2019 Poetry Winners     
For Kids 3rd through 8th Grade 
 

Congratulations!

Presented by: 
The Kansas City Rose Society 
       and Kansas City Parks

3rd to 4th Grade Winner

• Lelah Brenchley
• ​3rd grade, home school – Cottonwood

The Fairy and the Sky
 
Emmie is a fairy
Who lives in a rose.
She is quite merry.
She paints her toes.
She drinks the juice of the flower.
It gives her strength to fly.
She flies higher and higher with her power
And says hello to the fairies in the sky.

Why the judges awarded the prize to Lelah’s poem:

•  It was the most whimsical, fanciful, enchanting poem in the competition
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• Lelah tells a charming story, full of visual detail.
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• Now we have an extra reason to visit the Loose Park Rose Garden: to look for fairies in the blooms.

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5th to 6th Grade Winner

• Katalin Somogie
• 6th grade, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy Middle School​​

​Why the judges awarded the prize to Katalin’s poem:
 

• Writing in verse is challenging, but Katalin added as extra level of difficulty by writing a concrete poem: a poem that creates a visual shape to enhance the meaning of the poem. The vase contains the elements of the full garden and reminds us that roses are also a joy when carried indoors.

 

• Don’t you want to rush out to the garden now? Exactly. Although roses in a vase are still, the poem captures the joy and movement in the spring garden.

 

• “Splish-splashing” is a marvelous addition of sound, but we can also imagine the noises made by geese and running children.

 

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7th to 8th Grade Winner

• Madison Harless
• 8th grade, Caleb Bingham Middle School

​I Am a Rose
​
I am a rose, stubborn
blooming only in summer, as
I know my sun will
keep me warm.
I am a rose for I
keep my thorns
not sure of what
my journey will be
ahead.

Why the judges awarded the prize to Madison’s poem:
 

• Compression is a valuable skill for good writing. Say what you need to say, but know when to stop. Adding more only diminishes the message. Madison gets that.

 

• Each winning poem offered something unique. “I Am a Rose” is the only persona poem, letting the rose speak for herself.

 

• This rose is a good role model for a teen girl. Know who you are and what you want to do. Be prepared to protect yourself and your dreams.

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Special Award for Outstanding Craft

• Anna Elizabeth Linney
• 4th grade, Prairie Star Elementary School

 
 
The Princess Rose
 
As sun shines, my soft petals waltz and multiply,
The cold, frigid winter has passed,
The spring cheer makes me happy, I sigh.
 
Bursts of magenta and cobalt surround me nearby,
I wake up from deep slumber,
As sun shines, my soft petals waltz and multiply.
 
A young girl chases a spotted butterfly,
My rose garden home is coming to life,
The spring cheer makes me happy, I sigh.
 
Worker bees buzz to take nectar nearby,
And a warm breeze blows gently,
As sun shines, my soft petals waltz and multiply.
 
Oh how I love springtime, the roses imply,
Their beauty coming from inside,
The spring cheer makes me happy, I sigh.
 
The fountain drops, pours and I hear a lullaby,
Of the pink princess rose am I.
As sun shines, my soft petals waltz and multiply.
The spring cheer makes me happy, I sigh.

Why the judges chose to honor Anna’s poem with a special Award for Outstanding Craft

• If someone stopped you on the street and asked, “What is a villanelle?” could you explain it to them?  Probably not, unless you’re a poet or English teacher. Anna’s poem is a villanelle, a tricky 19-line verse form using a pattern of repeated lines in addition to rhyming. Poets in MFA programs, not 4th graders, often write their first villanelles.

 

• In addition to using rhyme and repetition, Anna makes good use of alliteration to make her villanelle sound even more musical: bees/buzz/breeze, nectar nearby. The Princess Rose hears a lullaby, and we can hear it, too.

 

• Anna’s poem plants readers in the rose garden, where we can feel the joy of blooming again in spring.

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Honorable Mentions
Because we hope talented young writers will continue to write and improve their craft, the judges are awarding Honorable Mention to two children who showed amazing creativity.
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Mason Renner

• 5th grade, Notre Dame de Sion
• ...for “A Thief Among the Roses”

Mason channeled Dr. Seuss in a long, amusing narrative poem
about a Grinch-like neighbor who stole flowers from a garden
and revenge that didn’t heart a single petal.

Maira Edwards-Gonzalez

• 5th grade, Notre Dame de Sion
• for “Nature’s Complaints”

 
Maira thinks a lot about the nature of things and shows that she
might someday be a poet or philosopher. She love her sense of humor
when she tells lightning, “You don’t have to be so zappy all the time.

Congratulations to all our Rose Garden Poetry Contest Winners!