Young poets celebrate nature in our second Poet-Tree Contest
North East Trees, your friendly neighborhood park-building, seed-gathering, youth-training, school-greening non-profit, is delighted to announce the winners of its 2nd Annual Poet-Tree Contest, run in conjunction with the good folks at 826LA.
We are celebrating nine award-winning young nature poets, with over $400 in prizes. Receiving nearly one hundred submissions from across LA, we loved to see so much talent and passion for trees and wildlife on display. To quote one of the poems (thanks, Sheila!)—“Like an iris, you inspire us.”
“For the second year in a row, we were blown away by the eye-opening, thoughtful, and extremely imaginative Poet-Tree we received,” said Michael X. Ferraro, Board President of North East Trees. “Our congratulations to Celia and Scarlett and all the young poets. It’s so inspirational to be reminded by young people of how connected we are to nature, especially in a big city like Los Angeles.”
Winners came from Thomas Edison Elementary, Ivanhoe Elementary, Everlasting Elementary, Equitas Academy #2, Wonderland Avenue Elementary, and Bright Star School.
Congratulations and massive thanks to all the students who entered, from 826LA and schools across LA.
Drumroll, please, here’s the official list of the winning poets for 2022:
GRADES 1-3
First Prize - $100
Celia for “The Fig Tree” – 3rd grade
Second Prize - $50
Greta for “Fall” – 2nd grade
Third Prize - $25
Ellie for “Doves” – 3rd grade
GRADES 4-8
First Prize - $100
Scarlett for “Corazon di Tierra” – 6th grade
Second Prize - $50
Maddy for “Climate Change” – 4th grade
Third Prize - $25
Sheila for “Like a Tulip” – 8th grade
SPECIAL JUDGES PRIZES
Caspar - 1st grade
Raheem - 3rd grade
Lena - 2nd grade
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Marlowe, Damian, Galilea, Tashi, Gio, and Reznor.
For your reading pleasure, here are the wonderful poems penned by our finalists and winners:
The Fig Tree (by Celia, 3rd grade)
Climb it every day,
Fig tree here to stay,
Always-swaying leaves,
blowing in the trees.
Twirling, swirling, dancers whirling,
flying, flying, always flying.
Summer comes, we pick the fruit,
ripe and sweet, a giant pile of loot.
After autumn, the tree stands bare.
No fruit or leaves found anywhere.
No sprouts come forth until the spring.
And then nature turns on with a ping!
FALL (by Greta, 2nd grade)
The trees communicate with the flowers when
the flowers get sad and stressed
The trees talk in code
to the animals below
for the trees are old and mystical
Doves (by Ellie, 3rd grade)
Doves dive down deep into dance.
They do the spin.
Spinning and spiraling.
Too much spying.
Corazón di Tierra (by Scarlett, 6th grade)
Earth, it is a blessing to have
Your Corazón full of kindness and Generosity.
Your success
Deserves the gift of a song
To charm across fields of sunflowers like
Bees swirling through the sunshine.
He met Violet’s calming inside his Corazón
with many spirits in Love’s glory.
Music’s Language to the beat of an earthquake.
Climate Change (by Maddy, 4th grade)
The plains stretch out far and wide,
The rain pours, falling down
The heavy breath of summer breeze
The horizon painting a masterpiece
Falling in the deepest nook
Pictures from an old book
Mist shaping the mountains light
The sun shining ever bright
But if we don’t care this will disappear
Climate Change is shaking our world
Destroying animals and tearing us away
From our own natural paradise.
There is a light. Shining. Bright.
It’s only so bright, not all of us can see
We are the problem
We only can be the solution
We need to get the natural light
That shines so dark,
That can shine so bright
We are the problem
We only can be the solution
Our history is etched in the hills
The earth does not belong to us
We belong to the earth
It’s our fate
To change the earth
We must change ourselves
So what are we waiting for?
Let’s go save our planet.
Like a Tulip (by Sheila, 8th grade)
Join me, as I immerse myself in the sun
It's far but it is worth the fun
I promise, it is not long.
Listen to nature's song.
There is no standard to be sought
Do not be distraught
You are so special
It is clear as a vessel
Look up there is potential
There is even credentials
It says…
“ Like a tulip, you grew up
Like a sunflower, you are secure
Like an iris, you inspire us
Like the ocean, you deserve a promotion
Like a tree, I can see that you agree”
With every creation nature projected,
Your foundation was expected
Different, but oh so exhilarant
Untitled (by Caspar, 1st grade)
You look like a frog
You climb like a gray squirrel.
You are a lizard
Untitled (by Raheem, 3rd grade)
Redwoods are rising.
The trees are high above me.
They spread seeds all ‘round.
Switzer Falls (by Lena, 2nd grade)
Switzer Falls so big and cool
Frogs and logs and bugs
It’s like a pool.
I love Switzer Falls
It makes me want to drool
Up so high I feel to say goodbye.
It’s loud and proud like a big cloud.
It makes me scared up so high and now
I have to say goodbye.
Under Tree Tops (by Marlowe, 2nd grade)
Under tree tops I see the birds fly with ease
And I like to feel the nice cool breeze.
I write a book and take a glance,
Then I look at the birds dance.
I see the squirrel dash up the tree tops.
I see a chrysalis form on all the crops.
I feel the tree bark of the tree tops.
Untitled (by Damian, 2nd grade)
Plants are cool and stuff.
They are living just like us.
Photosynthesis
Untitled (by Galilea, 4th grade )
Leaves swing hearing the
Birds singing plants grow each day at
Bay watching the sun come up and down like a seesaw flowers
Bloom and die it a part of life looking at the
Beautiful Sunset
Realizing life does
Not last forever enjoy it while it lasts
Untitled (by Tashi, 1st grade)
Leaves are colorful
The leaves give us oxygen
Leaves are pretty cool
Untitled (by Gio, 4th grade)
Nature is fresh.
Nature releases stress.
Love Mother Nature.
Sakura Tree (by Reznor, 4th grade)
I see leaves fall down
The Sakura trees pink leaves
Pink stunning beauty
