I wasn't necessarily expecting anything to come of it, because poetry is judged against prose, there aren't separate categories, and there are a lot of kids in my grade in my county.
BUT.
Today, I got a letter informing me that my poem, "When the Ink Runs Dry" has been selected as a winner in the festival and inviting me and my parents to the awards ceremony!
I'm THRILLED! And surprised! And just, WOW! This is AWESOME for me! I mean, I like my poetry, and sometimes people tell me it's good, but I was not expecting this! It's kind of validating for me, this realisation that other people, people who don't KNOW me, like my poetry! SO COOL. And this is the first piece I'll ever have published!
And the other thing is, I wrote that poem in November, as a free-write for my English class. We write every Friday, and we can share, if we so desire. I really liked "When the Ink Runs Dry" when I wrote it, and every week since, I've debated about sharing, but I never did... Turns out if was WORTH sharing! This is a pretty big moment for me! I'm very excited!
And, just for the record, here it is:
WHEN THE INK RUNS DRY
What will happen when my pen runs out
When the ink runs dry
And my heart can’t shout
What will I do when the words don’t rhyme
When I lose the meter
And I can’t keep time
What will there be when there’s only
discord
When the notes don’t line up
And there’s music no more
My world will crumble when that day comes
Because I live for my poetry
And I live for my songs
My world will be ashes, not even a spark
For I won’t have a soul
And I won’t have a heart
My world will be flat, dark, and grey
When I have nothing to sing
And nothing to say
But I will keep writing as long as I can
As long as a pen
Still lives in my hand
And I will keep singing through endless
days
My soul taking wing
Making everything okay
And I will stand, dreading what will come
When the ink runs dry
And I am undone
So, that's all for today... But yeah. I'm really happy about this! :]