Alpha: Blanca Alvarado Middle School Winning Poets Rev it Up for National Poetry Month

By Guest Blogger Riley, assisted by Martha Sessums

I’m running in circles with excitement. I get to announce the ACE Poetry Contest winners at Alpha: Blanca Alvarado Middle School. I’m pretty humbled by their talent, and that’s hard for me to say because I’m a dog that thinks he’s pretty cool. (Well, as MASCOT of the poetry contest at Alpha, I am!)

But the Alpha poets are great. I write poems about treats and they write about life with technology and how that works and changes our lives. And they wrote in all kinds of poem styles, including prose and song, and used a lot of humor.  No doggerel for these poets.

So let’s give the winners of the ACE Poetry Contest a high paw in congratulations. Each received a Visa gift card as an award and I’m sure they will spend it wisely.

Treat yourself to a poem.  (And a treat for me!)

Winners: 7th/8th Grade

1st place – Mindy Diep

Innovation

In a world of hatred,
And many deceased.
May good things emerge,
And help set us free.

Inventions and innovation,
For they’re the cure.
To the hardships of life,
And the concept of fear.

Cell phones and laptops,
Are not the only things.
That technology offers,
And technology brings.

It has sent men to the moon,
To reach for the stars.
It keeps our lives going,
With buses and cars.

Patients can now live,
For another day.
We can now see our loved ones,
Even when they’re thousands of miles away.

Students can now learn,
With spark and curiosity.
They’ll grow to be our leaders,
Of this country and this city.

They say our generation’s doomed,
And our lives are so strange.
But they don’t understand,
Technology has helped our lives change.

They say that humans,
Are losing what we’re worth.
But I say it’s not the death of the human race,
I say it’s the birth.

Don’t lose hope,
And don’t grow fear.
For without technology,
We wouldn’t even be here.

2nd place – Evelyn Amaya

The Fresh Rhymes of Elsewhere

(Rhythm: Fresh Prince of Bel Air Theme Song)

In East Side San Jose born and raised,
On the computer was where I spent most of my days.
Chillin’ out, Clickin’ it, Typing’ all cool,
And going on Facebook outside of my school.
When a couple of teens,
They were up to no good,
Started yelling cuss-words in my neighborhood.
I said one little swear,
and my mom got scared!
She said
“I’m throwing out your ipod and your macbook air.”
I begged and pleaded with her,
Day after day,
But she stashed it in a bag and sent it on its way.
She gave me a paper,
and then she gave me my pencil.
I let my anger subside and said,
“I might as well kick it.”
First line,
yo’ this is bad,
watching thoughts bled out on a paper mat?
Is this how the smart kids spent their time?
Hmmm, this might be alright!
But wait,
I hear they’re prissy, educated, confident all that.
Is this the type of writing,
they just sent this cool cat?
I don’t think so,
I’ll see when I reach there.
I hope they’re prepared for the rhymes of elsewhere.

3rd place – Abel Arias

Unplug It

I am trapped in a screen full of colors for technology has become our new religion. Even now we have found a new way by tapping on an app that acts like a map in just a snap. You have to admit that new technology has given us all such a delight. I’ve pulled every plug from my cell phone to my T.V. not letting it capture me. I do not want to get stuck behind a device full of this so-called great technology, I just need a little time to breathe. To let go of this energy I have inside of me. Bring me back, help me realize and focus on what’s really important to me. These computers do not love you or me, it’s just a perception, of what they want you to believe. These electronics have the power to control you, it’s their way to achieve, and today I will say, I’m not mechanically free, but I’m thankful that I took some time out to unplug ME. But great pleasure has technology brought. For technology can turn a room full of heat into a frozen treat and an encyclopedia into information you can find in the media.

Winners: 6th Grade

1st place – Margarita Gonzalez

Technology Poem

An iPod, a tablet, maybe an iPhone,
They’re all the latest technology,
And they’re all coming home

Its fast and its bright,
I’d die just to get one,
Did I add it’s extremely light,
Especially the smartphone

With apps and games
Channel and weather
There’s no stop
Hold on
Let me update my twitter

It’s all fun and games
There’s no stop to my pleasure
Without it
My life would be lame

Wait my screen is pitch black
It died
Funeral is Thursday
Don’t forget my charger

2nd place – Han Dinh

One More Technology

Eyes on a bright screen every day
It’s surprising how tiny words keep the problems at bay
Forgetting about the bundles of homework
As they stare at the monitor with their little smirk

Human interaction long forgotten
Our humanity became dead and rotten
It became a distraction to responsibilities
All because of us trying to make new gadgets to our best abilities

I refuse to participate in such neglect
With the sun shining out, they stay inside under the effects
It’s like an illness catching on
There’s no pros only cons

It’s ruining the world without being known
Watch as technology has grown
It became something destructive
Wouldn’t you rather be doing something productive

It became a distraction here and there
It’s ruining things everywhere
We need to focus on important matters
But do you hear all the chatter

I refuse to slip in the trance
Not even one glance
We should be going on to the next
Alright you win, forget homework, one more text

3rd place – Efrain Medina

Oh Technology

Oh technology

How you make me angry

Servers are full,

Internet is down,

And it makes me frown

As I wait for my video to buffer

Or to join a game online

The slow drawn out process goes on,

Fine I’ll play offline

What is this?

The game tray will not open,

Oh you’ve got me again