2024 Claudia Emerson Teen Poetry Contest Winners & Honorees

Today I switched on the sky
And discovered stars that glowed like new,
I turned on the gentle stream
And greeted the waters of frothy blue.
I built the cumbrous mountain range
Of rock and majestic evergreen hues,
But they weren’t perfect or complete.
Because I did them all without you.

I tramped through fields of daffodils
Like we did when we were five,
I tumbled down the rolling hills
That once made our tangled hearts thrive.
I toppled into the ocean’s arms
Where we used to swim and dive,
And reality’s waves eroded my heart:
It’s just me alive.

I remembered your overdramatic reaction
After I made a horrible pun,
I recalled the sequoia trees we climbed
Because you said, “C’mon, it’ll be fun!
I long for the moment our hands touched
As we watched the earth kiss the sun,
And I yearn for the feeling of you next to me—
The happy ever after that ended before it begun.

If you were still here, would we build a boat
Of unbreakable bonds to conquer the seas?
Would we walk the winding trails protected by
Powerful old oak trees?
Would we craft the clouds of cotton fluff
Into creations only we could see?
Would we whisper while the eager breeze
Gossiped our secrets to the waiting leaves?

Today I chased fireflies through the woods
And caught some in a jar,
I traced prancing dreams with pencil and paper
And begged reality not to wander too far.
Those curious twinkling nights of light
I forged into wishing star,
Praying the diamond in the sky
Would show me where you are—

Oh God, why? I want you back!
Some days the world ceases to spin…
This unbearable agony—I need you here!—
Memories burn my heart; shattered and broken—
Please come back, can you come back?
I’m hollow pottery,
crumbling within—
Yet.

The falling rain
Pitter-patters your name
As a little voice whispers:
Someday.

Do I dare to hope—
Am I tricking myself?
Will there be a—
Someday?

I sense a promise
Of memories treasured
And bonds unbroken:
Someday, I’ll see you again…
Someday.