A note: Please keep your entries to 100 words or fewer. Submissions exceeding the limit will be disqualified. Thank you to everyone who entered their poems for Poet’s Playground, and we encourage you all to keep writing poetry.
Age 8 and younger
First Place
I Love Tennessee
Gideon Snider
Sequachee Valley EC
Tennessee, oh, Tennessee,
I love you, and you love me.
Your beauty is there for all to see.
There are so many reasons to love
Tennessee.
From the Great Smoky Mountains
To the Cumberland Plateau,
Where the iris grows,
And the redbuds bloom.
W here the whip-poor-will sings sweetly
Under the Tennessee moon.
What I love about Tennessee
Makes me wish the whole world could see:
The true beauty of Tennessee is passed on like a legacy.
Second Place
Breeze of Tennessee
Samantha Ojeda
Tri-County EMC
There is a place
That blows a sweet, southern breeze on your face.
The breath of Tennessee.
Or is it the Creator of you and me?
I believe He made the perfect state
And this breeze. So refreshing, so great.
It is time for the dogwoods to dance and sway,
As three special stars wait for the dawning of May.
Third Place
What Comes to Mind
Victoria Robertson
Cumberland EMC
T – Tongue – What I use to talk with.
E – Egg – American Eagles lay eggs.
N – Nice – Dad is nice to me.
N – Ninja – I like to watch “American Ninja Warrior.”
E – Elephants like to eat grass and drink water.
S – Stop! That’s what I tell my brothers.
S – Smell – I like to smell flowers.
E – Eat – I can eat cheese.
E – Easy – It’s easy to draw stuff.
Age 9–13
First Place
Echoes of Tennessee: A Tribute in Verse
McKaylee Crowe
Gibson EMC
In Tennessee’s embrace, echoes of yore,
Music’s heart beats on, forevermore.
From Nashville’s honky-tonks, to Memphis’ blues,
Rhythm and soul, in every muse.
Smoky Mountains stand, in morning’s glow,
Nature’s grandeur, a timeless show.
Rivers meander, through valleys green,
Tennessee’s beauty, a tranquil scene.
History whispers, in each ancient stone,
Civil War tales, in fields overgrown.
Graceland remembers, a king’s sweet song,
Tennessee’s spirit, forever strong.
The Volunteer State, with pride unfurled,
A tapestry of stories, in every world.
Tennessee, where dreams take flight,
In mountains and rivers, in day and night.
Second Place
Tennessee Treat
Emily Brown
Middle Tennessee Electric
Papa, why is a treat called a Moon Pie?
I can tell you, I know why.
For every little bite you take,
A shape of the moon you will make.
Crescent, quarter, phases galore,
The taste makes you want to have more.
You start with a full moon but very soon
It will be long gone.
But look at the moon and dream of the treat,
And surely you will wake up knowing
You need to buy more!
So repeat each step every day and night
And I know you won’t just take one bite.
Third Place
Tennessee: A United Nation
Carmella Bolton
Duck River EMC
High in the Smokies
Three stars are we,
Our nation is one
Called Tennessee,
A mockingbird sounds
His loud harsh call,
Irises whisper
Their windy spring song,
Surrounded by blue
And banded by white,
Bordered by red
Our flag is a sight.
Age 14–18
First Place
a saddening reality of a problematic emotion
Shay Simpson
Meriwether Lewis EC
I weave you in my stories,
I paint you in my sunsets,
I read you in the novels
Stacked high on my desk.
I breathe you in the air,
I glimpse you in a stranger.
You dance through all my fantasies,
You’re the loveliest kind of danger.
I hear you in a laugh,
See you twinkle in his eyes.
I feel you in my blood,
I’ll sense you when I die.
You’re laced through the borderline
Of all things good and evil.
Oh Love, how do you do it:
Both fix and ruin people?
Second Place
Place of My Dreams
Paulina Trout
Duck River EMC
High in the mountains
The spiraling trees
With the brilliant green
Of their many leaves.
A beauty abundant
That no words can describe.
No pictures can capture
The beauty of this place.
With cascading waterfalls
And gorgeous sunsets.
Brilliant sunrises
And the beautiful views.
And when night falls
You can see
Every star above Tennessee.
With all of its beauty
It’s the place of my dreams.
With bright flowers
And flowing streams.
There’s no place I’d rather be,
Than the place of my dreams!
Third Place
A Redtail’s Migration
Jeremiah Jones
Caney Fork EC
In the early days of October,
I started that great flight
Headed south of Earth’s equator,
to escape Jack’s frosbite.
I know I will miss my home
in the luscious land of Tennessee
for there I have always roamed
living ever so happily.
But now I am not stopping.
No longer shall I wait.
Now the temperature is dropping,
Southward I migrate.
I fly alongside elders,
gliding in the field.
With tails of scarlet wonders
next year I shall wield.
When I reach my destination,
I will settle down and wait
then returning to my nation
Northward I’ll migrate.
Age 19–22
First Place
Childlike Intuition
Dejana Matthews
Middle Tennessee Electric
When young
I used to think this was the only place that had stars
The only place they felt safe enough to shine their light in the night’s sky
It felt magical
To watch them, thinking I may see one shooting across to be wished upon
Now older
Knowing the stars are more places than just here
I never did wish on a shooting one
But the magic I felt, feels more real now
When young
I used to think this was the only place that had stars like these
Realizing, how right little me used to be
Age 23–64
First Place
Azaleas
Michael Vedder
Holston EC
Hair disheveled, bleary-eyed,
Spring shuffles knee deep through leaves
in her verdant pajamas
looking for the coffee pot.
Winter has left it unwashed
’neath sorrow pie plates
heaping the sink.
“Winter!” Spring yells —
all leaves in the kitchen
swirl to the door —
“you are SUCH a slob!”
The door bursts outward
The leaves leave speedily.
Sunlight pours in.
Spring cranks the spigot
and marches to the door,
Silhouetted hands on hips
watching debris skitter.
Flame azaleas explode the mountainside
She stands transfixed.
“The sink!” Spring spins:
“It’s a waterfall!”
Dwarf Irises are popping
through floorboards.
Spring begins giggling.
Second Place
Time Moves On
Corey Miller
Volunteer EC
Time moves slowly,
Time moves fast.
It’s a part of my future,
It’s part of my past.
The snow flies silently,
Over the barren lawn,
Winter has arrived,
With a surprise at dawn.
The temperature rises,
The air grows warm.
The frost is gone,
The bees do swarm.
Swimming and hiking,
Camping and such.
These are the things,
I love so much.
Red and orange,
Yellow and gold,
The woods are painted
With colors so bold.
Seasons are the reason
I live where I do,
If you liked Tennessee,
You’d live here too.
Third Place
Tennessee The Beautiful
Brian Houchin
Middle Tennessee Electric
In Tennessee’s embrace, nature’s symphony sings,
Rolling hills, verdant valleys, where adventure springs,
From Smoky Mountain peaks to Cumberland’s grace,
Each vista whispers tales of time and space.
Sweet melodies of bluegrass fill the air,
Where music and soul intertwine, rare and fair.
In Nashville’s neon glow, dreams take flight,
A dance of rhythm, in the heart of night.
History’s echoes linger in every corner,
Civil War to civil rights, a legacy to honor.
Beneath the sun’s golden glow, spirits soar,
In Tennessee’s beauty, forevermore.
Age 65 and older
First Place
Tennessee
Judy Beckham
Tennessee Valley EC
Beautiful bright sunrise,
Dark starlit sky,
Peaceful low valleys,
Mountains so high.
Animals in the meadows,
Farmers looking to tend,
Lush green fields,
Hay blowing in the wind.
The fragrance of wild honeysuckle,
Lingers in the air,
Gardens of flowers and vegetables,
Are growing everywhere.
Gleaming creeks and rivers,
Flowing gently through the hills,
Birds of all colors,
The call of the whip-poor-will.
The smell of fried chicken,
A drink of sweet tea,
Food that’s so delicious,
Everyone will agree.
A most beautiful place,
We would love for you to see,
Is our lovely home,
The state of Tennessee.
Second Place
The Kite Maker
Millie Ungren
Pickwick EC
His fingers traced the path
Of rushing rivers
His palm smoothed out
The mountains’ smoky crowns
Looking ‘cross the ancient
Meadows
Frost has turned green grass
To brown
Pulling two reeds, he stripped them bare
Crossed and tied them tight with string
Looking up into the clouds
Envisioned brilliant floating things
Spread the old map on the table
Pencil traced it all around
Smears the glue, folds the edges
Needs a tail to make it bound
She sailed away, elated joy
Dip and dive, a sight to see
Her maiden journey to the sky
It was a map of Tennessee.
Third Place
Life in Tennessee
Karen Rhyne
Volunteer EC
What can I say about Tennessee?
Just what does it mean
to you and to me?
With historical sites
across every bridge,
From Opryland to the
streets of Oak Ridge.
Laws protecting our
precious unborn
Keeping them safe from
all evil’s scorn.
Flying our State Flag
with our 3 white stars,
Along with Old Glory
wherever we are.
From votes on The Hill,
To Knoxville UT
Growing our State to the
best it can be.
A true Volunteer State,
to lead the way,
To keep faith in Christ,
may we all humbly pray.
