Young Poets Recognized

Upon reviewing extremely poignant biographical essays of her 10th grade students, Ms. Margery Cohen Willard heard the poet’s voice in each essay during her students’ presentation to the class via the proxima. Ms. Cohen Willard’s students were encouraged to use their essays as a springboard for their poems and were very excited to do so.
Ten of Ms. Cohen Willard's students' poems were selected by Creative Communication, a nationwide contest and received notification for publication. The students’ hard work was recognized by Creative Communications' Celebration of Young Poets which will include these students’ poems in an anthology.
Top ten winners' poems for each region will be chosen to award monetary prizes. Although winners have yet to be determined, students are eagerly awaiting the final results to learn whether they will be the recipients of these awards in the spring.


Behind Her Eyes
By Evelyn Interiano
She hides what she feels
She doesn’t bother to stand
And say something

At night, when she is alone
Tears stroll down her face
As if there were a quiet
Rain storm.

Next day,
with a fake smile
on her face
she just pretends
Everything is great….

Forsaken
By Brittney Ramos
My bruised and happy flesh
Reigns.
He loves me, I know
But she cannot concur
My soul enters this four-walled white room
But as for me
I stand alone
Outside
In the mystic rain.
I watch as it trickles
On the outside window
Yet, on the inside
All is dry
This home
Is not mine.
So why does this mat say
“Welcome”?



Hesitation
By Nimah Kellman
Love, a four letter word,
One of many
deemed to be temporary.
A lovely couple, married fifty years or so,
loved to live, lived to love and loved to grow.
Three years after the death of her spouse,
raises the question,
Does love really exist?
Or is it a supplement
for something you miss?
She meets another man,
who shows he loves her,
the best he can.
She ignores his attempts
With a hole in her heart.
She fears that one day he, too, will depart.
Hesitant to love,
Hesitant to love true,
because if she loved him
Would he leave her, too?


Facade of Confidence
By Daisy Hernandez
Effortless, you have always made everything you do
Look effortless
And everyone falls for you
But you can’t fall for yourself
Can’t see the beauty or the talent
But I can see the facade of confidence
That isn’t really there
Little things only I notice
Your eyes say you don’t sleep much anymore
And you’re not eating
Internally bleeding
You’ve given up fighting for the life you’ve always wanted
We’re growing apart
This further breaks my defenseless heart
To see you falling to pieces
How can I smile
When even I
Don’t recognize
The person sitting across from me?


Drifting
By Theresa Dorsainvil
Life is so confusing to me
Like an empty sailboat lost at sea
Sometimes it rains; sometimes it snows
But still the sailboat has nowhere to go
The sun can shine, oh, so bright
But still the sailboat has no light
Lost far away, in the deep dark sea
The sailboat sits there all lonely
Some ships pass by to sit and stare
But they never noticed what wasn’t there
At times, the wind is as hard as a brick
But still the sailboat won’t move a bit
One day the sailboat will go to a better place
And leave this life with its tears and disgrace
I guess the sailboat has nowhere to be
So it might as well stay lost at sea


Wondering
By Asia Reynolds
Thinking, fading
breathing, hating.
Time has passed
and I’m still waiting.
It’s been months
since you’ve been gone.
I won’t cry;
I’ll be strong.
Summer nights
Bitter twists
Winter mornings
Early kiss
The day you left us was sad and slow.
Daddy, I wonder why you had to go…


Burnt Out
By Stephanie La Vecchio
I can’t take it anymore
Why am I singled out?

Do you have any idea what you caused?
You left so many people crying out for you.
We used to be so close.

What hurts most is seeing you walk away.
I never thought you’d leave.

I gave you everything,
And yet, you still stole the only innocence I had left.

Reflecting back down the road we’ve traveled
You knew everything
About me.

We’ll always have
Each other

The friendship that will never die
I miss you
Please, come back.


Definition of Love
By Melissa Rivera
Love smiles seductively and sensuously shimmers.
Weakness waits behind its wet eyes.
Passion persuades peoples’ emotions.
Ache and agony abandon affection.
Devotion and desire demonstrate dignity.
An engaged enchantment that cannot eventuate,
Hold tight,
And never let it go…



My View of Life
By Maressa Villa
I am not coming to you with all my problems; I’m just here to tell you about my life.
My life is like a code; it goes the way it goes.
My life is like a map, but I still don’t know where to go.
I’ve made mistakes growing up, but learning from them is key.
Is it the tire swing, or the sprinklers?
Was it the wiggly worm, or my little tomato garden?

Growing up, I realize, you can’t be perfect.
Just have fun, under the sun.
Yes, I admit, I’m a sinner, but I can also be a winner.

Keep growing; you’re almost there.
Just hold on a little longer and you’ll be there.
There are people around you that care,
Don’t be stupid and do something unfair.

There are no cheats in life,
No walkthroughs or hints.
You can’t search on Google to learn how to get through your life.
Just live life with joy; don’t be coy.
Remember your birth, so that when you die,
You’ll be glad about what you left on this earth.

Why?
by Brian Kretz
Sitting at the table
I see the car pull in.
Thinking they've come to play,
I was wrong.
I see, hear the crying
And ask Mom, why?
He's gone.
Still, no answer.
Why?
Tears fall.
Heart shattered.
Can't believe he's gone.
Why? I still ask.
Confused at the time
Even mad.
Now proud.
Why?
Because I knew him.
And yet, I still ask, why?
Why not more time?
Why not longer? I was only ten....

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