The Patagonia Regional Times 2021 Poetry Contest, in collaboration with the Patagonia Public Library and the Patagonia Creative Arts Association, awarded prizes to eight local students. Local middle school and high school students were asked to write a poem inspired by the poetry of U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, whose work has been the focus of NEA sponsored Big Read programs in Patagonia. 101 poems were submitted to the contest from Patagonia Middle and High Schools, Elgin Elementary, Patagonia Montessori, Little Red School, and home schooled students. Look for more student poems in upcoming issues of the PRT.
PRT Poetry Contest Winners
High School
First (Tie):
Sydney McKay “Green” (PUHS)
Madison Vines “Roots Are Always Planted” (PUHS)
Second:
Nicholas Mentone “Dear Mama” (PUHS)
Honorable Mention:
Ivan Carranza “Honoring Tata” (PUHS)
Middle School
First:
Omar Chacon “Arizona’s Beauty” (Little Red)
Second:
Corinne Benevich “Let There Be No Regret” (Patagonia Middle)
Honorable Mention:
Wenzi Hirata “The Hungry Coyote” (Little Red)
Gavin Arbizo “The River” (Patagonia Middle)
High School – First Place (tie)
Green
by Sydney McKay, Patagonia Union High School, Grade 12
Green like the hedges of home,
Green, like the reflections of the greenhouse panels,
Green, like the beautiful, winding vines, that trail up and down trees
Green, one amongst her favorite colors.
Green, deeply embedded, braided in her eyes,
Green, the color of her plant stained thumbs,
Green, always encouraging growth of the garden, of us,
Green, braided in my hair, and saturating my eyes,
Green, my favorite color, because to me,
She is green.
She, keeping things green when they should be withered away
She, my definition of natural beauty.
She,
My green thumbed mama
High School – First Place (tie)
Roots Are Always Planted
by Madison Vines, Patagonia Union High School, Grade 12
Some fight and win
Some fight and lose
The story’s still the same
Some people are known
Some people are shadows
Still people know their name
Leaving their homes
Leaving their families
But never far away
Leaving the past
Leaving too soon
But never here to stay
No one is ever ready
No one is ever prepared
Don’t take time for granted
No one wants to say goodbye
No one wants to die
But roots are always planted
Middle School – First Place
Arizona’s Beauty
by Omar Chacon, Little Red School, Grade 8
From the sunny days to the cloudy nights
Her beauty is vast and wide
From blazing weather were the sun’s rays burns
To winter nights with the snows soft touch
From the forests to the deserts
The rivers and canyons that stretch
Below the golden sky and blue moon
To Saguaro that are old and wise
And the Pines whos needles are forever green
The rattles of the snakes who hunt for prey
And the coyotes coat of grey
All day and night, the deer play
Most of all her treasures
The rivers which peacefully twist and turn
Which echoes of her waters through the valleys
And whispers into the desert life
To ease upon the blooming flowers
To which we are honored to conserve
So that generations to come will
Enjoy her beauty as we do