Megan

By Sibella S. Campbell

Megan, my dog.
You freed me from the churning water.
You turned and came back to me
as I screamed for you.
You glided to me over the sharp rocks
like a ballerina getting ready to dance,
and you pulled me to shore.
You gazed into my eyes
and comforted me
as I cried for my father.
Megan, thank you.

• Sibella S. Campbell , 8, lives in Anchorage. Her poem also was given the Bell Benton Memorial Award for excellence in poetic expression at an Anchorage School District board meeting in May. The award is named for an Anchorage elementary school teacher who collected student poetry for the district's Fine Art Festival. She compiled the many submissions into a collection, "Pencil Full of Stars."