FIRST PLACE:
Senses of the fall
The taste of the cool air
playing hide-and-go-seek with your tongue
Fresh apples dotting
sweetness along your lips
The feel, Oh the feel
The feel of the cold biting
at your neck like a snake
Then the sun making it
disappear
Slowly kissing you goodbye
as you fade into the long cold
The smell of growth becoming
dimmer
The air getting thinner and
tickling your nose as you inhale
The sounds, Oh the sounds
The sounds of leaves being
crunched as a car drives by
The sound of the leaves
gliding across the ground
The sound of peace as the
wind carries away all sounds of civilization
The sights, Oh the sights
Red, Green, Yellow, Orange,
blending into one as the wind surges
The senses, Oh the senses
The senses around you
Blending into one that can
be described by only one word
Fall
by
Zach Lorsch
SECOND PLACE:
LOOKING BETWEEN THE LINES
Differences are left off the field.
Every guy is there to do the same thing,
To scoop the chopper off the dry patches of grass
Or snag the fly ball vanishing into the cotton filled sky.
To hit the knee-buckling curve ball
That makes you scared to step into the rectangle of chalk.
When the pitcher looks at his rival stagger to the plate,
He sees his nervous eyes waiting the inevitable fast ball,
Not the color of his challenger’s complexion.
The batter stares back at him,
Glaring at the cautious beads of sweat,
Dripping down the pitcher’s face.
He imagines the perfect pitch taking a trip over the fence,
Not of his opponent’s life.
There is harmony between the lines.
The two come together and play more than just a game.
They show how life should be.
By David Lurie
THIRD PLACE:
RACHEL AT THE POOL
I looked at her
I think she saw me too
She looked like someone
Someone I once knew
I looked out of the corner of mine
And into hers
Our eyes connected for a second
And then she turned away
Both something about her face had changed
And I was sure that there was more
To her change than just her face
It had been a few years since the days of our fun
And a few years could change someone
I walked away, wondering
But yes, I did look back
And I think her eyes were searching for me too
By Jamie Tunkel
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Broken
Skies
The ice has melted,
The sun has set,
The flowers have wilted,
The ground is wet.
My heart, like the snow,
Conceals actuality.
My thoughts, like the stars,
Fear reality.
My life, like the sun,
Is powerfully blinding.
Broken promises, like the sky,
Are always binding.
My head, like the world,
Will not stop spinning.
And I, like prey,
Have no chance of winning.
My spirits, like the ground,
Will never soar.
My soul, like a desert,
Is cursed for evermore.
by Casey Rosen
Into
your heart
Inside
alone
You
lost your part
You
give content
To
what you feel
But
feeling that
May
not be real
The
sadness rains
Like
water flows
Creates
a creed
That
no one knows
Your
sorrow drowns
Before
your eyes
Because
of all
Your
unheard lies
You
now move forth
From
this decent
And
with the truth
Will
find content
by Lauren Ryan
Nature
is a motivation,
To
climb the highest mountain peek,
Create
the most beautiful snow angel,
Swim
one hundred miles in Mother Nature’s tears.
Is
mankind challenging nature?
Is
mankind stronger than a hurricane’s powerful grasp?
Is
mankind swifter than the morning breeze?
Or
can we be more gentle than a sunflower’s blossom?
Are
we challenging her or enjoying her?
by
Alexandra Domanico
Stones knew the
answers
They are the heir to
mountains and rivers
So sometimes, I ask a stone
what it knows
I tap it softly like a drum
Or throw it gently on a pond
And watch its answer appear
As sound waves across the
water
by Jeffrey Tam
WHICH WITCH
It’s
Halloween
You best beware
Ghouls and goblins
everywhere
It’s witches night
The night of fright
Which witches use
To their delight
A boo, a scare
A trick or treat
Care to smell my stinky
feet?
The witch’s fly
Up up so high
Across the moon
Through midnight’s sky
At stroke of twelve
They disappear
To fly to where no one is
near.
When daylight breaks
There stands a broom
Which witch left it in the
room?
by Nicole
Verity
My Friend
My friend, you are
my angel.
You were sent from
up above
To fill my life
with gladness
And bring the
warmth of love.
You pull me out of
my pool of problems,
And you teach me
things that were not yet taught.
You lift me when I
have fallen,
And you win my
fights that could not be fought.
We share so many
memories,
Things that will always
last.
We laugh and have
fun together,
With you life is
such a blast.
You understand me
more than anyone,
For our minds and
hearts are identical twins.
You help me climb
the mountain,
And you turn my
losses into wins.
My world would
spin without you,
We are as close as
we could be.
You hold me up
when I stumble,
And you turn the
me into a we.
With you anything
is possible,
There are no
limits and no end.
You are so very
important,
You are my very best friend.
by Mel Danowitz
Not
everyone weak can be broken,
Not
everyone poor can be bought.
Not
everyone dumb can be shaken,
Not
everyone large can be tough.
Not
everyone smiling is happy,
As
not everyone frowning is sad.
So
people whose eyebrows quiver,
Are
not necessarily mad.
Not
everyone shaking is frightened,
Not
everyone flinching is scared.
Not
everyone clenching their teeth,
Is
ready to explode from their chairs.
Occasionally
people surprise us,
But
that’s only my point of view.
The
question is not why appearances are so deceiving,
It’s
about what you choose to do.
by Kali Olsen