T een P oetry C ontest - El Paso Public Library

2015
Teen
Poetry
Contest
Designed & edited by Bernardo Jáuregui.
Printed during March 2015 at the print
shop of El Paso Public Library by
David Tarín.
El Paso Public Library expresses its appreciation to the
poetry judges who selected these year’s contest winners:
Dane Aguilar (English)
Susan Barnum (English)
Bernardo Jáuregui (Spanish)
El Paso Public Library Teen Hangout staff members:
Youth and Family Services Coordinator– Patricia Hernandez
Armijo Library — Adrian “Stelo” Rivera
José Cisneros, Cielo Vista Library — Sandra D. Palacio
Clardy Fox Library — Paul M. Gomez
Dorris Van Doren Library — Lisa Martínez
Esperanza A. Moreno Library — Juanita Kamalipour
Irving Schwartz Library — Lori Bocanegra
Judge Edward S. Marquez Library — Ida Rodríguez
Main Library — Debi López & Susan Barnum
Memorial Park Library — Jaime Álvarez
Richard Burges Library — Mike Pitterman
Westside Library — Valerie Chavez
Sergio Troncoso, Ysleta Library — Jennifer Montes
English
Language
Poems
Spanish Influence Poem
Spanish Conquistador who brought us disease,
why didn’t you turned around, and left us at ease?
We didn’t want war, we didn’t want sorrow.
You came with your stinky feet and gave us much horror.
You could have left us your sugars and spices but NO,
You also left us with kids full of lice.
We learned a new language, which was really cool.
If only you could have remember ours too.
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We loved you and we helped you, for this is the truth.
You chained us and slaved us and gave us the boot.
We learned and adapted and mixed with your kind.
Now I really love churros, natillas and wine.
I still like my style, which is better than yours.
I kept my chin up and my ways and my rules.
I kept them in secret, I kept them real quiet.
I longed for the day, I could share my desires.
It has always been the best solution,
I’m finally free and there is no denying
the rhyme, rhythm and beat soothe my sad soul,
that I’ve suffered and learned and I mixed my desires.
it’s like my heart’s full of an illusion,
an illusion of meeting my one goal
I live for today, I live for tomorrow.
that one goal that wakes me up every day
Now I’m free to be happy and when not…drown in my sor-
one simple song can always change my mood
rows.
it takes all my major problems away
it makes me have a better attitude
Tequila is my friend, the drink of the Gods.
feels like we don’t need a road to travel
Whenever I drink it, I really relax.
music keeps our memories in our hearts
it never allows us to unravel
Mia Dorsey.
the music could stay in our deepest thoughts
Nolan Richardson.
music says everything I want to say
First place. Seventh grade.
and I remember it for the whole day.
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Iran Ivette Aranda.
El Paso High School.
Main Library, Honorable Mention.
5
The Life of a Dog
There are many things
I like about you.
Their fur feels like thread
Like movies breaking my feelings
flowing through your hands
and series too.
laying on the warm bed
dreaming about delightful treats
There are many things I could do
after a long day of chasing squirrels and rabbits
but I'd rather be with you.
and barking up a storm.
Crying and laughing about my favorite scenes.
It’s hard living the life of a dog.
Eating my favorite chicken wings.
Jacob Borgeson.
From the hours spent with you
Nolan Richardson.
to the lack of sleep I get.
Second place. Seventh grade.
I would never switch to Hulu.
I'd rather be with you in my bed.
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I love you,
Netflix.
Sasha Cobos
Moorehead Middle School
Westside Library, Honorable Mention.
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It has its ups and downs
Mackinaw
But it’s your choice whether to scream
Or sit back and enjoy the ride.
Land breeze, sea breeze
a ferry docks at noon.
Anna Swatzel.
At ease, brain freeze
Nolan Richardson Middle School.
a cannon goes ‘boom!’
Richard Burges, Honorable Mention.
Horse hooves, slanted roofs
So many small cafes.
Fudge booths, dog woofs
shade from the sun’s rays.
Giant trees, buzzing bees
Bicycles zoom around.
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Mossy reeds, feeling free
A kite dives aground.
Smell of rain, ‘tis a shame
that this day should end.
Water’s plain, all the same
Mackinaw Island to land.
Anneliesse Fensch.
Lincoln Middle School.
First place. Eight grade.
7
Spring Time
The Side of Me You Don’t See
The wet dew glistens,
I was the victim and I always will be.
the flowers blossom and bloom,
That girl who was bullied at every school,
My ears always seem to listen,
But came here and tried to play it off cool.
to the colorful birds tune.
The same girl she was then and nothing changed.
I start to feel very serene,
The best me I could be…..
as the ideas in my mind start to climb,
This is the side you need to see.
everything around is green and clean,
that’s how I know its spring time.
The person I wanted to be was
Someone I am not.
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Imari Lucas.
The person you see me as
Nolan Richardson.
Is not who I am.
Eight grade. Second place.
Though I seem far from different,
This is the person I thought you should know.
Who I am on the inside is quite shy.
You may never see a tear shed my eye
But I’m broken to pieces.
I was taught to hold my heart
Together and now is when
I put on my battle scars.
Be true to who you are.
Find something that makes you
Happy and don’t let anyone take that away,
Because life is like a roller coaster,
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She is the spoiled one, says the presents
The Witch
under the Christmas tree;
she is also the youngest child, says the pictures
As the night passes by
on the hallway walls;
You’ll hear the witch’s cries
she is a rather small person, says the closet
And as she flies past the moon
full of clothes; and a girl with talent,
She sings an eerie tune
says her cello and bow;
but not a girl for the kitchen, says the stove
Her skin is rougher than Velcro
erupting with smoke.
In fact, she’s so ugly she’d scare a scarecrow
On Halloween night, do not mock her
She lives with her parents and brother,
Because for the rest of your life, she’ll be your stalker
along with many cats, says the walls
that trap them in; the cats fill the house
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Her face is so scary, she’ll give you nightmares
like leaves in a tree, all of them
Making you thought of as crazy by all of your peers
as unique as fingertips; without the liveliness
On your computer screen, there’ll be a glitch
in the house, she would be as lonely as
Don’t look behind you? Oh, No, it’s the witch.
the last doughnut in the box.
Daniela Vela.
Sometimes she is happy, and sometimes
Eastwood Middle School.
she is not, says the squeaky bed
José Cisneros Library, Honorable Mention.
in her room; she is well organized,
says the desk that is clean as
a new penny; her room is as blue as an ocean,
says the posters on the wall;
a piece of her would be missing,
if there were no books.
Ariel Chen.
Burges ECHS.
First place. Ninth grade.
9
The Wrath of the Storm
The Game
The sun rises from the east and emits warm rays of sunshine
The running the injuries the pressure is not any fun
casting a glow over the town
When the coach yells it is scary and so confusing
and yet, the day is calm, quiet, and peaceful.
Although my chest hurts I can’t stop until I’m done
It’s hard and it’s sad when my team is losing
Out on the ocean a mass of clouds begin to condense
My ankles feel weak and my muscles are extremely tired
swirling together like a blender
and a sailor remarks that a storm is brewing.
There’s so much struggle when we just want a goal
Every ounce of my strength is for getting shots fired
The waves begin to rise
In the morning when I wake the soreness takes its toll
the wind starts to howl like a wolf
I run down the field as if I can fly
and the members of the town begin to fret.
The other teams’ defense which I have come to hate
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Closer and closer the storm comes
I look up because I need motivation from the sky
the wind at its full intensity
This sport I realize seems to tragically be my fate
and building-high waves pounding ashore.
But even through all the hardships sweat tears and pain
I wouldn’t change it because I love soccer, the game
At last the storm arrives
bringing with it death and destruction
Dominique Lopez.
uprooting houses and flooding the streets.
El Dorado High School.
Esperanza Acosta Moreno, Honorable Mention.
For hours the storm unleashes its full force
dumping torrential rain and stirring up strong winds
but eventually it dies down.
31
For those Who Wonder
The clouds begin to move out
the wind dies down
For we are those who wonder
and finally, the sun shines again.
those who question the assumed
what would the world be without us?
The day is quiet and peaceful
the world would be doomed.
the sun shines rays over the town
but now everything is in ruin.
From the far reaches of the Earth
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to the deepest of the sea
The townspeople emerge
to the highest mountain
shaken but alive
even to a public library.
and continue their daily routine.
Questions are our canvas
Theodore Sandhu
answers are our dreams
Franklin High School.
we tend to state our motto:
Second place. Ninth grade.
“Things aren’t always what they seem.”
A haunted house, a forgotten tomb,
a medieval castle, a secret room
never mistake what you assume
for we are those who wonder.
Savanna Stewart.
Franklin High School.
Dorris Van Doren Library, Honorable Mention.
11
Fall of the Lakota
Exhaustion
Black flesh corrupts white snow
I am Exhausted
But I slept, slept well actually.
in the distance, a Tree of No Branches
ravaged by the true savage,
cracks in the trunk—evident.
This fatigue I feel it's not for lack of sleep
Actually it's for lack of life.
Crows nest near its dark crown,
a brown blanket lies at its feet—
burned.
The blinded Eagle soars above
the bugle calls—
wind howls and freezes
trampled snow.
12
Horses whinny and shriek and
a single feather falls, broken
I used to have a drive,
A drive that had moved mountains
and left traces everywhere I went.
But I drained it, drained it to the last drop
And still found a way to take a last gulp.
But now I go through the motions,
the motions of keeping the mountains in place
and the acceptance of being recognized
in every OTHER place now
where brown meets white
hills silent, and no one
left to weep.
Lucas Reyes.
Coronado High School.
First place. Tenth grade.
Then I look at my "chalice of life" and wonder,
wonder when I will be able to drink again
I am Exhausted
But there are not enough hours in the night
to end this oppression.
David Rodriguez.
Jefferson High School.
Clardy Fox Library, Honorable Mention.
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El Amor de Dios
Abandoned, alone and forgotten grew the tree.
She listens to the waves collide.
No hay amor perfecto
Her withered leaves decoding the key;
que sea tan correcto
afraid to expose its secrets, she hides.
un gran cuidado
que sea tan exagerado.
Unable to float away,
She’s stuck under the dull light of the moon,
El mejor apoyo
watching the crepuscular creatures travel towards the bay,
que te ayuda sobre todo
where she secretly hopes to belong too soon.
lo mejor de todo
que nunca te ha abandonado
She has become a shadow of the sea
siempre está a tu lado.
her dreams lost in the unforgiving dark,
where nobody can hear her plea;
El mejor amigo
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tragic, as she has lost her alluring spark.
que siempre estará contigo.
Alexis Arciniaga
Cristian Torres.
Coronado High School.
Lydia Patterson.
Second place. Tenth grade.
Armijo Library, Honorable Mention.
13
Snow Day
Cloudy skies, cold winds, and white snow.
The sun goes away and the light is dimmed.
Those make for my perfect day.
I’d rather live where it’s cold
I’d rather wear jackets, and then carry them.
And I rather be cold than be hot.
I hate summer heat.
I hate the sick feeling of the heat from the sun.
I hate sweating and getting another shade darker.
If I could I would move to Alaska or Washington State.
Places where its cold with no heat.
A cold place where I can be myself.
14
They say: “stay in El Paso, don’t go so far away.”
But I say: “No way, I don’t belong here!”
This place isn’t my home, just a place
where I have to live till I turn eighteen.
I will get myself to this cold place.
I will leave this ‘sun city’.
I will get my cloudy days.
Where I can have everyday a Snow Day…
Jo’Enni Becerra
Jefferson High School.
First place. Eleventh grade.
Honorable
Mention
Poems
My friend I need you now.
Please take me by the hand.
Stand by me in my hour of need,
take time to understand.
Take my hand, dear friend,
and lead me from this place.
Chase away my doubts and fears,
wipe the tears from my face.
Friend, I cannot stand alone
I need your hand to hold,
The warmth of your gentle touch
in my world that’s grown so cold.
Please be a friend to me,
and hold me day by day.
Because with your loving hand in mine,
I know we’ll find the way.
Estefany Paz.
El Dorado High School.
Second place. Eleventh grade.
15
Mirror
Vida
Life is not a thing
Se acaba cuando menos te das cuenta,
A thing that will caress you
Para algunos pasa muy lenta,
Carry you
Para otros se va muy aprisa,
Nurture you
Cuando tu tiempo se acaba ella no avisa.
Like a caring mother should
Whenever you want it to
El tiempo se lleva muchas vidas,
Life is a universal mirror
La muerte te lleva, no importa cuánto te cuides
It can be blurry
La vida es invaluable
Cracked
El tiempo no perdona ni es amable.
And scratched
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And make it difficult for you
El tiempo es tu antagonista
To realize the truth of your life
Pero tú eres el protagonista
You can look at a mirror and look at yourself
Es imposible sobrevivir
See yourself
Porque se trata de vivir.
And tell you who you are at the moment
You can look and see yourself as a millionaire
Alan de la Garza.
And grab success by the ears
Lydia Patterson Institute.
Or see yourself eating feces of the streets
Décimo grado. Segundo lugar.
Struggling to even walk from one place or another
You can see yourself in any way you want
Whatever you want see on the mirror
Determines who you are at the moment
And seeing yourself the same way
Over and over again
It will make you who you are forever
25
Las estaciones del año
Because the way you view life
Determines who you are
Primavera, es una estación colorida
In the real
como un arco iris
World.
llena de rayos de luz y
donde hay vida
Adan Rivas.
Como las crías de los animales.
El Dorado High School.
Verano es una estación en donde
Twelfth garde. First place.
La grande estrella del universo resplandece,
Con ello el aire es seco y caliente
Como un desierto.
Otoño es una representación de vejez.
Los colores dan una belleza a las hojas
Que se vuelven amarillas o rojizas
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Que secas, caen cubriendo los campos.
Se ven aves emigrando de un lado a otro.
Invierno es la estación más friolenta
Donde el ser humano puede crear un mono de nieve.
La temporada de frutos secos,
La estación de fiestas navideñas
Que dejan huella en el fin de año
Y comienza uno nuevo.
Así de esta manera sigue el ciclo
De las estaciones que nunca termina.
Yareli Arellano.
Lydia Patterson Institute.
Décimo grado. Primer lugar.
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Concrete crack on frozen ice
El daño ermitaño
snow falls on tongues warm with spit
children run through streets, hair filled with lice
De tu corazón quiero
a boy lies next to his dead mother where she sits.
quitar todo el daño
te daré una semilla
Michael Hipps.
del ermitaño.
El Dorado High School.
Twelfth grade. Second place.
Nunca te olvidaré
aunque esté en Roma
no podré olvidar
tu dulce aroma.
José Reyes.
Morehead Middle School.
18
Octavo grado. Segundo lugar.
23
La luna
Si el reloj se detiene
evitando el tormento
y ves que se obstina
en marcar el momento
observa la luna
oculta entre las nubes
espera oportuna
mientras tú sabes:
en mi sueño te pienso
aguardando el silencio
mientras espero tu ascenso.
22
Christian Gracia.
Morehead Middle School.
Octavo grado. Primer lugar.
Spanish
Language
Poems
Tú para mi
Casa embrujada
de un torrente salgo yo
de dos torrentes sales tú
Cuando entré en la casa embrujada oí el viento,
de tres torrentes es nuestro
me decía que saliera, de repente la puerta se cerró
amor que arde como el sol.
detrás de mí. Dentro estaba oscuro, la barandilla
de la escalera me impedía caer.
No hay límite en el amor
Algo whooshed cerca de mí, corrió por las escaleras
porque cada vez que te veo
y se zambulló en el armario. Pude probar la saliva
se me rompe el corazón.
salada en mi boca. Se podía olfatear el miedo,
cada vez que te miro doy un suspiro,
olía a viejos calcetines de gymnasia y pies.
cada vez que te hablo tengo ganas de darte un abrazo.
Luego, lentamente, la puerta se abrió.
Cuando me levanté, algo me agarró y me tiró hacia abajo.
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Tus labios son rojos igual
Tenía demasiado miedo de abrir los ojos.
que mi sangre que llega a
Cuando lo hice yo estaba sano y salvo en la cama.
mi corazón que brilla y brilla
como un diamante.
Jillian Saldanha
Morehead Middle School.
Gidalti Chi
Lydia Patterson Institute
Séptimo grado. Primer lugar.
Séptimo grado. Segundo lugar.
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