, as a lean fellow, your duty is done.

The task is finished, you may rest now.

Alas, the journey must end.

Like a second child, you lay,

waiting for the release into a greater voyage.

A spiritual passage.

“Life is Short”

By: Caleb Hill

Adding, adding, adding NEVER subtracting

this is how life goes

always getting older, never younger.

Life is short, make the best of it.

The first stage is infant to toddler

those first words and steps.

Then the young child, going to school

making friends, having fun.

After comes the teen, full of

love, joy, struggles, family, school.

Young adult is next, collage, marriage, jobs, friends.

 Then you move to older adult, kids of your own, working

building up money for their kids.

Then comes the old age, grandkids, vacations,

retirement, loss of health. Then you are gone,

loved ones grieving, praying, wishing you the

best. life is short make the best of it.

“Rule of Threes”

By: Veronica Lee

Living, Loving, Laughing

Knowing the “Rule of Threes”

Crawling, talking, walking

Hopelessness set upon you.

Growing and learning the ways of your parents,

Not knowing what is best for yourself.

Moving around, place to place,

Only to learn more and become more.

Setting goals, and making them happen.

Learning what is important to you,

Even if it means losing a friend or two.

Knowing yourself and being that and no one else.

Learning the ways of the world and how it works,

Thinking and believing you do not belong there.

Going to school, your graduation year,

Letting that life go and starting a new one, the life of an adult.

Life is not as easy as it may seem from the outside.

Balancing your husband, kids and a job,

Not knowing what is to come.

Your kids live the same as you had,

Making mistakes, but learning as their life goes on.

You grow older, knowing what is near.

Not fearing but knowing what is to come.

Parting from family but gaining an eternity of happiness.

Living, loving, parting, it  goes with the “Rule of Threes”.

Thank you, mom.

By Demetrius Pope Jr.

A young woman sheds a tear as her newborn son cries

A doctor puts him in her arms, she looked in his eyes.

She loves him so dearly, more than life itself

She promised she’d be there if he ever needed help.

She taught him to walk, and caught him when he fell

She talk him to talk, and he’d soon be speaking well.

As this young boy get’s older and a little stronger,

He feels as if his mother’s aid is needed no longer.

The boy in his adolescence will soon meet a girl,

He lays eyes on her and sees his whole world.

He feels he truly loves her, and thinks she is perfect

The boy treated her better than the woman who birthed him.

But something would happen, he couldn’t imagine anything worse than

One day, somehow, this young girl would hurt him

And when she’s gone he’ll cry on his mother’s shoulder

She always has been there, always been his boulder.

Years later the boy has aged, but his mother even older,

She moves a little slower, and her body grows colder.

When she holds her son’s hand, it is that of a man

And he now helps her walk and talk when she can’t.

Her time is near gone, as he lays her to bed

And the now grown man sheds a tear as he says

I love you so dearly, more than life itself

And thank you so much for all of your help.

“Life Stages”

By: Matthew Bland

We all start off young,

With not much use of the tongue.

But as we grow older,

We get a little bolder.

We learn how to speak,

And grow older every week.

We soon hate school

We would much rather chill by the pool.

But we grow more mature,

And our minds turn pure.

We finish our education

And then enjoy our occupation.

We then retire

And our children we admire

As we think of things to say

And our hair turns grey

Life comes to a close

We say goodbye to our foes

It is sad to see

But we have lived a life full of glee