-Anana Witterman, Grade 8

Gnarly oak sentries guard the entrance of the park,
Fragile, copper leaves adorned with a lace of dew.
Perpetual branches tug at the heavens ... intertwining.

Calm and composed, a delicate cherry blossom tree breathes softly,
Outstretched, humorous arms playing tug-of-war with the geentle breeze.
Light pink cotton balls tingle slightly ... a strong gust hurtles past.

Propelling itself from a lofty branch is a morning dove,
Its smoky plumage rippling in the fresh morning light.
Coasting on an invisible elevator ... laughing at the sky.

An undulation brook courses through the pebbles,
Its mirrored surface echoing the late autumnal hues.
Fragments of a peaceful afternoon ... scattered on the innocent surface.

This is the final runner-up in READ magazine's 2008 Ann Arlys Bowler Poetry Contest. It was supposed to have been posted yesterday but we screwed up. Sorry about that. We were so close to having a full 14 days too. So much for perfection.

Check back later today to read one student's new character for the Spoon River Anthology!

- Alicia LeSage, Grade 8

The moonlit sky, the stars
The darken green grass,
The midnight breeze
With you everything is good.

The sunny blue skies, the clouds
The soft green grass,
The midday sweat
With you everything is good.

The dark stormy sky, the rain
The wet green grass
The deadly wind
With you everything is good.

The gloomy skies, the flurries
The white powdery grass
The dreadful chill
With you everything is good.

No matter the skies, no matter the weather,
No matter the color of the grass.
Nothing in the world matters because
With you everything is good!

This is the thirteenth runner-up in READ magazine's 2008 Ann Arlys Bowler Poetry Contest. Check back every day through May 1 to see 14 fabulous student poems. Did you enter? One of them could be yours!

-Kristian Alfonso, Grade 12

Elapsed time of call: 1:16
He tells me that I swing my arms when I run.
I tell him I like my space
and it keeps cars from hitting me.

I ask him if he's tried it before
and he says only in Allendale
because there are sidewalks.

Here we have no sidewalks,
no fire hydrants,
we let things burn here.

Elapsed time of call: 3:33
He asks if it is raining where I am,
I tell him only in my mind. He asks
if I had dinner yet and I say
I don't have service.

Call ended.

This is the twelfth runner-up in READ magazine's 2008 Ann Arlys Bowler Poetry Contest. Check back every day through May 1 to see 14 fabulous student poems. Did you enter? One of them could be yours!