Badgerblog » Holiday Poem Contest Winner

Mother’s Day Poem Card Contest Winner

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:30:04 +0000

For our Spring Holiday Poem Card Contest and in honor of Mother’s Day this Sunday, we asked our 170 Badgerdog writers to wax poetic about the women they call Mom. We received more than 120 poems celebrating the strength, wisdom, and beauty of mothers who sing songs and wash flip flops, mothers with skin so soft and eyes that shine in the sun, mothers who work too hard, and one mother, who, if she were an animal would be a cat. We selected the three poems that moved us most with their artistry, insight, and vision. You can find the first two of these in preceding posts.

Today, we are pleased to announce the contest winner—Siearra at Del Valle Middle School, whose poem “Tiger Mama,” hits on one mother’s toughness, verve, bite, and beauty. Siearra’s poem will be distributed in restaurants across the city, so if you’re taking mom to brunch on Sunday, you may find this beautiful poem—an ode to mothers everywhere—tucked inside your check.

Tiger Mama

She’s like a grasshopper,
hopping in the streets of Hynoon,
eating the guts of insects,
saying, “Clean your room, Siearra!”
She’s like Air Jordans—fresh and tight.
She’s tough as a tiger biker,
always yelling, “Yield!” in the strangest places, like the grocery store.
She’s the Himalayas—courageous and extraordinary, the mountain of wisdom.
She’s always asking me, “How much do you love me, McShorty?”
She loves the taste of dark chocolate.
She’s like poison ivy—contagious in so many ways.

Siearra, seventh grade, Del Valle Middle School

Original artwork by Sarah Meraz.

El Día de Halloween/The Day of Halloween

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:00:45 +0000

Es el final del verano
Y la cosecha termina.
Es el alma y el espíritu
Que alucinan.

Lo negro de los muertos—
Sin duda a suceder.
Las tumbas se han de
Romper, es lo seguro.
Lo cierto del negro obscuro.

Lo negro de noche oscura,
Naranja de amanecer—
Sus poderes harán tristezas.
Ya la casa estará segura.

English translation:

It is the end of summer
And the harvest is over.
It is the soul and the spirit
That dream.

The black of the dead—
It will surely happen.
The tombs must
Break, it is certain.

The certainty of dark black.
The black of dark night,
The orange dawn—
Their powers will make sorrows.
The house will already be safe.

Veronica, fourth grade, Barrington Elementary School

* * *

Every fall and spring, Badgerdog solicits and publishes occasional poems from its students. This poem by Veronica was the winner of our Halloween poem contest. Congratulations, Veronica!

Sun Love

admin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 13:00:41 +0000

My dangerous rooster
I love you like I love myself
I love the way you always stay on guard
The way your feathers beg to be odd
the way you take charge and march
The way you fight for a reason
Just like treason
The way you shake and wake me
up like a scream of love
like a feather floating down
as if it has floated forever.

—The Sun

Ricardo

Every spring and fall, Badgerdog solicits and publishes occasional poems from its students. This poem by Ricky was the winner of our Valentine’s Day Poetry Contest. Congratulations, Ricardo!

Original artwork by former Badgerdog student Izzy Lawlor.

Thanksgiving poem contest winner!!

admin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:27:18 +0000

The Crazy Fall

Red, blue, and white remind me of the flag
I like my hair
I lost my hair in Mississippi
Fall trees remind me of fall
White and black remind me of zebras
Leaves remind me of trees
She was wearing purple because she passed away
The gray ground reminds me of the wind
Great big pumpkins are orange in fall.

Tyreke