Winner of School Years 5-6 Category
¡No Quiero Hacerme Mayor!
by Analia Elizabeth Romero
Soy una Niña,
Una niña que se encariña,
Que se encariña con quedarse pequeña,
No quiero saber el significado de la palabra arrepentir,
Simplemente me quiero divertir,
No quiero crecer,
Me gustaría florecer,
Me quiero quedar pequeña,
Como me trajo la cigüeña,
No se si seguir a mi corazón,
O si encontrar a la razón,
No lo se.
Siendo una niña, no tengo que preocuparme,
Ni siquiera responsabilizarme,
Únicamente ilusionarme,
Solo quiero soñar,
Solo quiero volar y ver el mundo girar.
Judge Charlie Durante’s Comments:
“We all want time to stand still, to be able to revert to earlier, happier moments. This lovely poem is a plea for time to stop in its tracks, for a postponement of maturity and all the responsibilities it entails. Instead, the speaker would like to remain a child, a little girl, playing (me quiero divertir), thoughts following the dictates of her heart, and possibly avoiding the disappointments of ratiocination. The desire to remain childlike may appear to be a sign of immaturity (how can one ‘florecer’ without ‘crecer’?-but this is just a wish, a passing whim. The mere fact she has this yearning is already a sign of growing up! At a time when young people are so eager to ape grown-up ways and behaviour, it is refreshing to read about someone who is quite happy to remain an innocent child.”
Runner-Up of School Years 5-6 Category
Just Listen
by Faye Chichon
NIGHT
Stay quiet, do you hear me now?
The howling wind, the hoot of an owl.
The moon on the water, watch how she gl istens.
Shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhh, just listen.
MORNING
Are you still here? Now you know what to do.
The school bell rings, all I hear is the buckle of my shoe.
It’s snowing outside, I need to put on my mittens.
Shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhh, just listen.
DAY
It’s three o’clock, lets have some lunch,
I could hear chomping during morning brunch.
Someone’s chewing loudly, it must be one of the children.
Shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhh, just listen.
DUSK
It’s sunset now, I’ve taught you well.
What’s that sound? It’s the big town bell.
The T.V is loud, it says someone’s missing.
Shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhh, just listen.
Now you know to watch out, wherever you are.
Even when you are out and about.
What shall I say, you’ve learned your lesson.
Always remember to shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhh, just listen.
Judge Charlie Durante’s Comments:
“We have created a cacophonous world: the roar of traffic, aeroplanes landing and taking off, cars throbbing to the sound of brainless music, the incessant jabber of empty minds, shouting, shrieking, and bawling. This poem simply tells us to ‘just listen.’ Structured around the circadian rhythm, it bids us to listen attentively to the soothing sounds of nature, to appreciate the ordinary goings-on that fill up our day. The poem has a didactic thrust: it is a lesson on how to respond to the circumambient world, to attend with an open mind to what others are saying and doing. The different times of the day and the recurring ‘shhhhhhhhhh’ give the poem a pleasant symmetry. Ingenuous but in a winning way.”