Poetry 99 winners - Kids

First place

Unexplainable
I like to sit and watch the water flow by
With all those little fish and their bright colored scales.
In the house my mother sits drinking that greenish tea,
But the water looks greener to me.
Such nonsense they say,
But I look at it in a different way.

By Violeta Quezada
age 8, Chico

Second place

Light
The light
of the moon
with his ears
open for howls
the light
of a lantern
shining in the dark
the light
from the sun
comes and goes
the light
in my mind
always
glows

By Kassidy-Kate Roe
age 9, Chico

Third place

I Am Fire
I am a small spark
yet I contain the power to destroy
animals
forests
and even planets
I may be small
but I grow quickly
burning all that stands in my way
I’m wilder than a raging bull
yet I’m smaller than a mouse
my inner flame
can never be put out.
Stop me if you can!

By Trevor Trombley
age 10, Chico

Honorable mentions

Kittens II
Shhhh, stay quiet, stay still.
It’s that time of the year
when I stay quiet and use my ears.
Oh, what’s that?
It’s a rat!
No, it’s not a cat named mittens,
it’s kittens.
OK, here’s the story:
every year in my garage
my female cats give birth.
I climb and climb and take my time.
Shhh, I heard something.
It’s a kitten.
I duck low, I peek, and see mother cat there.
Two kittens cry because they see me and are shy.
I pick one up and it shuts up.
I love them, who could not?

By Elizabeth Serpa
age 9, Cottonwood

My Neighbors
Mrs. Sue is crazy.
Mr. Lum is lazy.
Mrs. Shal has a pet cat.
Mr. Krade has a pet rat.
Mrs. Lar has the flu.
Mr. Suke wears a stinky shoe.
Mrs. Shab thinks she’s a queen.
Mr. Lack is really mean.
Mrs. Herble I like the best.
Mr. Ran is my teacher and is making me do this writing test.

By Carrie Dada
age 9, Cottonwood

Stalker
I am the spirit of the moment
I am always watching you
I am stalking you at your most private moments
You can not find me
I am always there to correct your mistakes
But, sometimes you deny my warnings
You take risks that should not be taken
You get drunk, you drive, and look at you now!
Lying in your own pool of blood
You’re going to die
You drank and drove
This happens to be your fate
I’m your conscience.

By Sam Brenden-Rohde
age 11, Chico

Artichoke in a Field
delicious
beautiful
purple
flowers
diamond-shaped
leaves
leaning
into the sun
delicate spider web
reaches
from one flower to another

By Sabrina Husband
age 7, Chico

Kody
Kody is a dog of mine
Who seems to poop all the time!

A Siberian Husky
Who likes to dig in the dirt and get dusty

Why just today she dug under the gate.
Quick! Catch her before it’s too late!

She likes to play tug-o-war
She will pull me across the floor.

She has one brown and one blue eye
Looks so pretty makes me say, “oh my"!

At one year old,
Kody doesn’t like to do what she is told.

So if you like this rhyme of mine,
Come on over and meet her sometime.

By Zoey Langum
age 9, Cottonwood

River by the Rocky Road
I was outside
There was a curvy and rocky road ahead
No sound to be heard besides the river in the short distance
The wind in my hair
I take step after step

By Taylor Woods
age 9, Cottonwood

Wonders
I have wanted a glimmering new
golden retriever, Puffy
a shiny star of my own
I have seen a cloud
hovering above us
I have wished for a ride in a plane
high in the sky
I am waiting for a new world
with new people
I am waiting for a rainbow
after it rains
I am hopeful for human beings with deadly diseases
for a new born baby that has a hard time breathing
I hope for peace
for a time that the world is silent.

By Leina Clarke
age 9, Chico

Marshmallows
Roasting over a hot fire
Sometimes
Catching on fire
Squishy! Gooey!
White and soft!

By Jagger Pico
age 6, Chico

The Fall Feeling
I feel the air
I hear the sound
The birds are flying south
It’s fall, I said
It’s truly amazing to see

By Makayla Santana
age 9, Cottonwood

untitled
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I can’t wait to run over you

Bears are brown
Trees are green
Sometimes I think that you’re just mean

Pumpkins are orange
Streetlights are white
One day you’ll see that I’m always right

Plums are purple
Stormy skies are gray
Soon you will find that I always get my way

Stars are yellow
Hearts are pink
Believe it or not, I’m not always a stink

Tropical waters are turquoise
Sandy beaches are tan
My family is my biggest fan

Well, I guess my poem 99 is done
Surprisingly, this was really fun

By Carley Clement
age 9, Cottonwood