Teens Only | Dickinson, Yeats, Zaman and Aday

To my list of favorite poets -- including William Butler Yeats, Emily Dickinson, e.e. cummings, and Shel Silverstein -- I now add two more: Labibah Zaman and Sofia Aday. Perhaps you've not heard these names before, but trust me when I say: you won't soon forget them.

 

Labibah and Sofia are winners of the Cesar Chavez Central Library's Poetry Contest held in celebration of April being National Poetry Month. We asked youth (ages 5-18) to write a poem of 100 words or less about why they love the Library. The younger winners were announced Tuesday on the 4 Kids blog.

 

Today it gives me great pleasure to share with you, dear readers, the winners of the 11-13 age group and the 14-18 age group.

 

Why Do I Like the Library?

 

Kids like me, love the library,

It is cool and fun,

And it is open for everyone,

Babies, Kids, Teens, Adults,

And even old grandmas and grandpas,

You know what I mean?

 

Loving the library is okay,

For me.

 

Having fun...

Reading books,

Playing games,

Doing homework.

 

Did I mention checking out books for free,

Not only books, but video games, videos, magazines, and etc. for free,

I got to agree.

 

by Labibah Zaman, age 13

 

I love that Labibah captures the open access of our wonderful Library in her free verse. Way to go, Labibah!

 

Read on:

 

The Bibliophile

 

The bibliophile is a wanderer

Who traverses the shifting sands of the world,

Ever-seeking something more to feed on;

A victim of his own desire.

The library is his haven.

Where he is free to gloss through the stories

Of the unbecoming at his own leisure.

The sensation gives him peace.

Something he was never quite able to attain in the real world.

 

by Sofia Aday, age 18

 

All I can say is: Wow. This poem says it all. Thank you, Sofia. Thank you for getting it!

 

We are so fortunate all of our young poets took the time to enter this little poetry contest. Thank you ALL for sharing your creative genius with us.

 

The teen blog will return every Saturday afternoon to celebrate great books you'll want to check out from your local Library.

 

In the meantime, happy reading!