Earth Day Poetry Contest First Place Winners 2012

Grade K

By Sula Nguyen

The Colorful Desert

This is the colorful desert,
Yellow, orange, and purple are the sunset,
This is a cactus that is black and green.

It has thorns,
The thorns are sharp.

I love the desert.

Grade 1

By Xander Clinkingbeard

A Hohokam Boy

A Hohokam boy
lived here long ago.
His father hunted
with a bow.
His mom wove a basket
to hold the grain.
They looked at the sky and
prayed for rain/
Did the boy have a dog?
Did he sometimes feel sad?
Did he want to grow up
and be like his dad?
Why did they carve a spiral
on a rock?
Is that the way they learned to talk?
How did they live
in the hot desert sun?
Did he race with his friends and have lots of fun?

Grade 2

By Ellenor Van Cleve

The Sonoran Desert

I spy a furry, brown coyote
surrounded by cactus in a humongous
canyon howling at the big, silvery
moon.

Fuzzy, funny javelinas eating
prickly pear.
Orange and black Gila monsters
quiet like the air.
My ears hear slithery rattlesnakes
shaking the rattles on their tails.
Red, juicy cactus fruit falling to
the floor.

The scent of the desert can be unique.
Dry, dusty monsoons rain warm and clear.
Fresh cactus fruit, crystal clear
water, fresh and blue.
The hot rays of the sun boiling
my skin.
Feeling of excitement and a smile
upon my face.

Grade 3

By Adrian Arandules

The Palo Verde (overall winner for grades K-3)

The palo verde is green
It has yellow blossoms in the spring
A tree where the roadrunner likes to play
And the wind whistles through its
branches all day.

Grade 4

By Jonathan Freeman

Desert Cactus (tied)

The saguaro, standing impossibly still
With its arms outstretched waiting to embrace a friend

And the fiery blooms of the ocotillo, like paint brushes or torches
Small animals live in these desert giants, but the animals are the saguaro's family

By Olivia Conklin

Coyote (tied)

Canis Latrans is its name
But I guess Coyote is the same.
Canis scat is furry,
But don't mush it in a hurry,
If you do
Check the bottom of your shoe,
But don't touch it thinking it is a rat
Remember it is coyote scat.

Also, did you know if an ambulance has gone by
The siren will make a coyote howl in reply,
Wow! How time does fly
But remember, be the good guy,
Let coyotes be,
Let them live free.

Grade 5

By Belle Poirier

Wolf (tied, plus overall winner for grades 4-6)

Flash of gray in the darkness.
Eyes yellow as the blazing sun.
Fur white as the moon above you.
Feet like the wind.
Body strong and bold, like a boulder.
Spirit running alongside with you.
Your soul stunning and graceful.
For you are wolf
Beautiful and brave.
Forever Part
Of the
Natural world.

By Justin Miller

Dark Night (tied)

Dark shadows in the night.
Echoes down the way.
Waves crashing on once an ocean.
Blinding light in the sun.
Secret footsteps in the pitch black darkness.
And I hear the winds whistle.
And I hear the song of the trees.
And the dancing of the saguaro.
Here is what I say to Mother Nature:

(don't change anything)

Grade 6:

By Isabella Bushroe

Monsoon

Dark blue summer skies
Have dark clouds rolling in
Roiling inside, swirling, gently pushed by the wind,
too slowly, no wind yet down here —
only far off, in the sky

Dark grey skies let down gently
the first drop of rain —
then two more —
Spots in the dust and the sand underfoot
A quickening crescendo in a captivating symphony

The relief comes down with the rain,
Floods the minds of all us desert creatures,
The plants feel it, the animals, and all the people,
The dry, cracked earth soaks up the water
While our dry, cracked skin soaks up the moisture in the air.

Tonight the storm tosses and flings
Tormenting the tree tops with violent winds
The saguaro stands tall,
Has stood though so many storms like this,
May stand through many more.

In the morning, the sun
will shine through the mist,
Showing mushrooms erupted from the ground overnight,
And a brilliant white flower that is held as a treasure,
Framed by the saguaro's green limbs.