poem

Flash Contest #24: Write a Poem That Can Be Read Up or Down. Our October Flash Contest was based on our weekly creativity prompt #121, another great prompt from Stone Soup intern Anya Geist. It always feels like a little miracle that our writers can craft these pieces of work, and give us two poems in one! Whether we end up with two poems that emphasise one another’s points, or whether the poem says the opposite depending on which direct you read it in, all of these poems really make the reader think, and even when the topic is sad, the form brings great pleasure. It wasn’t easy to narrow the choices down with the large selection of poems on a diverse range of topics, but with Anya’s help we were able to come to a decision. Thank you, Anya, for a great writing prompt and some wise judging! Congratulations to all this month’s entrants, and especially to our Honorable Mentions and our Winners, whose work you can appreciate below. Winners Home by Arishka Jha, 12, Redwood City, CA Perspective by Lily Jones, 10, & Sawyer Hanley, 10, Eugene, OR A diary of a young musician by Alice Ruan, 8, Beaverton, OR Fall Fiesta by Adele Stamenov, 11, Bethel Park, PA War, Love, and Peace by Chloe Zhang, 9, Portland, OR Honorable Mentions Save the Earth by Prisha Aswal, 8, Portland, OR Wild Fire by Cathy Jiang, 11, Portland, OR The Light by Grace Mancini, 12, Glenside PA Fire and Water Collide by Sophie Yu, 12, Houston, TX My Toys by Jessie Zhang, 8, Portland, OR Arishka Jha, 12Redwood City, CA   Home Arishka Jha, 12 lost. hope is not truly important and the belief that happiness can exist here is simply an illusion. ignorance is beautiful and life is money, power, destruction, and nothing more. it is unrealistic to believe that we live in a world of happiness, learning, and freedom. we are surrounded by constant confinement. really, there’s no such thing as home. Sawyer Hanley, 10Lily Jones, 10Eugene, OR Perspective Lily Jones, 10, and Sawyer Hanley, 10 By him I am hurt It’s a lie He is nice And what I say next is not true He is a despicable mean guy No, I believe He is kind and caring Never will I accept He’s rude He’s friendly And I refuse to consider He is selfish Alice Ruan, 8Beaverton, OR A Diary of a Young Musician Alice Ruan, 8 Today is the day I will make myself clear I am no good at music And I refuse to believe that Violin songs are heartwarming I hate harp It is not true that I would rather play piano instead of video games Scales, songs and practises are a waste of time I refuse to believe that Music brings harmony I am positive that No one likes music It is not true that Music is strong, and brings people together Today is the day I will make myself clear Adele Stamenov,11Bethel Park, PA Fall Fiesta Adele Stamenov, 11 The wind blows freely Crisp air fills with excitement Leaves glow through the breeze Colors splash above Small kites dominate the sky Dancing in the park Like a fiesta There is always so much joy In windy fall days Chloe Zhang, 9Portland, OR War, Love, and Peace Chloe Zhang, 9 War is everywhere It is a lie that Everyone is at peace It can not be more true that People can not love Only the morons think that The world revolves around love and peace I am sure that We will never see a day of peace It is a lie that Love exists I’d rather believe that Life is cruel and harsh It is a lie that Anyone can be at peace