And the winners are ...

Back in October, we invited "Kidspace" readers to send in poems for our seventh annual young people's poetry contest. We were delighted by the response! We received hundreds of poems from across the United States, as well as some from Canada, Japan, and Jordan. Many thanks to all!

Watch for next year's contest in October. And meanwhile, if you're a poet and would like to announce that fact to others, we have a limited supply of "I'm a poet" buttons available until Dec. 31 or while they last. Send a stamped (49 cents), self-addressed envelope to: The Home Forum Poetry Button, One Norway Street, P02-20, Boston, MA 02115.

Cross-country skiing

Click

Click

On go the skis
In goes the air
The frigid, tingling air
That makes me feel alive

I push off
I glide
Over sparkling snow
With the wings I have on my feet

Glide, glide
Glide so smooth
Fly faster and faster
And faster

Flow
Over the snow
Like a river
Like a dream

Smooth
A laughing dance of joy
Flying
I huff
I puff

I am the wind -
Alive

Kelsey Calhoun
Grade 7
Jericho, Vt.

Artichoke flower

Purple and
It's round.
The stem is green.
Prickly.
It feels soft here.
A bug there.
Don't be afraid
It just wants to live.
Don't be afraid
It's just a bug
Trying to make
A living.
The flower is
His home.

Enrique Drummond
Alicia Fife
Jocelyn Crawford
Preschool
Seattle

You know that bush

You know that bush
the bald bush with no leaves
at all?
But when the
snow falls,
it has a white wig
to wear.

Tsekai English
Grade 6
Cambridge, Mass.

Learning to drive

My car stopped dead in the middle of the hill,
It refused to go, against my will,
I pushed the pedal in real deep,
And then I heard a very loud beep,
It suddenly started to slip back down,
And in my rear-view mirror I saw a big frown,
My car bumped the car behind,
Then I heard the five other cars grind,
My father's face had turned beet-red,
The car door slammed and I saw he had fled.
Maybe as a student I was real slow,
But my advice is to get a teacher you don't know.

Meeya Killian
Grade 8
Brookline, Mass.

The guide to having older brothers

Don't be the last one to come to dinner.
They will occasionally cover up for you.
Careful when entering their room.
Don't steal anything from them.
Always have a comeback or don't say anything.
No matter what, they are right.
You will most likely get their old clothes.
Talking to them isn't easy.
Not all of their advice is a waste.
They don't like it when you talk to them in public.
Your self-esteem is influenced by them.
They always ride in the front.
They understand everything.
They help you with your homework.
They listen to your problems.
Transformers and Ninja Turtles are your new toys.
Sports are your life.
They always get the remote.
No matter how much you wish you weren't like them, you are.
No matter how old you may be, you are always known as "little."
They will always love you.

Leann Seymour
Grade 9
Green Bay, Wis.

Music

Music is happy, sad, and mysterious.
Music is a river, dancing through the stones.
Music is a loon,
Calling in the night.
Music can be anything.
Anything in sight.

Caitlin Barker
Grade 6
Seattle

Apple picking

The apples are red, yellow, and gold
One for me, and one for you
Let's divide them all by two!
After that we see the trees
Enjoy the sights before they freeze!
The leaves are red, yellow, and gold
The trees are mossy, big and old
Hurry home, it's getting cold.

Emma Sapat
Grade 2
Falmouth, Maine

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