by Teen Poets

These poems were mostly written by local teens who won our May Teen Talk poetry contest. The contest is generally open to anyone age 14-19 in the Kings River area, but when we got an entry from Texas we thought that was so cool we included hers in the winners this month. Take advantage of this chance to have your poem published online and available for everyone to read! Any subject or type of poem will be considered with three or more poems selected at the end of most months, details below. Since it’s Memorial Day weekend one of the winners we picked is a Memorial Day poem she wrote last year.

Memorial Day 2010
by Kristalyn Patzkowski, Junior, Reedley High School

The sun was blistering today,
In that cemetery.
I sat in one of the fold-out chairs and listened.
Just listened to the speakers.
Their words of the fight for my freedom—
The work of the fallen and unknown soldiers.
Envisions of camouflage and dog-tag necklaces, but
Only one soldier is frozen in time, in my memory.
I don’t know who he is; yet I feel safe,
Despite the heavy weapon in his hands.
He is fighting for me.
He is dying for me.
He has lost everything meaningful,
And I am gaining liberty.
I close my eyes,
In attempt to block out the escalating voices.
I don’t want to know their terror.
Instead I want to
Remember the sound of the American flag flapping in the wind.

The Inescapable Circle
by Priyanka Garigipati, 10th grade, Clark High School, Texas

What luscious calm nature brings
With her soft breeze and sun
I can see those green trees with their smiles
Welcoming the new life to the world
They sway from side to side
Until they can play no more
How gorgeous they look in the glimmering light
About to begin their journey forward.

I can hear the crackling of the soul
The dried up lives on the brink of death
Laughter and joy taken away
They lie on pavement with poor health
Helpless as they are, nowhere to go
Let them rest in peace as they pray and vow
That one day they will return
To the merry life they once had known.

See the branches of the barren trees
That knew not the meaning of sorrow
Now standing alone in the night
Dark and alone amidst the white snow
Lost everything, the laughter and life
That the tree possessed
Now hoping for a new life.

Submit entries via an email to life[at]kingsriverlife[dot]com, our Submission Form or snail mail: Kings River Life Magazine, P.O. Box 1355, Reedley, CA 93654. Include your full name, age, grade and the school you attend with each entry — no inappropriate material will be considered. Feel free to email us or use our Contact Form if you have any questions. You will also be asked for a couple lines of biographical information if your poem is chosen. We look forward to your entries!

In the meantime, check out our Teen Talk section with weekly articles including reviews, opinion pieces, local band profiles, area high school and college goings-on — all written by local teens. Be sure to follow us on Twitter too as we will be having giveaways for all Kings River Life readers of tickets, CDs, books, t-shirts and more.