Congratulations to the 9th Annual Teen Poetry Contest Winners!
Each year we celebrate National Poetry Month in April with our Teen Poetry Contest.
Teens in grades 7-12 from Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Westmoreland, are invited to submit up to three originial poems. Out-of-region library cardholders may also enter.
This year's winners were chosen (anonymously) by Allison Seay, Arrington Poet-in-Residence at University of Mary Washington.
Entries were accepted online between April 1 - 14, 2012, and winners were selected from participants in grades 7-9 and grades 10-12.
Winners are awarded prizes and invited to read work at Teen Poetry Night at Headquarters Library: Monday, April 30, 2012, 7:30-8:30.
We had nearly 200 entries this year! Here are the winners ...
1st place, Grades 10-12
A Thousand Notions
by Kaitlin
Grade 11, Chancellor High School
I have this notion that stars can be crushed,
Blown from the palm like dandelion seeds
And delivered.
A thousand times I’ve tried it,
But the glass pieces of wishes still wait, shivering,
For winter to be over.
And a thousand times I’ve tried forgiveness,
And a thousand times I’ve tried to stay.
All the words I try to speak get stuck in my throat,
Stagnant.
I give it to the stars,
Hoping that somewhere, somehow,
You’re getting the notion too.
