Poetry Contest for Children
This year’s theme: Super Powers.
If you could fly, where would you go? If you had night vision, what would you see? If you could breathe underwater, who would you meet? If you had unlimited money, what would you do to help those in need? What is a superpower only you have dreamed of? What’s a superpower you already have?
A superpowered congratulations to all the kids who bravely submitted their poems this year. The talent and creativity on display was remarkable and picking a winner was almost impossible! Thank you to our judges for the children’s and teen poetry contests – children’s authors Jean Mills and Kira Vermond, Wellington County librarians Danielle Drimmie and Daubney Thielking, writer and educator Katarina Vuckovic, former teacher-librarian Allison Montgomery and Amy Lychwa from Guelph Public Library Youth Services!
Primary (Grades 1-3)
First place
“My Shooting Star Power”
By: Vaidehi Giridhar
I am a superhero shining bright,
I can fly high in the sky.
I am very strong,
I am very brave,
I am very happy every day.
I shine my light and show my power,
I grow smart every hour.
I want to show my strength to everyone,
I shine like the sun and a rainbow.
I want to be who I am, just like you,
You and me are heroes too.
We shine every day in our own way,
Helping others as we play.
Listen to yourself and be who you are,
You are lovely just as you are.
I am a rockstar, a superstar,
Shining bright just as I am!
Runners up
“Superhero Dog Rescue”
By: Sebastian Bell-Young
If I had a superpower,
I would want to be,
The greatest, weirdest scientist,
Dimensions I would see!
I’d bring my old dog back to life,
With a back-in-time machine,
I’d build my dog the fastest car,
It would make my mother scream!
“Powers”
By Sienna Wasowicz
If I had a superpower, it would be flight,
I could get to a super high height,
I could go to the top of a tower,
There’s definitely no flowers,
I could fly with the birds,
They speak a lot of words,
If I had a superpower, it would be strength,
I could put buildings in such a long length,
I could pick up a tree,
But I might bump my knee,
I could hang from a tree for so long,
But I might want to sing a song,
If I had a superpower, it would be gills,
But I might have to eat a lot of pills,
I would go super deep,
So I would not hear a peep,
It would be so fun,
Because there would be sea buns,
If I had a superpower, it would be bounce,
I could bounce in until I pounce,
I could bounce to the moon
I would get there so soon,
I could bounce with a frog,
Until it hides in a log,
If I had a superpower, it would be money,
But it might be too sunny,
I would buy a leathered chair,
On that chair I will eat a pear,
I will have a really big house,
I will make sure there is not a mouse.
“Big feelings are YOUR superpower”
By: Vera Perez-Culbert
I have a lot of feelings,
Sometimes they are quite appealing,
I can be extra caring,
Paying attention when someone might need some sharing.
But at other times,
When my feelings are as sour as limes,
I lay in bed all twisted up in a clump,
Feeling like a cut-down stump.
My big feelings are my superpower
Rain needs to shower and the sun to tower
This is a superpower that everyone has
Just dig a little deeper with your claws.
Junior (Grades 4-6)
First place
“Super Powers”
By: Elle Blaine
In a world where shadows softly creep,
I found a strength I didn’t keep,
A spark that lit beneath my skin,
A hidden force that stirred within.
I leapt so high I touched the sky,
No wings at all, yet I could fly,
The clouds would part, the wind would sing,
As if I were a weightless thing.
With eyes that saw beyond the night,
I turned the dark to glowing light,
No secret could escape my view,
I saw the false, I knew the true.
My hands could bend the steel so strong,
Or heal a heart that suffered long,
A touch could mend, a grip could break,
A choice in every move I’d make.
But powers aren’t just strength or speed,
They show in every kindful deed,
For being brave and standing tall,
Might be the greatest power of all.
Runners up
“Telekenisis”
By: Ayla Blaine
I sit and stare across the room,
A pencil starts to shake—then zoom!
No hands, no strings, no tricks to see,
It moves because it listens to me.
I think it left, it slides that way,
I think it right, it starts to sway.
A book flips open on the floor,
Then gently closes like before.
My mind is strong, my thoughts are clear,
I move small things from far and near.
A cup, a toy, a paper plane,
They float around like gentle rain.
I smile and laugh, it feels like play,
A superpower in my day.
If I believe and really try,
Who knows? I might just touch the sky.
“Wind”
By: Morgan Domanusz
Swish swish zoom, swish swish zoom,
Can you see me no you can’t, can you hear me yes
you can, swish swish zoom swish swish zoom,
My name is wind how do you do how do you do,
I am born from the river I am born from the lake,
I am born from the creek down by the bay, I ruffle the hay
I spin the mill, I blow the grass upon the hill, the water can stop
Flowing, the earth can stop spinning but I am wind and I will
Never stop living.
“Fix it All”
By Sharanya Tyagi
If I could fly, would that fix it all?
If I could breathe underwater, would they leave me alone?
If I could fly, I could never fall.
If I could breathe underwater, I could find a new home.
But do I need the magic to be happy?
Who knows what could be?
Will I ever be free?
If I could teleport, I could escape.
If I could time travel, I could change the future.
If I could teleport, I’d be like a hero in a cape.
If I could time travel, I could save myself from the torture.
I know I’m privileged, I know I should be fine.
But I’ve been powerless my whole life.
I could stop everyone who tries to hurt me.
For once in my life, I’d be free.
Senior (Grades 7-8)
First place
“Superpowers”
By: Emily Xu
I dreamed I had superpowers, fierce and wide.
Travelling a thousand miles with just a single stride,
I could lift mountains with just a hand,
Have the wind and oceans at my command.
I’d save the innocent and chase down crime,
Outrun bullets, freeze the time.
No fear would fill the streets at night,
With no more shadows lurking to start a fight.
I’d stop the floods that drown the town,
and save the buildings from burning down.
I’d calm the hurricanes that roar,
and keep the waves from wrecking the shore.
I’d end thirst and hunger with ease,
No more starvation or empty bellies,
To the parched earth I’ll bring down rain,
Until the fields fill with golden grain.
I’d house the homeless, protect the weak,
Defend the ones that cannot speak.
Replace injustice and poverty,
With fairness and equality.
I’ll use my icy breath to cool the Earth and stop the melting poles,
Clean the ocean, restore the reefs, and freeze the glaciers whole.
With my lasso I’ll capture smoke that fills the air,
And bring back all the forests lush and fair.
I’d eliminate cruelty and soften hearts,
Break down the walls of hate splitting us apart,
End bullying, abuse, neglect,
Making the world full of respect.
No virus can get through my magical shield,
Until all diseases are healed.
No child will wait in hopeless hospital wards,
No precious life will be cut short.
I’d be the hero, strong and bright!
An unstoppable force, a guiding light.
People with look in awe as I save the day,
But then, I looked beyond the dream, and saw a different way…
Police officers that patrol the city streets
To protect people and keep the peace,
Firefighters running inside a burning house,
With people to save and flames to douse.
Farmers tending to land and stables,
Parents that work late to put food on the table.
Activists that call for human rights and justice,
Scientists researching cures to sickness.
Teachers staying after class to assist students in doubt,
Strangers willing to share and help out,
Therapists that guide people through difficulty,
Volunteers that support the sick and elderly.
Doctors healing others with care and skill,
Bringing back hope and health to the ill.
Nurses working through the dawn
Until every patient is checked on.
They haven’t got laser eyes or super speed,
But still are helping those in need.
So, I guess superpowers don’t have to be a grand display,
They’re just a thousand small, relentless acts that add up day by day.
So it’s okay if I don’t rule the sky,
or be able to lift the mountains high.
The world is changing, part by part,
through the ordinary human heart.
Runners up
“Fragile Mind, Strong Heart”
By: Avis Evangeline
Sensitivity is a powerful energy
That only some can understand.
I am sensitive
And like every power,
It has two sides.
Sensitivity can be good,
I can feel feelings before they surface
And meet the eyes of others,
Acting as a shield from whatever is to come.
I can detect emotions,
Satisfying or inadequate
From innocent people whose feelings are strong
Or subtle.
When it comes to feelings,
I am invincible.
But sensitivity has another side.
A dark side that I am afraid to turn over.
I can sense negative emotions, too,
Deep inside of myself.
Though for others they sound quiet,
for me,
They are loud.
And they get so strong.
So strong,
That I can’t control them anymore.
My body gets filled up with mixed up feelings
That aren’t meant to be there–
But yes,
I need these feelings.
That is what a human being is.
But sometimes,
With all the anxiety,
And all the negativity,
Feelings are just hard to bear,
And I would rather endure their absence.
I am sensitive,
And I can either see gold,
Or black in the distance.
But my mind can’t decide what is ahead,
Sharp bursts of pain,
A pit of grief,
An aura of happiness,
Or a blanket woven from peace.
It is me, and my superpower that can change the future.
“A Time-Less Superpower”
By: Tisya Mathur
If I had a power, I would control time
There would be many incidents I could just rewind.
I could completely restart my lifetime,
Or simply pause it at a point where I could find peace of mind.
I could play my favorite days on a repeated loop.
I would never have to eat disgustingly yucky soup.
Because Boba’s what excites me, not tomato soup.
Once I go back, through the mists of time,
Drinking my favorite drink on loop.
After drinking, I simply just rewind.
Boba takes the worries away from my mind.
I could drink it for a lifetime!
Or maybe not a whole lifetime,
Because I’d fall asleep, thinking of soup.
No one could disturb me; I wouldn’t mind.
But I could do many other things with the power of time.
I could see my grandmother if I just rewind.
No time would be wasted if I took the scenic loop.
The strings of time are tied in a loop.
That continues on and on for a lifetime.
Even if you do rewind,
Let’s say, while eating your soup,
You’ll go back into the circle of time.
This might be confusing for some minds.
But with this power, no one will mind
Waiting for me, because I’ll put time on a loop.
I won’t need any extra time.
Because with the world paused, I’ll get a lifetime
Of time, since I’m not the fastest at eating soup.
That makes it easier and faster to eat if I rewind.
If I wanted to play more with my friends, I could rewind
I can get some free time to make it easy on my mind.
Fast forwarding when dinner is hot broccoli soup.
Eating yummy pasta that’s shaped like a loop.
Having this power gives me a free lifetime.
Without worrying about the time.
So, as I take the soup and rewind,
I realize that with unlimited time,
No problem will bother my mind.
Now that I can make endless loops,
I’ll be free for my entire lifetime.
