A message from our judge: “We receive so many wonderful entries for Poet’s Playground, and it is very hard to judge which ones are the best. Please do not be discouraged if you do not win! We remind you to please keep your entries to 100 words or fewer, or your entry will be disqualified. Thank you to everyone who entered their poems for Poet’s Playground, and we encourage you all to keep writing poetry; remember that there is no such thing as a bad poem.”
Enter our next Poet’s Playground contest here. Entries are due Friday, May 31.
Age 8 and younger
First Place
Why do bells for Christmas Ring?
Ellison Knox, Cumberland EMC
Why do bells for Christmas Ring?
Why do little children sing?
Once a lovely shining star,
Which the happy shepherds saw,
Slowly moved until its light
Made a manger very bright
There a little baby lay,
Pillowed soft upon the hay
H is Father and Mother sang and smiled,
“This is Christ, the holy child.”
And that’s why bells for Christmas ring,
And so the little children sing.
Second Place
Wildlife
Colton Sellars, Tri-County EMC
Out in the wild, we see a lot
We see cats, deer and hawks.
There are flowers yellow and white
There are trees soo tall.
Come and see Tennessee
It is a great place to be!
And all the things to see.
It is all wonderful to me.
I love the wildlife
There is green grass and water
My favorite thing is that there is a lot of it
Come and see Tennessee.
Third Place
Tennessee
Francis Brown, Southwest Tennessee EMC
The Tennessee is loved so let’s love Tennessee.
Oh Tennessee never leave me.
“I won’t leave you so stay with me.”
“I won’t leave you by yourself.”
“What is your favorite color?”
“Blue,” Tennessee said.
Why are you crying Tennessee?
I’m sad because someone’s leaving me.
I’m not.
Well someone is.
Who?
Alabama is.
Well that’s OK.
Age 9–13
First Place
Nightingales on Tennessee Trails
lshana Patil, Middle Tennessee Electric
On the endless trail
I hear the song of a nightingale
Singing loud
And singing proud
For all to hear.
It brings a lone tear
The sorrow in her song
Is eternal and long
But maybe if you look
In the shallowest stream or deepest brook
In the fields of wheat and soy
Maybe you’ll find her hope and joy
We are the voices in the dark
And we are the songs that reach the stars
We are the dreams of those in grief
But the hope of those who believe
We are the sun, and we are the moon
We are the stars and the song we croon
We are nightingales
Singing our sweet song on the Tennessee trail
Second Place
The Indigo Bunting
Rebekah Knowles, Caney Fork EC
The Indigo Bunting
Is vividly blue.
(Go take a peek,
For that fact is quite true!)
The girl builds the nest,
Then she lays several eggs,
Which hatch in a period
Of twelve/thirteen days.
The Indigo Bunting
Eats insects or seeds
The time of year always
Affects what it needs.
The Indigo Bunting
Stays till fall, comes in spring,
But leaves here for winter
A very sad thing!
Third Place
Ol’ Mistah Buzzard
Zelie Ferri, Middle Tennessee Electric
Why does everyone hate Mr. Buzzard?
Nobody knows.
Maybe because he looks ugly and old
Maybe because he eats dead armadillos
Hey! I like the Buzzard!
He doesn’t let anything decompose
He has a wise heart, and his wisdom grows
Why does everyone hate Mr. Buzzard?
Nobody knows.
Age 14–18
First Place
The Creator
Rachel Ramsey, Tri-County Electric
We are each a page,
God has written us.
We are each a white canvas,
God has painted us.
We are each a piece of clay,
God has shaped us.
We are all a single seed,
God has planted us.
He is an author.
He is a painter.
He is a potter.
He is a gardener.
He is the creator.
Second Place
Americans at Their Best
Hannah Molloy, Volunteer EC
An iris whispers our orange song
A sweet symphony, a melody where there is no wrong.
Our broken country, bleeding and bursting hundreds of years ago,
When freedom came calling, they stepped up without ado.
The Volunteers, sacrifices, Americans at their best
Bold as brass they loaded their rifles and delved into British nests.
A bravery and integrity where there lies no equal
Marched into the battlefield under the watching eye of the eagle.
Blood was spilled, American and Brit
Vigils were held and candles were lit,
Prayers were lifted and an anthem composed for the Americans at their best.
Third Place
A Day in the Kitchen
Katelyn Cook, Cumberland EMC
I went to the kitchen to bake one day,
For it was too cold outside to play.
I opened the cookbook looking for goodies,
And found Grandma’s recipe for sugar cookies.
I got the ingredients the recipe said,
Flour, butter, sugar, an egg.
I accidentally added too much flour,
Then turned the mixer up to full power;
Flour flew all over the kitchen,
I was covered in it and couldn’t stop itching.
I added water to make it dough
Shaped them like cookies and in the oven they go!
When the cookies were done I grabbed the broom;
Then ate one while I cleaned up the room.
Age 19–22
First Place
“I Wish”
Samantha Haley, Volunteer EC
“I wish I was a diamond,”
Said a little piece of coal.
“A shiny little trinket,
“The reflection of a soul.”
“I wish I was a tree,”
Said a little match.
“A haven safe for birds,
“With a nest of eggs to hatch.”
Then coal and match were taken,
In hands rough and forlorn.
“Tonight I’ll make a fire,
“And soon we’ll all be warm.”
With one strike the match was lit,
And the coal began to blaze.
The family sat before the stove,
All eyes on the burning flames.
“I’m glad I am myself,”
Said the match and the coal.
“Together we’ll spread cheer,
“And warm these dear souls.”
Second Place
A Kindred Spirit
Morgan Zukas, Middle Tennessee Electric
To thy friend,
A kindred soul
A heart that lends a helping hand to all who fall before it.
A heart with such sympathy and empathy great enough to break out through our world’s walls.
A heart with the courage and bravery to fight, winning the deserving ability to stand where they do.
A heart that has had to go through the darkest of challenges, the challenges that they wouldn’t wish on anyone else.
A heart with the strength of thousands able to win any battle through its way.
Their ever going smile supplies the innocent bystander with an enormous amount of warmth and comfort.
They have an outstanding ability to make one’s sorrowful heart wipe away its tears.
A kindred spirit
Third Place
⽇⽉如梭 [Time is like a shuttle]
Michayla Smith, Cumberland EMC
Step by step they once walked
together across the pavilion.
It was a warm summer afternoon
And their hands brushed together
like a gentle caress of the wind.
Their fingers plucked the Qin
together creating a new piece.
One began to hum to the tune
and his soft voice
was accompanied in song.
Now hair is covered with frost,
face showing countless wisdom.
“Light travels like an arrow,
And time like a shuttle”
One is gone with the end of spring,
leaving him unaccompanied in song.
Waiting to be reunited;
praying for the next life.
Age 23–64
First Place
If Tennessee Were A Fragrance
Cindy Jackson, Cumberland EMC
If Tennessee were a fragrance
What would the ingredients be
An ounce of summer rain
Or sap from a maple tree
A dash of strawberries
Ripe in the field
Or a splash of watermelon
Only a farmer could yield
Honeysuckle hanging on the vine
Releasing sweetness so incredibly divine
Floral scents so sweetly in bloom
Added so gently creating perfume
A slice of Grandma’s sweet apple pie
With aroma that reaches from kitchen to sky
Most important of all which is easy to see
Mix all the above with a glass of sweet tea
Second Place
Abandoned
Julia Green, Volunteer EC
Love was a little house built to last
but slowly surrendered to winter’s blast.
A rocking chair sits in disrepair.
The scent of dust fills the air.
The cold stone of the hearth lies unforgiving.
Ashes are silent, gray, non-living.
Flames quenched and smoke dissipated,
darkness finds the room isolated.
The hand that stirred glowing embers
has since gone still.
The once exhuberant breath of life
has ceased its swell.
Gusts whistle down the chimney unheeded.
Kindling for the fire cast down, unneeded.
What is left to keep it warm?
The little house against the storm.
Third Place
Visit Tennessee
Cherie Anderson, Holston EC
You ask yourself, where’s a place for a fan?
In West Tennessee, that would be Graceland.
What else can we do? What else could we try?
The Peabody ducks do their March,
At eleven and five
Where else in this great state should we go?
Head out to Nashville, experience Music Row.
Be sure to come east, to Limestone, TN.
Home to Brights Zoo, where you’ll find Kipekee.
Kipekee was born last year,
A giraffe without a spot
You wouldn’t think he’d have much company,
But trust me he had LOTS!!!
Age 65 and older
First Place
I Came to Love You Late
Gwen Ellis, Appalachian EC
Drawn here by golden threads that tie grandchildren to my heart,
I’ve come to love your
hills, valleys, and lakes,
your flowery springs,
and vibrant autumnal hues.
I love your state parks offering refuge
to the weary and exciting cities abuzz
with music, theater, and fireworks.
I love your warm greetings of
“Honey,” “Ma’am,” and “Have a
blessed day.”
I love your church spires gracing
skylines everywhere, and
Sunday traffic jams after worship.
I love your families, heads bowed in
prayer over Southern fried chicken or
pecan pie.
Tennesseans treasure this gracious
haven, few places like it remain in
our weary old world.
Second Place
River Reverse
Ashton Smith, Middle Tennessee Electric
Tennessee’s river, a liquid thread,
Winds through history, where tales
are spread.
Against the current, it boldly flows,
A symbol of strength, as the story
goes.
Reflections of time in its mirrored face,
it holds secrets, a watery chance,
A nature’s rhythm, a backward dance,
against the norm, it takes a stance,
Oh, Tennessee, your river song,
backward you glide, a current strong.
In crested ripples, a tune unfolds,
A liquid history, forever bold
Third Place
Blackberry Picking in Tennessee
James T. Jacobs, Caney Fork EC
Long sleeves are a must they say
There’s a snake better not go that way
Put coal oil around your ankles to stay
Helps keep the chiggers and ticks away
A straw hat to protect from the sun
There ain’t no bears so don’t need your gun
Take water fresh from the well
To quench the thirst is so swell
Watch the thorns, don’t get hung
Blackberries don’t want to give up their young
Like any creature on God’s Earth
It protects them from birth
Find the good ones near the edge of the woods
It’s OK to sample the goods.
