Foreword
I would like to offer a special thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s poetry contest and publication, Poetry in the Park, initiated by the Communications/Arts Division at National Park College. Students were invited to submit original poems, which were then judged by the English faculty, who then chose the top three selections for first, second, and third place prizes. In addition, all contest submissions are included in this publication.
Appreciation is extended to all students who participated by contributing poetry. Further thanks are due to the following instructors and others who have assisted with this effort: Mrs. Nannette Crane-Post, Creative Writing instructor and chief organizer; Ms. Joan Henry, Mrs. Leslie Braniger, Mark Chapel, and Ms. Ashlyn Dugan as poetry contest judges; the NPC External Relations Department, especially Melissa Krafft, for their creation of the 2018 online edition of Poetry in the Park; and Mrs. Sara Seaman and the library for hosting a poetry celebration during which the winners will be announced.
We hope you enjoy these original student poems!
Roger Fox
Chair, Communications/Arts Division
Digital Compilation Created by Melissa Krafft, External Relations Department Poetry in the Park Table of Contents
First Place Winner: Untitled, by: Caitlyn Hopper ...... 1 Second Place Winner: “Becoming Me,” by: Melissa Krafft ...... 3 Third Place Winner: “Date Night,” by: Alan Robinette ...... 5 “Unreality” by: Willow Brooks ...... 5 “Thoughts of a Hopeless Man,” by: Julie Lyon ...... 9 “Vintage Woman,” by: Amber Ashburn ...... 11 “The Joys of an Autumn Day,” by: Christina Weingart ...... 12 Untitled, by: Shyla Hull ...... 13 “Spiral,” by: Haley Murray ...... 14 “Roses for My Valentine,” by: Jenna Hamilton ...... 16 “Who are You?” by: Anonymous ...... 17 “Unbar the Doors,” by: Allison Martinez ...... 19 First Place Winner Untitled By: Caitlyn Hopper
Two brothers born from the old.
One made from silver, the other gold.
One for Luna, the other Sol.
One had the mind.
The other form.
One was blinded.
One was simple minded.
One always suffered daily scorn.
The other relished when his brother would mourn.
One gave up his care of the mortal world.
The other could not wait for his plans to unfurl.
He thrummed with the need to herald the news,
That the world would meet with eventual doom.
And wanted nothing more than for his brother to rest
In his eternal tomb.
One looked up to the sky and asked,
“Let me see. Just one last time.”
He was granted his wish as his brother came to say goodbye.
The other decided it was time
To release his brother from the cruel world’s lies.
The other knew what his brother was planning.
But he still stays faced forward, standing.
The other took his weapon and pierced him through.
1 Then the other whispered,
“Thank you brother. I knew I could count on you.”
One stood there now, all alone as he cheered in triumph over his fallen foe.
He stopped.
And stood there for a while.
Then realized his brother had appeared to know.
It had been him
Who had dealt the final blow.
2 Second Place Winner “Becoming Me” By: Melissa Krafft
Expectations of me exceed my limits
Ideas not of my own pressed upon my own ideas
Lost in who I am, was, and will be
Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, and Forever.
My mind is loud
And my voice is faint
So many times, I have been told
I “cain’t.”
Disheartened
Starting to believe
In my own
failures Blurry.
Powerhouse
That is the words so many
Use to describe me
More women like you
In all that you do
Is what we need
Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, and Forever.
They do not see the shell
3 They see the greatness
The woman held within
The woman fighting for
Her voice, her place, her world
Fighting against the systemic pressure
Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, and Forever.
I will be the greatness they see
I will be the greatness they don’t see
I will be the greatness
I will be me
Not yesterday but
Today, Tomorrow, and Forever.
4 Third Place Winner “Date Night” By: Alan Robinette
Five minutes early.
He’s never early, of all nights. Touch
up my face—
“Just a minute…”
Check the mirror.
Dear God. My hair. My hair.
Rush to the door.
Smile. Coy. That little boy again.
What to see, where to eat.
I wonder what’s playing at the…
Wait.
Flowers?
No. Roses?
One, two, three…
Twenty-four.
A tiny box.
No.
Please, please. No.
Not now.
Awkward hesitation. Cautious smile.
5 He mistakes my horror for gleeful surprise. My mouth agape. My mind a
blur. Seconds as minutes.
Thoughts drifting, head spinning.
What to say, what to say.
“Come…in?”
“Baby?”
Recollection
Late nights at the office
Rouge on his collar
The faintest scent of Gauitier.
Speaking all too quickly of deadlines,
Bosses, pressures. Lies. So easy.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
Reflection
Shame, years of shame. Scars.
Seen and unseen.
The faintest scent of Tanqueray.
Commanding of trust.
Demanding of love.
Remanding to custody.
“Baby, I…”
Rejection
6 The night
Over and over in my mind
That night.
I said no.
And still he…
Oh dear God.
This isn’t happening
Twenty-four roses
Held as a gift.
Waiting, baiting, taunting. Aimed
like a gun.
“No!”
A scream.
What is that scream?
From the corner of the room.
“Get out! GET OUT!”
A tortured voice.
My voice.
“Baby, what…”
Dumbfounded retreat.
In a stupor: blind, numb.
Think, react, move quickly. Close
the door. CLOSE THE DOOR.
Deadbolt, turn, lock.
7 Slide to the floor.
Hands trembling, heart racing, mind numb.
Hot flowing tears, uncontrollable, unyielding.
Breathe.
Breathe.
The night
Over and over
In my mind.
This night:
I said no.
8 “Unreality” By: Willow Brooks Guest Contributor and Founding Member of the Write Hawks
The molding of machines, manipulating every message
Senses swirling savagely, an eternal breathing wreckage
Clock caught in a loop, every end leads to beginning
Screenplays sing you stories, give you hints of doom impending
A fervor burns within, a fire made from frantic ferment
Will you crumble or erupt when cosmic mercy is all spent?
You seal your eyes and drift away, from dream to dream you wander
Persistent splinters in your psyche, in fear you tend to squander
Inhabiting a fantasy, forever locked within a daze
No semblance of reality is spotted in your gaze
A mirage you were predestined to of genesis unknown
The independent variable of an ethereal interzone
But, whose dream is it, anyway?
Is it yours or mine; does it obey?
The kiosk of the mind sells symptoms of a sickness
I cannot refute that of which I witness.
Rather I will compromise, with this I must pretend,
It is as is and truth I see and I will call it friend
9 “Thoughts of a Hopeless Man” By: Julie Lyon
Long days wearing fake smiles
Lonely nights walking sorrowful miles.
Every stone passed I leave unturned
No more emotions left to burn.
Lost hopes
Troublesome dreams
Trying to find a way to break free.
These pills I have to keep taking
Promises I keep breaking
These doctors are mistaken.
There is nothing left here
There is no death to fear.
I’m so close to the edge
I feel as though the depression
Will help push me over it.
I think about my mistress, family, and life
What kind of husband would do this to his wife
The distress I will cause, the heartache and sorrow I’ll leave these thoughts in hopes of a better tomorrow.
10 Do not give up without a fight
Let hope be your light within the wake of night
These are the thoughts of a hopeless man Who
turned over a single stone and began again.
11 “Vintage Woman” By: Amber Ashburn
What a beautiful creation
Such detail in her makeup
Eyes that could melt the coldest glacier
Cheek bones that could reach the highest elevation
Perfectly chiseled nose and tiny little creases When
she smiles
Lips of a goddess, perfect for kissing
And skin so pure
Hair so soft, the wind wraps her lockets
Hands and fingers womanly
Divine
Neck so luscious with a scent defined
Arms toned, perfect to hold
Breasts that set perfectly proportioned on her chest Stomach and torso lean, which fits the means
Hips of curvature that every woman envies
Legs that go for days
This women has plenty
Feet so petite
Her gait sways naturally
This woman is vintage
She is lovely.
12 “The Joys of an Autumn Day” By: Christina Weingart
The leaves beneath her
Rustle as her paws scamper
About on this day.
Shoving her wet nose
Into the pile of brown leaves.
Maxie barks with glee.
Amanda smiles bright
Admiring her puppy play
As she sits, swinging.
13 Untitled By: Shyla Hull
When the birds are chirping and the sun is high
Life itself is something you can’t deny
The clouds are dark and the rain pours
Life doesn’t know what’s in store
The light is happiness
The dark is misery
It is something you can’t hide from
Only given to a certain degree
The animals are free and the flowers alive
It’s a strange feeling that comes from inside
When in doubt or when in pain
Know that in the dark there is something to
gain.
14 “Spiral” By: Haley Murray
If all the tears the world has cried filled the oceans.
If we stand together side by side.
Could all the fears inside my mind subside to
Overcome the commotion?
All the moments and steps we take,
Are only pathways from the choices we make.
We look out into the crowd and easily pin-point the differences,
But have trouble finding the similarities within our experiences.
Open your eyes and look around.
The world has changed since the last time you lifted your head.
Your eyes glued to a screen and ignoring every sound.
Not listening to what anyone has said.
Your memories captured a small device,
Yet even all the time in the world would not suffice.
Look up and see.
The hate, violence, and debris.
The thousands gone.
Yet what have we done?
We argue over what is right,
But it only causes more fight.
Black vs. white.
Young vs. old.
Who will stand and decide to be bold?
15 More than protest and more than laws.
We need a change that will create
A bigger cause.
16 “Roses for My Valentine” By: Jenna Hamilton
Roses on the windowsill
Their fragrance slowly leaving.
They came from my Valentine,
But he too, is retreating.
Their stems grow brown, petals droop.
Even with my constant care.
For when the heart grows fonder, It’s
easier left in disrepair.
As his eyes’ light dims
Like the color of each leaf,
I buy roses for my Valentine
‘Fore he passes in the eve.
17 “Who are You?” By: Rebecca Jankovsky
Who are you? I don’t know your name.
Have we met before? Surely you feel the same?
I question every piece of you.
Wondering who or what you are.
How did I seem to fall into wonder?
You make feel big, yet still so small.
See, I use to have everything in line.
Promises and goals full in my mind.
But you took away my shame.
You took away my pain.
You made it all numb.
Before I realized what
I had truly done.
Tingles running cold through my veins.
Blissful happiness that fades away.
One more suck and one more blow.
The big puffy cloud of smoke.
For I do not understand my fate.
For being so close to you
Will forever by my biggest mistake.
See, you fill me up with so much pride.
I lose a little piece of me
18 Every single day and every single night.
With every blink and every stare.
I watch as my life falls to pieces.
But I just can’t let go of you, and I have my many reasons.
See, you make me happy when I feel so dead inside.
You have hold of my soul and
Without you, I don’t feel alive.
Who would have thought I’d choose you
Over family?
Over forgiveness and a new reality?
Who would have known I wouldn’t care
If I screw up every aspect of my life
To feel your numbing touch.
For now, I have figured out you were my biggest crutch.
My life has a lot more meaning without your clutch.
I am someone important. My life matters.
Even though I took a big part of my life shatters.
I am alive and full of hope.
Now that my life is no longer
Full of dope.
19 “Unbar the Doors” By: Allison Martinez
What state are we in if our eyes fail to see The
beauty, the riches, of the jewels all around?
What hope can be given for a world that
Lost its vision? No hope can be found.
Where is the laughter?
Where is the joy
We once knew
As a girl or boy?
Freedom now stifled.
Liberty ignored,
Playfulness now chained
As our children are barred indoors.
In fear of the dangers,
We cower instead.
Not living to fullness
But bowling ‘til dead.
Rise up hope!
Live again justice!
Let our families LIVE!
Crime: cease your roughness!
20 Who gave you a place to steal our peace?
Who opened the door for your entrance?
Get back to your place!
Leave our homes to their joys without hindrance.
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