Oxford Day Academy Winning Poets of ACE Poetry Contest Show Off Their Rhyme
By Thor, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, Oxford Day Academy
We have epic Oxford Day Academy (ODA) ACE Poetry Contest winners with epic poems. Poems about the future. Poems about what it will take to be successful. For never being too young to feel the pain.
Let my ODA poets show off. Eeeepic!
1st Prize Winner – Chyanne Robinson
2nd Prize Winner – Damian Montesinos
3rd Prize Winner – Sarai Johnson
4th Prize Winner – Taniyah Arreguin
If I were a book
By Chyanne Robinson
If I were a book, I wouldn’t invite you in just yet
I fear that that if I let you in – you may hurt me in an instance
If I were a book, my main character would struggle with trusting people, because people started breaking her trust at an early age
If I were a book, I would fear that if I were to trust you, you would simply walk out of my life, so instead, I keep the pages closed
If I were a book, I would tell you about family separation, about a mother leaving her family, and her children not knowing why.
If I were a book, I would tell you about my older sister having to surrender her childhood, because she had to take care of me
If I were a book, I would empathize with someone who may feel alone and worthless – because I KNOW what that feels like
If I were a book, I would tell you about feeling alone, about a cloudy mindset making it impossible to think straight as dark thoughts build up
If I were a book, I would struggle with capturing a happy memory, because it is elusive – disappearing before I can write it
If I were a book, I would tell you about multiple deaths and a child who blames herself for the death of her grandma, her uncle, her cousins
If I were a book, I would tell you about not wanting to go to school, not wanting to have friends, blocking myself from the world because being alone allowed me to hide my sadness
If I were a book, my tattered pages would resist being straightened – no I do not want to go to a shrink, no I am not going through a phase, no, I am not too young to feel this pain
If I were a book, I would tell you about being bullied because I did not look like the other girls, or because I chose to follow the rules
If I were a book, I would tell you about being bullied because I was Black and called ugly, or that my hair did not flow like white or Latina girls
If I were a book, I would fade away … like my depression.
I Am Equity
By Damian Montesinos
I am equity
I am Equity, I am Strong, I am Brave, I am Powerful.
I am fair and value others opinion.
I stand for myself and give all I have.
I stand up to violence and speak my mind even when i’m wrong.
I give voice to the voiceless and give my admiration to others.
I Used To Think…
By Sarai Johnson
I used to think that procrastination was limitation,
…but It was my adaptation.
I used to think teachers used condescension to get my attention
…but it just turned me away and caused me to retaliate – but I won’t let that stop me from being great.
I used to care too much about people’s thoughts,
that caused me to refrain from getting taught.
I am Equity
By Taniyah Arreguin
I am equity. I am willing to work in a team.
I am equity, I represent fairness.
I am equity, because Being equitable isn’t about giving everybody the same tools. It’s about
Giving everybody the tools they need to be successful.
I am equity. I choose to be successful in life.
I am equity. I am not meant to be a person who is controlled by someone else’s direction.
I am equity. I can be the change I want to see in the world.
I am equity. I am 16 years old I am a risk taker and mess maker
I am confident doer of exciting things
I’m not built for desk sitting
My brain craves action, I’m not as grown as people think, I still need to move and explore, don’t
rush my teenage hood.
I am equity, a creative student, curious, persistent, and independent with a spirit of adventure
And a love of joy.
I am equity, a teenage with a full-time job, called moving and adventure
Let me be persuaded by it, from my early years, until my old
Years
I AM EQUITY.