Snowflakes
by Jacquelyn Bertino
Grade 5, Airport Heights
Snowflakes parachute
Silently drifting
Without waking
The dreaming chickadee.
Snowflakes descend
Like crystalline butterflies
Fluttering with the wind.
Frosting branches
Like sugar-coated
Pretzel sticks.
Snowflakes swirl
Around the lonely trees
Whispering lullabies
Soft and comfy
Hoping the trees
Will doze off
Till the snow melts away.
Winter
by Declan Boyd
Grade 3, Chugach Optional
The snow flies, making the wind visible
for the first and only time.
The snowflakes carried by the wind
dance in the sky.
The only green in sight—the
spruce trees.
The birches are like lace with
their interwoven branches.
My breath is like steam from a kettle.
the wind is like pins against my chest.
The cold comes at me like an arrow.
It is winter.
Northern Lights
by Marcella Dent
Airport Heights, Grade 5
Oh, Northern Lights,
Racing wildly through the hushed sky,
Flashing your fiery colors
Like a spinning dervish dancer.
Weightlessly journeying through space,
Weaving tapestries around stars.
Wrapping earth in blankets of effervescence,
Like a dragon’s scorching breath.
Warming the cool crisp night,
Silken rivers of iridescent colors,
Banishing shadows.
The Four Seasons
By Megan Escobedo
Kincaid, Grade 4
Spring
Birds chirping on sunny days,
roses blooming on freshly pruned shrubs,
tiny leaves begin to grow,
prickly grass beneath my feet,
mint leaves melting in my mouth.
Summer
High in the sky the beautiful sun,
ribs sizzling on an open fire,
the laughter of children joyfully playing,
cold river water dancing over my toes,
raspberries melting in my mouth.
Autumn
Golden leaves falling form tress,
peaceful, calm, and pure,
rustling of trees blowing in the air,
sidewalks laden with frost,
cold ice melting in my mouth.
Winter
White snow blanketing the earth,
fires burning gently
children sledding and skiing,
icicles hanging from the roof,
hot cocoa melting in my mouth.
Miss Mace
by Eric Harrison
Kasuun, Grade 4
When I say you
shriveled, sort of like an
aging, dried raisin,
playing card games in your robe
and fuzzy slippers.
or
when you made waffles with
lots of syrup on them
and getting a glass of milk
aching, complaining, tired
like a bird that flew a thousand
miles.
I saw when you were in the
hospital you were in pain and
worrying that you wouldn’t be
there for me
who used to play cards
and watch Scooby-Doo
through the day even if
you were sick.
You are my grandma.
The Rosemaker
by Alexandra Korshin
O’Malley, Grade 5
The rose maker is an artist.
His profession highly skilled.
First he takes four strands
of hair.
And presses then together,
THE STEM.
Then, he takes a few grains
of sand,
And sprinkles it
all over the stem.
THE THORNS.
Next, he takes two pieces
of clay
and puts them on each side
of the stem.
THE LEAVES.
Last, he picks up the thorny
stem
Pricks his finger with a thorn,
And squeezes three drops
of blood
on top of the stem.
THE ROSE.
Harmony and Silence
by Amber Morgan
Airport Heights, Grade 4
Harmony is soft
Like the fur of a baby bunny
Nesting in the grass.
Melodic like a robin’s song
Drifting among the trees.
Gentle as a newborn lamb
Nudging her mother.
Sweet as a plump cherry
Whose juices run down my throat.
Fresh like ripened strawberries
Under the July sun.
But
Silence is rough,
A frayed rope
Dangling from rafters,
Eerie moaning
Overtaking joy.
A field of weeds
Crowding out pansies.
Dark silence
Surrounding souls.
Tart.
Abrupt.
Unnerving.
Purple Unicorns
by Aurelia Preston
Ocean View, Grade 2
Purple unicorns,
Stride across the clouds
Manes and tails flowing
against the sky
Dancing on moonbeams
Jumping over stars
In freedom and delight.
Stars So Bright
by Erin Towner
Chugiak, Grade 2
Stars so bright
So brilliant, so beautiful.
Shining like diamonds
In a velvet sky.
The Big Dipper, Seven Sisters
the Crab and the Bear.
The Northern Lights
dance around them
Like brilliant scarves.
Winners of the 2000 Bell Benton Poetry Award
Winners of the 2001 Bell Benton Poetry Award
Winners of the 2002 Bell Benton Poetry Award
Winners of the 2003 Bell Benton Poetry Award
Winners of the 2004 Bell Benton Poetry Award
Winners of the 2005 Bell Benton Poetry Award
Winners of the 2006 Bell Benton Poetry Award
