Write Where You are Poetry Contest 2023

NWP-KSU

Write Where You Are POETRY MAGAZINE 2023

Winning Authors K-2

JUDE WESLEY HILBERT AVERY BOHR GRANT ROBERT WHITE

3-5

KEILANA MILLER SADIE LENDER REAGAN WHITE

6-8

CALLISTA ROUNTREE ALEKSANDRA ROSENBLUM DE'ANDREA MILLER

9-12

ELEANOR KRISTAN EVAN MAY DIEGO COUNTINO GRANDADOS

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

K-2 FIRST PLACE TENNESSEE TRAVELS

JUDE WESLEY HILBERT AUSTINTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YOUNGSTOWN

The lodge in Tennessee is fun because it has games and bounceable chairs Wake up, have breakfast, play Roblox, have lunch and dinner, and then sleep.

Sometimes I take an hour long nap My favorite time of day in Tennessee is a sunny afternoon.

I can play outside, and my parents build a fire.

I know that people have fires in winter, but I'd like to have fires anytime.

We make smores and tell stories around the campfire.

I hear footsteps creeping closer and people hiking the trails nearby.

A beautiful sunset shining with shades of yellow and oranges Thousands of people exploring the Smoky Mountains I run through the trails and explore the forest.

I will probably return on the summer solstice when I'm an adult.

I will feel grateful because I had the chance to return back to Tennessee and to the Great Smoky Mountains.

AUTHOR BIO: JUDE IS A 2ND GRADE STUDENT AT AUSTINTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. HE ENJOYS DRAWING, BUILDING LEGOS, AND PLAYING GAMES ON THE PLAYGROUND.

1

K-2 SECOND PLACE CAMELOT LANES

AVERY BOHR AUSTINTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YOUNGSTOWN

Camelot Lanes is the bomb for bowling Bowling is pretty cool, super awesome, and almost the most amazing activity that I’ve ever experienced!

I like to bowl anytime, but my favorite time to be there is on Saturday nights For the moonlight bowling when they turn out the lights, play music, and the disco ball glitters My favorite time there is in the evening at either 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 pm.

Three sounds I hear are heavy balls hitting the lanes, people slurping on their drinks, and people chomping on their pizza and bits of candy I see people bowling, people buying food, drinks, and candy, and people watching other people bowl I watch people slipping on the wooden floor because the special bowling shoes are very slippery, and people munching on snacks like salty fries I will return on back on Wednesday, March 1 I will feel really happy when I return to my favorite bowling place

AUTHOR BIO: AVERY BOHR IS A SECOND GRADER AT AUSTINTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SHE ENJOYS SOCCER, READING, AND PLAYING WITH HER BABY SISTER.

2

K-2 THIRD PLACE MY TINY CLOSET

GRANT WHITE AUSTINTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YOUNGSTOWN

My amazing closet is tight but still very awesome My favorite time of day there is when I hide in my closet at night and put tons of my stuffed animals under my blanket Then they look under the blanket, and I hear my parents searching for me My favorite time of the day is when I am supposed to be tucked in so I hide for fun I hear my parents looking for me again and feel the warmth of my clothes, shoes, and items that I stuff into my closet I see my many clothes, the toys and shoes that I cram in it, and if I look out, I might see my parents I like hiding and living in my closet I will return again whenever I want to visit When I return, I feel relaxed and just fine

AUTHOR BIO: GRANT WHITE IS A SECOND GRADER AT AUSTINTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. HE ENJOYS PLAYING VIDEO GAMES, READING, AND PLAYING WITH HIS SISTER.

3

3-5 FIRST PLACE THE SOUTH HAVEN SUNSET KEILANA MILLER LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HARTVILLE

The sky was ablaze with the fire of the setting sun as the families gather at the beach, To watch the amazing sight.

The sand castles, Once loved by the children, Are now abandoned and crushed. the beach chairs, used by the parents to watch their young are now gone.

The sand shines with the touch of sun And has tracks of people who played in the day.

The water glistens As the minnows settle for the night.

The seagulls, silhouettes in the sky, fly home to feed their young.

The sailboats come to the sunset As others head home after a long day of floating on the lake.

All is silent, except for the calm sound of the waves. .

AUTHOR BIO: KEILANA MILLER IS A 4TH GRADER AT LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SHE ENJOYS READING AND TAKING FAMILY TRIPS.

4

3-5 SECOND PLACE MY SWING ON A SUMMER DAY SADIE LENDER NORTH RIDGEVILLE ACADEMIC CENTER NORTH RIDGEVILLE

On a summer morning, I love to head outside To my lovely, wonderful spot In the summer day I´d wake up very early, Just to say, That it is very bright and nice out, On a summer day I like to sit and swing as I watch the stars I like to sit and swing as the birds sing songs The sunlight shines from the west Behind the trees it gleams Casting the shadow of many leaves Right on to my swing There is a shadow cast on my swing and the ground As the beautiful birds make some chirping sounds I feel very calm at my lovely spot It helps me dive right into my thoughts Sometimes I just wanna say, That being on my swing, Is the best summer day

AUTHOR BIO: SADIE LENDER IS A 5TH GRADER AT THE NORTH RIDGEVILLE ACADEMIC CENTER. SHE ENJOYS FOOTBALL, SKATEBOARDING, AND BASKETBALL.

5

3-5 THIRD PLACE MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME REAGAN WHITE AUSTINTOWN INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL YOUNGSTOWN

The sand squishes between my toes I know it’s my home away from home I love it more than you could ever know Down at Topsail Island I live here only for a week But it’s like my home away from home I have some sunscreen on my cheek The beach is the place for me The water is salty and blue And it’s my home away from home There’s lots of activities to do In the ocean or on land There’s a saltwater taffy store At my home away from home They have so much more On that delightful island You can go fishing off the dock By my home away from home You don’t really need to watch the clock Unless you have places to be Sandcastles and crabs are fun They’re at my home away from home The seagulls eat crackers a ton So avoid taking crackers I’m away from all my problems here In my home away from home I’m restored; no longer weary It’s my home away from home .

AUTHOR BIO: REAGAN WHITE IS A 5TH GRADER FROM AUSTINTOWN INTERMEDIATE WHO LIKES MUSIC, ART, AND BEING CREATIVE. SHE HOPES TO BE A WRITER WHEN SHE GROWS UP.

6

6-8 FIRST PLACE WHERE ARE YOU?

CALLISTA ROUNTREE R.B. CHAMBERLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL TWINSBURG

Here I sit in the room we've danced together in blasting trashy music that everyone else hates.

The room we've laughed together in over stupid jokes that didn't make sense.

The room we've smiled in from the joy of each other's company.

The room we...

The same room I've cried in because you screamed at me, you hit me, you told me I didn't matter, you told me you hated me.

The same room I've screamed in, pleading you to stop.

The same room you've told my secrets, breaking the little trust I had in you.

The same room you've tormented us in destroyed our peace & happiness in, You've ruined my life.

But still I wonder..

Where are you?

Who did you run to?

Will you get better?

Will you get the help you need?

Are you happy now?..

After everything you've done..

Can you live with yourself?

Or do you still blame us?

I'm still here.

I'm still fighting to survive.

Where are you?

Are you still out there?

Where are you?

AUTHOR BIO: CALLISTA IS AN 8TH GRADER AT RBC MIDDLE SCHOOL. SHE'S AN ARTIST WHO DOES A WIDE VARIETY OF THINGS FROM SCULPTURES TO JEWELRY. SHE ALSO LOVES TO COOK AND SPEND TIME IN NATURE.

7

6-8 SECOND PLACE GRANDPA'S LIVING ROOM ALEKSANDRA ROSENBLUM R.B. CHAMBERLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL TWINSBURG

Your pale feet, Covered in your loose white socks, Only ever touched the ground for a glimpse, Before rocking with the recliner, Back and forth, Back and forth.

The plush of the chair swallowed you up; Your squinty eyes With the smile lines, Your thin lips, Tufts of combed white hair, And white stubble, As you soared over the living room carpet, rocking Back and forth Back and forth.

The fold of the fabric fitted you to the chair, Let you watch your black and white, Grainy, Television shows, While rocking back and forth, Back and forth.

When we would step through the door, Take our shoes And leave them there, near your living room floor, Where our feet will always know the fluffy fabric of your little home, The chair would rest, for just a moment, Allow your eyes to squinch And lips to spread, As we rushed to your side to fold our arms around Our grandpa, Our Babba.

And then we would scatter away, And the rocking recliner would resume its sway.

One day when we set foot In your living room, Our arms would only fold Around your recliner Still rocking Back and forth, Back and forth, Even without you there To touch your toes on your Living room floor And soar.

AUTHOR BIO: ALEKSANDRA ROSENBLUM IS AN 8TH GRADER AT R.B. CHAMBERLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL. SHE ENJOYS PLAYING TENNIS AND VIOLIN, AND CARD-MAKING.

8

6-8 THIRD PLACE IN THIS WORLD

DE'ANDREA MILLER KENSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL BAINBRIDGE

Given the prompt, You’re probably expecting a lot, Of all the dreams I’ve dreamt, And all the places I’ve slept, So where am I, In the this world of crime and injustice, Where I haven’t gotten the gut to have a discussion, Shall we continue to follow by the laws, And continue to forget the flaws, Where am I, I shall cry, Yet remember those who died, Where is my safety, they implied?

Where am I, In this world of fake people and fake lives, The negative in this world thrives, Everyday someone dies, Still my safety is not supplied, I will not stand for this injustice, I thought my life would be luscious, Yet I find myself in the night, Crying until my eyes see light, Shouldn’t I be running free, My childhood still mine to keep, I want to run away from my problems, Where my true self will blossom, Where am I, I will cry, To weep throughout the night, How shall I continue this fight?

I’m falling into this ditch, My tears will be unhitched, Today I will overcome my tears, Maybe I will throw away my cares, But however that cannot be done, I am me, for one

AUTHOR BIO: DE'ANDREA MILLER IS A 6TH GRADER AT KENSTON MIDDLE SCHOOL. SHE ENJOYS, DANCING, PLAYING THE FLUTE, AND WRITING POEMS.

9

9-12 FIRST PLACE AN ENDLESS SEA

ELEANOR KRISTAN TRECA DIGITAL ACADEMY BRECKSVILLE

The hour’s low fiery light dissolves into a pink haze along the horizon I’m standing on the shore, Gazing out to the thin streak where sea touches sky; Above me, A vast expanse with loose dancing clouds; Below, A sun-glittered lapping body of water I allow my eyes to fix on the indistinct point in the middle-distance, And I stare I stare until the definitions of the clouds, The waves Even the horizon line starts to fade and disappear The rich blue of the water dissipates and molds with the pink and orange palette of the low sky, I feel my chest start to melt forward and my perspective ovals like a fisheye lens; I become acutely aware of the wind rushing past the loose corduroy of my jeans My fingers partMy arms spread slightly from my waist and my neck crooks backMy eyes still fixed into the blue nothingness as the sea breeze begins to lift me from tangibility I feel the bounds of myself melting infinitely into the smooth indefinite haze; Careless, Requited being; Me and the world homogenous; I take my first breath in years The sound of the waves supersedes thought in this transcendent moment I only understand the thing that makes sense: Walking forward, The waves taking me, And treading across the seabed through this timeless ether

AUTHOR BIO: ELEANOR KRISTAN IS A 10TH GRADER AT TRECA DIGITAL ACADEMY. SHE ENJOYS PAINTING AND WRITING POETRY.

10

9-12 SECOND PLACE THE FIELD BEHIND MY HOME EVAN MAY THEODORE ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL KENT

My heart felt rent asunder standing hither I lie and look upon night’s milk-smeared sky I listen as the clock comes to a smither; My fate to return back to home is nigh But now, just now, I lie here, steeped in dither The wheat and leaves left withered in the ice Those celestial bodies glancing down here thither Perhaps they are much lonelier than I Although down here they look so close in ether In truth it is in solitude they die And my fate, lying here down on a stone Is my fate, too, to die one day alone?

Nay, not if I have anything to say For next will come an age after this hell When people far and wide might shout my name And thus, at last I hear the clock strike twelve A new year come, along with a new day

AUTHOR BIO: EVAN MAY IS AN 11TH GRADER AT ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL. HE ENJOYS READING, MAKING MAPS, AND COMPOSING CLASSICAL MUSIC.

11

9-12 THIRD PLACE CONCRETE EMBRACE

DIEGO COUTINO GRANADOS THEODORE ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL KENT

Stepping outside of the cool breeze from the airports of Vallarta you are met with an embrace you’ll never forget.

An embrace of humidity and turbulent sounds of cars honking, and dogs barking, it all makes it clear that you are stepping into another world.

Some may call it a third world, yet to me, it is my first.

The airs of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico are no less than welcoming, with the smell of local dining filling the air.

Like stepping into a wonderland, with scents of soft carnitas, warm cane sugar, succulent Pollo Feliz, and the thirst-quenching Horchata.

As the suffocating heat and gleaming sunlight hits your skin, you can only wish to be inside a cold, concrete house.

A house full of smooth walls that flush out the heat, with wind chimes occasionally alerting you of the crisp wind that is to come.

Prancing through the alluring Parque La Loma, you feel a sense of belonging as you hear the yells of street vendors trying to make ends meet, trudging along the rough, concrete roads.

Or exploring the beaches of Samblas, after hiking the many gradual hills with a stomach full of banana bread and chilaquiles.

It’s no secret that this is a place of indigenous belonging, as large families of several primos, tias, and the occasional comadres gather to have breakfast at El Girasol.

While the industrial smell of gasoline or the exotic wildlife may warn off many people, I can always have the confidence to put on a bold face, open my arms, and prepare for a concrete embrace.

AUTHOR BIO: DIEGO LEONARDO COUTINO GRANADOS IS A 10TH GRADER AT THEODORE ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL. HE ENJOYS RUNNING, HIKING, AND WATCHING MOVIES.

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Thank You THE NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY (NWP-KSU) WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR TEACHER-CONSULTANTS AMY HIRZEL, KATE WALLEY, AND VALERIE MILLER FOR MAKING THE WRITE WHERE YOU ARE: K-12 POETRY CONTEST A SUCCESS. A SPECIAL THANKS TO DR. LORI WILFONG AND HER STUDENTS FOR THEIR HELP. THANKS TO AMY HIRZEL FOR CREATING THE CONTEST, COLLECTING THE POEMS, AND DESIGNING THE POETRY MAGAZINE. FINALLY, NWP-KSU WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE STUDENTS WHO WROTE AND SUBMITTED POEMS. YOUR WORDS ARE AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL.