1st Place
I Listened
©Jessica Tabacca, 2007
(River Hill
HS -- Grade 12)
It was late one night
As I sat down away from all the chatter
At a volunteer event for the elderly that I didn’t think seemed to matter,
Wishing I were anywhere else
When an old man bent his feeble knees taking the empty seat beside me.
He took a trembling breath, leaned back, and shut his eyes
While I stared wide-eyed, unable to turn away.
Minutes passed, we sat unmoving.
His sudden sigh startled me.
From his worn lips he said to no one as much as to me:
"At the end of each day, I take a few moments to reflect;
Young people do not know it.
My only regret is that I wish I had done so
Before I was old and it was too late."
The words hit me.
I blinked.
His wisdom, his intention, his wish —
His regret; my realization brought to life.
1st Place
Stepping Out
©Patricia Veasey, 2007
(Reservoir HS -- Grade 12)
My shoes looked brand new.
All the others on the floor had a little wear to them.
They had been doing this forever,
And this was my first time.
I was sitting on a bench on the side of the room,
Too nervous to step out with everyone else.
Then I thought about you,
I thought about what you would do,
What you would say.
You would have reached out your hands,
And pulled me off the bench.
You would have brought me into the group
And made me feel so welcomed.
But you weren't there,
And you weren't coming.
No one was going to reach out their hand to me.
I had to do it,
I had to make the first move.
I felt a little push from behind,
And a whisper in my ear
"Get up and dance."
I stood myself up
And stepped out onto the dance floor.
2nd Place
Dear Younger Sister
©Mrunali Dos, 2007
(River Hill HS -- Grade 9)
You have grown so fast.
The cherished memories we make today,
Will soon by part of the past.
These few fleeting moments,
They aren't going to last.
You're getting older.
You're soon to be thirteen.
You're soon to learn,
That the world can be mean.
But never give up on your dreams,
And learn from your mistakes.
Don't go too fast though.
You must know when to hit the brake.
Take the time to appreciate moments.
They'll never be the same.
And as for your emotions,
Those you must learn to tame.
Don't let disappointment hinder you.
Learn to move on after strife.
I'm not asking you to forget them,
But don't let them stop life.
Be humbled by greatness.
But strive for it anyway
Have a memorable moment
For every single day.
Live each day
With laughter and love.
You will get
Everything you're dreaming of.
2nd Place
Soloist at the Masked Ball
©Amanda Hogue, 2007
(River Hill HS -- Grade 10)
The creatures who stand before me;
painted and ugly,
want me to be as they are,
hidden, silent, dishonest,
and create the illusion of the perfect dance,
one two three, one two three.
I dance along for awhile,
watching the evolutions of the dancers
sweep across the Devil's own ballroom.
What pretty apparitions,
in the darkness never-ending.
I turn,
just as I was taught,
but I don't see anyone, only,
one of many masqueraders,
with grinning smiles plastered
on scowling faces.
So I watch my world darken
and I cannot hear the music of these liars
counterfeit friends
buffoons who revel in their revel.
I alone seek to find truth in the madness
and I dance like a ballerina
and shriek like a banshee.
Fools! Look at you,
masks cannot make you whole
only emptier.
3rd
Place
Live
©Alison Gotcher, 2007
(River Hill HS -- Grade 12)
Live for all the moments
And hold them in your heart.
Live for all the days
And never let them part.
Live for all the years
And dance the whole way through
Live for all the times,
The Golden and the blue.
Live for all the people
That will love you all your life.
Live through all the pain;
And live through all the strife.
Live for every day
Because I know you can.
Live for every moment
And live for every man.
Honorable
Mentions...
Danseuse
©Amanda Freishtat, 2007
(River Hill HS -- Grade 9)
As the music begins
The piano meets the lyrics
A dancer comes out on the stage
Posed to encounter a challenge
As she twirls to the left
She stumbles across the floor
For a brief moment she has failed
The piano has not faltered
As a smile advances
Beyond the footlights
The audience absorbs the emotions
Opinions are designed by apperception
As the connection grows
Between the tune and the steps
A beauty evolves in the spotlight
From the mistakes and the perfection
As the music finishes
The dancer prevails
For the danseuse finished the dance
Before the music came to its end
As the danseuse realizes
The dance has passed
A reminiscence of the experience forms
For the dance fulfilled the song
Eternity
©Allison Geaney, 2006
(River Hill HS -- Grade 10)
All that she's ever asked is for
Another song to sing Because she's been dancing to
The wrong song all along
Stupid crimes she's got to pay for
If she's going to travel that road
Gunning losses running through her mind
Bottom line
She's got to dance through this one on her own But there's some burning ember
Something still there
In that small shape that she calls a heart
Some musical note
Some thing she still holds dear
Same old people
Same old neighborhood
Waiting for a change
Her heart is almost empty
Void of all emotion
She's not dancing anywhere
Because sometimes you just have to dance on your own
Sometimes you have to do things for yourself
And she may not reach exactly what she's aiming for
But she knows that the way things are now
She'll wait for all eternity to get what's right
There's some burning ember
Something still there
In that small shape that she cans a heart
Some musical note
Something she still holds dear
And she now knows that there's a chance
Another dance
Another song out there
She's just got to work towards it
And she'll wait for an eternity to get what's right
Because she knows that there's some
Burning ember
Somethlng still there
Something she's just got to look for
Not A Care
©Margaret Joseph, 2007
(River Hill HS -- Grade 10)
Lights pumping
Music loud
This girl is spinning round and round
People stare
She doesn’t care
She just goes on twirling her hair
Dancing a disco dance
Speeding up the beat
She’ll never scream in defeat
Final Steps
©Ashleigh Perry, 2007
(River Hill HS -- Grade 9)
The soft thump of slippers on tile
Followed by the crack of a tap shoe
A fluid movement of the body
And the music begins with the trill of the flute
And the tap of the snare
Blending smoothly with the throb of the bass
Weaving in between the light steps
And as the dance, the dance of life comes to the climax
The instruments strain at the fingertips of their players
Wanting much to join in the dance
And the lovely dancer begins an incredible spin
Elated and lively and faster than a breath
Arms drawn in for more speed until suddenly
She stops
Disoriented, she falls back into the arms of her partner
The stage dims
And the music stops
As the audience sit in stunned, horrified silence
Still unbelieving
The curtains close and they wonder
Wonder what the rest of life’s dance would have been like
Until finally they leave
Knowing fully that the dance they had seen
Had been amazing until the very end
For One Night
©Mikkel Snyder, 2006
(River Hill HS -- Grade 10)
You know, they used to say
Live and let live
Have fun, be yourself
Nowadays you can't afford to
You used to be able take a chance and you could make as many mistakes as you wanted
But there is no second guessing or a reset switch.
You used say what you need to say and leave
But we always remember
I remember the nights where I looked to the stars
And saw the fullness of the night sky
But now, I only see the emptiness and void of space
But, sometimes every star fills me with hope
We never know the hand we're dealt
Things don't always go the way we plan
We might have luck, we might have destiny
But we still might not know anything
But isn't it worth it, just living
Isn't it worth it, just being
Isn't it worth it, knowing you were loved and are being loved
So even if it is just for one night
Go out and forget the troubles of the world
Even if it is just for one night
Go out and live
Take that one last dance
Or just sit on the rooftops, looking at the fading sun
Do what you have to do
But even if it is just for one night
Go for it
Because you only have one life left to lead
Just one life left to lead
So don't be afraid tonight
Don't be afraid
This could be just for spite or a genuine chance for reprieve...
I just want you guys to know
Don't be afraid
Take the one last dance
Live a little, live a lot
Even if it is just
For One Night
