DAD
By Mathew Biering
College Gate, Grade 3
When I grow up
I want to be like my dad
hard-working
respectful
awesome
funny
loving
kind
playful.
When I grow up
I want to be like my dad.
WHITE
By Michelle Bottoms
Family Partnership, Grade 6
Satin doilies
floating to the ground
Blanketing the earth
in a cover of purity
Ermine-soft clouds
suspended in time
Yet ever moving,
changing, forming,
The Arctic Fox, the Polar Bear,
The sleek smooth fur
of the Winter Hare
Clean, crisp
Absence of color
White.
COLORS
By Amber Tatiana Diaz
Inlet View, Grade 3
Red of a traffic light
an apple, my embarrassed face
Blue of summer skies,
blueberry pies
my favorite flowered dress
Green of wiggly jiggly lime jello,
spring leaves, slimy frog skin
Yellow of lemonade,
shells on a beach
golden yellow bees,
the skin of a peach
Black of a scary night,
a stormy sky,
my blizzard shadow.
DOWN BY THE LAKE
By Morgan Frank
Denali, Grade 3
I am down at the lake,
And the view is just for you.
The air is misty.
The feel of everything is damp.
The air is warm as the sun
rises in the sky
The water is smooth.
Oh, how the water sparkles
like diamonds in the rising sun.
White doves fly and land nearby
in the trees.
It is quiet.
All you can hear is songs of songbirds.
There is a patch of wild flowers close by.
The sweet perfume of the flowers
floats in the fresh, cool air.
A few butterflies flutter around.
A refreshing breeze
rustles the branches of the trees.
Moss grows wild all around the lake.
Forget-me-nots look so beautiful in the risint sun.
I am sitting on a stone of granite.
A deer is coming to me.
Every time I move my hand
the deer moves back.
Deer are so shy,
I will have to stop writing and sit still.
MOOSE
By Michael Kim
Spring Hill, Grade 3
There’s a moose on the loose!
Long legs,
lots of hair,
sharp hooves,
huge antlers,
stay calm,
hide behind a tree.
PIANO
By Christina Knapp
Chugach Optional, Grade 6
I stand here
Waiting to be played,
Waiting for the touch of human
fingers
To bring me to life.
I have no eyes,
No nose,
No ears.
I must borrow hands and feet
To touch my keys,
Push my pedals,
Play my music.
Without you I am decoration,
With you
I hold the key to peace
And relaxation.
PAINTBRUSH
By Stephanie Moore
Taku, Grade 6
I keep my paintbrush with me
Wherever I go
In case I need to cover up
So the real me doesn’t show.
I’m so afraid to show you
Me,
Afraid of what you’ll do,
That you might laugh
Or say mean things.
I’m afraid I might lose you.
I’d like to remove
all my paint coats
To show you the real, true me,
But I want you to try and
Understand.
I need you to accept
what you see.
So if you’ll be patient
And close your eyes,
I’ll slip off all my coats real slow.
Please understand
how much it hurts
To let the real me show.
Now my coats are all
Stripped off,
I feel naked, bare, and cold.
And if you love me,
With all that you see,
You are my friend,
Pure as gold.
I need to save
my paintbrush, though,
And hold it in my hand,
I want to keep it handy,
In case somebody
doesn’t understand.
So, please protect me,
My dear friend,
And thanks for loving me
For the way I am.
PREJUDICE
By Hayley Suarse
Tudor, Grade 3
I wish I were
knowledge
of all kinds of cultures
spreading
myself
around the world
stopping
people
from thinking
with prejudice.
STORM
By Jonathan Walther
Northern Lights ABC, Grade 3
Whips cracking through the air,
Immense dark clouds
like pirate ships
sail into sight
Gusts of wind rip tiles off roots,
knock me over.
The sky lights up as electricity
zips through the air,
Eerie yelps echo
through my town.
A downpour comes now,
rapping at the windows,
demanding people come
outside.
Cannons booming
through the night air,
Bullets of rain
shooting through the dark sky.
Storm.
TESTING
By Shelby Werstlein
Muldoon, Grade 4
the test is a monster waiting
to eat my brain,
scratch paper is my shield,
my number 2 pencil my sword,
I will attack by filling in the bubbles
heavy and dark.
Winners of the 1999 Bell Benton Poetry Award
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 2004 Bell Benton Poetry Award
Winners of the 2005 Bell Benton Poetry Award
Winners of the 2006 Bell Benton Poetry Award
