The Poems You Penned
On Oct. 15, we invited "Kidspace" readers to write a poem on the subject of home. We gave you some tips on how to get started, and in return, you sent us hundreds of poems. We were delighted! Some of you wrote about your favorite part of your house. Others wrote about the pets and people who make their homes come alive. Some took a broader approach and wrote about something they saw in their backyard or while on a family trip.
We received poems from every region of the United States, and even a few from Great Britain. The poetry was reviewed by three judges: Steven Ratiner, a poet who works with many schools in the Boston area; Diana Der-Hovanessian, president of the New England Poetry Club; and Elizabeth Lund, poetry editor of The Home Forum. Many thanks to everyone who participated. Here are the judges' favorites:
**Here I Stand**
Here I stand
In the moon's full light,
In my nightgown and slippers
And wait!
Here I stand
At the foot of my bed
At the night's cold peak,
And wait!
Here I stand
With fear of creeping shadows,
Clutching a book to my chest,
And wait!
Here I stand
When you enter the room,
When you tell me it's safe
And kiss me good night.
Aidan Kinsella
Grade 9
Raymond, N.H.
**Horses**
Cantering fast along a white fence
The wind whispering to them
Manes flapping across their backs
Tails floating straight out
Coats glistening in the sun
Ears perked up like a fox
Eyes wide open
Nostrils flaring
Now, going full speed
They jump the fence
And gallop toward the woods -
All along my bedroom wall
Christie Howe
Grade 4
Sherborn, Mass.
**Hojas del Otoo
(Autumn Leaves)**
fresca brisa
volando cayendo muriendo
triste fin
trocitos de fuego
cool breeze
flying falling dying
sad end
pieces of fire
Mercedes de la Riva
Grade 2
Carlsbad, Calif.
**Grandpa**
I ran,
Searching, searching.
Grandpa.
Where are you?
Slump against the wall,
Let the warm tear
Roll down my swollen cheek.
Let it fall onto
The frozen plum
In my shaking hand.
Where have you gone?
Inside your heart,
My love,
A soft voice said,
Inside.
That's where.
Cynthia Fong
Grade 7
Belmont, Mass.
**Music**
Bow plays up
and down,
Making a zing
ZING sound.
And the violin plays
a singing song.
Kyle Baldwin
Grade 1
Suisun City, Calif.
**A Hod Carrier's Day**
As I lay my head down
on the soft pillow
I began to think of
my long hard day
The roar of the mixer
the mason's clanging trowel
the heavy buckets of "mud"
otherwise known as cement
The deep mud tugged at my boots
they almost came off
just one more mud-board to lay
before we set off for break
After a while
our day came to an end
we were to go home
to rest from exhausting
We laid twelves that day
hard on me
harder on the mason
But we didn't care anymore
for our day had come to an end
now I lie here tired as can be
at last I'm home
Greg Gladden
Grade 7
Hesprus, Colo.
**The Little Treasured Doll**
As I watched from my bedroom window
I saw a little girl running down the street.
Her hair was tangled and she had no shoes.
She stopped at a door, yelling,
"Seora, seora! Mira lo que tengo!"*
Though I'm sure she had no bread
Or even a roof over her head
She had much joy
And a big smile on her face
For in her hands there was a doll.
Though I could see it only had one eye
And a broken nose
And was all tattered and torn
And though for us it would have been nothing
For her it was a treasure
A little yet big treasure.
*"Lady, lady! Look what I have!"
Nicole Enns
Grade 6
Akron, Penn.
**Home**
My house tells stories,
stories of winter, when
the wind blows high
and the sky looks cold
and there's snow on the
ground. My house tells
a story.
My house tells a story of
summer when the wind
does not blow, and the
sky looks musty, steaming
hot air everywhere.
Children gather in the cool lake.
My house tells a story.
My house tells a story
of spring, when the wind
blows slightly, and the
sky looks friendly. And
new animals are born. My
house tells a story.
My house tells a story
of fall, when the wind blows
friendly, and the sky
looks peaceful. And
when the leaves fall
from trees in all
different colors.
And that's when my house tells stories.
Emily Dunn
Grade 4
Madison, Wis.
**Green**
Green is the color of nature
The treasure of the earth
Green is the emerald
On the ring
Of a king
Green is a color of the rainbow
Or a stripe on a spinning wheel
Green is of kin
To the lazy lizard
And the flapping hummingbird
Green is the foliage
Of the jungle
A thousand plants
And a thousand trees
Brendan Wood
Grade 5
Jamaica, N.Y.
**Sand Castles**
Giant towers of golden pebbles
Wondrous rooms of silvery shells
Castles of glittering, shimmering sand
For mole crabs and rock crabs and me.
Allison R. Brown
Grade 5
Williamsport, Penn.
