1st Place
Beatriz
16 years old
Vines High School
Plano, Texas
Memories of Paradise
I have long lived in this land,
filled with empires made of sand.
The vast desert of our time,
soon to crumble without a dime.
I remember in my dreams,
the memory of a world,
ancient and old,
where the Gods were killed.
The soft breeze that caressed my cheeks,
the scent of wild fruit at its peak,
and the people of this land,
so kind and so hospitable,
even to its enemies.
But I had to leave this place,
filled with beauty and secrets,
forced to adapt to a culture,
so strange and harsh.
Some called it the land of dreams,
but what a price this dream cost me.
Unforgivable, but unforgettable,
the land that closed its doors
and exiled me for a crime that
was not mine,
but the first crime committed on this wretched land.
So I walk now, barren and stripped,
now adapted to the stranger world,
erasing the memories of my past,
the land where I once played with the angels,
and sang with the sirens,
where I played until twilight,
so innocent and so young.
2nd Place
Augustus
14 years old
Mar Vista Middle School
San Diego, California
No Title
A storm inside
Wind howling, rain falling
A shed in a storm
Torn apart
The sea is calm,
The sky is clear,
And the storm has passed
Left ruins
Time to rebuild
3rd Place
Camilla
13 years old
Grand Mesa Middle School
Grand Junction, Colorado
My Life
Crazy nights
Gang fights
People lying on the fl oor
I ask “What’s it all for?”
There’s something missing
What would that be?
A hole in my heart
How did that start?
My broken family
I look around
A mom, dad, brother and sister
With me there are only three
At night I cry
During the day I pray
Why couldn’t she just stay
That’s how it’s meant to be.
Honorable Mention
Robbed of My Innocence
Claudia
14 years old
Glenn Middle School
San Angelo, Texas
Tu nombre
Miguel
14 years old
Estes Park High School
Estes Park, Colorado
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