Age 8 and younger
First Place
The Tennessee Titans
Kingston Walters, Caney Fork Electric
The Tennessee Titans
is the best team of all.
They’ll do their best
and give it their all.
For the Tennessee Titans
is the best team of all.
Age 9–13
First Place
The Midnight Lullaby
Paulina Trout, Duck River EMC
The day is gone
The sun has set
The moon is high
The stars are bright
An owl hoots
A coyote howls
The midnight song
The crickets chirp
The frogs burp
A lovely melody
The dancing stars
And flowing breeze
Falling mist
And waving leaves
The world is asleep
But some are awake
Silent and sneaking
The shooting stars
And shining moon
A brilliant beauty
And bright reality
And as we sleep
With happy dreams
A marvelous song
That floats along
The midnight lullaby
Second Place
The Tennessee Fall
Pranita Jagatheeswaran, Middle Tennessee Electric
Dry leaves dancing
To a song only heard
Multicolor leaves falling down
It never gets fury with tree
It’s time for Tennessee Fall
Red leaves as bright as juicy tomato
Yellow leaves as sparkling as glittering gold
Orange leaves as shining as twilight sun
Brown leaves as dusky as strong timber
Purple leaves as royal as tasty brinjal
Such an astonishing nature God has given to us
That’s how Tennessee fall looks like
Third Place
A Tennessee Trail
Eiley Richards, Middle Tennessee Electric
My feet crunch on the gravel as I spring out of the car,
I secure my trail shoes and see how far.
How far for what, I’m sure you wonder?
How far I’m going to hike, for I’m as fast as thunder.
Find a river, look what it entails,
But don’t forget, stay on the trail.
Look at the trees, short, tall,
Maple and Pine, I love them all.
I see the minute amount of sun peeking through the trees,
In this woodland tunnel, you can’t see me!
That was elating, now I’m back.
I’m so hungry, I’ll have a snack.
Age 14–18
First Place
The Glass Slipper Didn’t Fit
Shay Simpson, Meriwether Lewis EC
I’ll never be Cinderella
And you’ll never be the prince
Our story wasn’t enchanting
You weren’t some frog I kissed
There wasn’t a fairytale ending
Or a happily ever after
Just two love-drunk kids
Writing our own chapter
I wasn’t Sleeping Beauty
And you weren’t any hero
We were more of two villains
But we went from ten to zero
Romeo and Juliet
Had a tragic end
Mark Antony and Cleopatra
Fought but didn’t win
While we won’t go down in history
As many before us did
The question will always linger
Of what could’ve been…
Second Place
Trouble with a Heartbreak
Grace Kelley, Meriwether Lewis EC
Shattered…
Into a million pieces.
It feels like your heart can never be put back together.
It comes in waves,
The pain…
The ache…
The heartbreak…
The loss so deep it feels like you’ll never be whole again.
Looking…
Searching…
For anything to give you closure,
But knowing that only time itself can heal what’s been broken because…
That’s the trouble with a heartbreak.
Third Place
Born to Farm
Charleston Berger, Appalachian EC
“Tennessee wasn’t built in a day”
At least that’s what Grandfather said.
He worked hard every day under the fiery sun.
To my Grandfather being a farmer was a calling
He treated the animals like good, ole friends
And picked the crops as if they were crystal glasses
My Grandfather said he farmed because he enjoyed it.
But I chuckled every time he said that.
I knew there was something inside, calling him to farm
He had the same calling generations had before him
You could tell it was in his smokey blue eyes
He was born to farm.
Age 19–22
First Place
Fresh Winter
David Smith, Fayetteville Public Utilities
Washed in snow
are the peaks of the mountains,
and covered in ice
the springs and the fountains.
Foliage has fallen
leaving woven branches bare.
Chirping flyers have flown away
to lands I know not where.
The scent of cold lingers heavy.
And heaps of firewood have been
piled already.
Winter like night
is quiet and unhurried.
Harboring none of the frenzy
and worry.
The blankets of white
covering nature’s usual mess.
The stillness puts even
the wild things to rest.
And in the season where
there is no warmth in the weather,
The people find warmth
in staying together.
Second Place
Thursday Night Open Mic
Hanna Ross, Middle Tennessee Electric
My family used to go to an old grocery store
Thursday night was open mic
Madge was nervous on the keys, I could barely pluck a string
But we sang without thinking twice
Years have passed and everything’s changed
Nashville’s gotten taller—as have I
That old grocery store’s a restaurant, a whole different name
It’s been ages since we’ve stopped by
Skylines have shifted and my hair color’s different
But those backroads are the lines of my palms
RC Colas we drank, and the songs that we sang
Will run through my veins till I’m gone.
Third Place
Take Me to the Creekside
Olivia Jarvis, Upper Cumberland EMC
We travel down winding backroads and depressions in a hillside we call a road, past autumn leaves.
This road has shared plenty of tears, unforgettable joys, and fervent dreams.
Down to the “country beach” on a breezy day, all of our troubles blow away.
We push through every struggle and chortle our way down memory lane.
Over at the creekside in Defeated, my sister and me.
Age 23–64
First Place
Tennessee’s Secret
Nikki DeSalvatore, Middle Tennessee Electric
Some say it’s the sweet tea
and rocking chairs,
flowing freely with southern charm.
Some say it’s the loyalty of the people,
protecting each other from harm.
Some say it’s the college football,
proud of the orange and white.
Some say it’s the heartwarming
traditions, teaching what’s wrong
and what’s right.
Some say it’s the Smokies and
waterfalls, absorbing the nature within.
Some say it’s downtown Nashville,
where both music and country begin.
Some say it’s the outside surroundings,
breathing in all that you see.
I say it’s the internal beauty, how
Tennessee becomes you and me.
Second Place
A Better Life
John Hammer, Chickasaw EC
Displaced I was when First came here.
Beaches were home for prior years.
How to live, no waves and sand?
Just mountains and rivers, a foreign land.
But then I learned to hunt and fish.
Met great folks, the food? Delish!
Rivers and creeks, like forrested halls,
Rocky Tops and Ruby Falls.
The best though are the decent ways,
We people choose our to spend our days.
To live our lives with faith, in truth.
Help those in need, we teach our youth.
Work hard, play hard, start no strife.
Volunteer often, that’s Tennessee life.
Third Place
Tiny Kingdom
Lisa Riley, Chickasaw EC
A wintry eye invades
The quiet precipice
Our quaint corner of the world
Tennessee, wrapped in velvety snow
Morning dew bestows a glorious sight
Crimson Cardinals dot the landscape
Curtains of icicles drape
Dogwood trees bow under the weight
Berries and leaves encased in icy coffins
Entombed in silent sleep
A magical wonderland, sparkling and white
From afar, small cities nestled
A tiny kingdom in a powdery globe
Age 65 and older
First Place
The Spirit of Christmas
Sandra Fortune, Mountain EC
Christmas trees, Christmas music,
hurried shoppers, letters to Santa,
parties, family gatherings.
Manger scenes, Christmas plays,
advent candles, special worship services.
A celebration of sharing,
A celebration of giving,
A celebration of love.
Christmas spirit hanging in the air,
Stars sprinkling the sky
Bells ringing with copper
kettles for donations
for those in need
“Peace on earth”…
what an amazing idea,
could it really happen? This year
maybe the spirit of Christmas
and joy will reach all the
corners of the world!
And, indeed, there truly is
“Peace on earth!”
Second Place
Harvest Moon
Cathy Hollister
October in Tennessee, time to gather the crop of sunburns, popsicles, bee stings, scraped knees.
Pack them away for the winter.
Mow down the scraggly fields of charcoal brickettes and broken lawn chairs,
stow swim fins, floppy hats, and flip-flops.
The moon harvests summer giggles and sleepovers,
packs them away in soft layers of sighs.
Fireworks and softballs are tucked safely in storage.
Wild splashes at the lake under a blistering sun
stored under the watchful eye of the harvest moon,
safe, await the spring planter’s moon.
In the southern sky.
