It is the time of the year to select the winner of the second half of 2023.
Please read the poems below and click on the link below to cast your vote.
Voting will end January 15th, 2024.
Fear is Tradition
By: Kristen H
Where I come from
people are afraid
of both failure and success.
Stagnation is where we all stay.
Get a safe job.
Live in a safe home.
Have a safe family.
No one takes risks
and those that do are
criticized and shamed
into falling back.
I decided to give up.
I gave up my fears.
I took the risk.
Joined the army,
Moved across the country,
Got a tattoo, or 10,
Fell in love,
Moved again,
Went to college,
Had kids,
Moved again,
Went to a trade school,
Moved again,
Got a job in a major city,
And now??
Well, now…
I’m as happy as I could ever hope to be.
Meanwhile,
Where I came from...?
It’s exactly the same as when I left.
Hot Summer Nights
By: Clentin
Hot
Sweating
Hard to breathe
Keeping me up
Tossing and turning
Keeping my mind awake
Thinking about my life’s goal
What is it that I should review
What actions will I choose to explore
Before the heat takes me back to my dreams
Sister Pauline
By: Ruby Lord
I was dressed in school colours, bottle green
On my first encounter with Sister Pauline.
The habit she wore and her stare intensive,
In making me silent, I grew defensive.
The courage I had, was pulled straight from my soul,
with Sister Pauline demanding control.
In her weird sayings, she was purposely hard,
And the words that she spoke, I’d disregard.
‘Girls, if you’re at a party and the lights go off,
Jump up on the table, yes boys, they’ll scoff.
but tell them the truth, loud and without fear,
I’m a good catholic girl, don’t come near’
‘And if a boy asks you to sit on his knee,
Don’t agree without a phone directory.
Better practice is to use two such books,
Bad boys want you tight upon their hooks.’
I figured out why she’d stand by her word,
Sister Pauline’s statements, cried, I’m absurd.
Clear frustration in this woman that I knew,
And resentment, because her lovers always withdrew.
Success is What You Make It
By: M. Browne
To me, success is more than a seven letter word
For finally, no more failure is heard
In the silent echoes of dawn
I feel as free as a bird
Success whispers, a journey drawn
To me, success is a painted canvas with colours unseen
Breaking the comfort of everyday routine
Becoming bold towards something new
It's growth within, more than a dream
For failure had never alone grew
To me, success is what you make it
Through tough times, I'll never quit
Recalling when they told me to abort
But I won't give up, I will commit
For it's their words that I had fought
To me, success is an old-told tale
It is a journey ready to set sail
Practise and not giving into fears
I've worked so hard, I mustn't bail
For I've given my blood, sweat, and tears
To me, success is not a distant goal
For I have given the depths of my soul
Repeat and repeat until well polished
I sit by my phone awaiting the call
Soon I will see all that I've accomplished
Make Me Laugh
By: Ruby Lord
Start with a smile,
And tell me a joke,
make me laugh,
my funny bloke.
Tell me again
fill life with fun
reel them off quick
until I am done.
Laughing my socks off
take to the stage
honing your humour
my comedian sage.
Vote Here
