2ND Annual Stellar Literary Festival
Poetry Contest Winners!!

Youth  15 - 18   Category:
First    Second   Third

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    First Place - Christopher A. Betty

Christopher lives in Ajax and was born in Kingston Jamaica. In recent years he has begun to grow more as a person and expand his thinking, ideals, and ambitions.  Towards the end  of 2008 he started writing poetry, using pen and paper as the conduit to expressing his thoughts and views.
 

 

            Lie

A single lie,
Could make an innocent die,
Could remove a lover's sigh,
Or make a child cry,

Lies lie everywhere,
Filling the air,
Up to the atmosphere,
The lies keep us safe,
And a skilful liar likes to strafe,
Talking in circles instead of straight,
While the noose of the lie tightens,
And the tension heightens,
Slowly passing the climax,
Till the lie becomes truth,

Fabricated proof,
Backs up each lie,
As their population gets increasingly high,
They pile up and fill the sky,
Each one resonating their golden tone,
Touching us down to the bone,
Touching the core of our being,
Making us blind yet still seeing,
Living nightmares while still dreaming,

Some believe lies cause they're nicer than truth,
They don't need concrete proof,
For them life is a big spoof,
A sketch,
Cause a man behind a desk,
Could orchestrate their entire reality,
Removing their ability to resist,

Those with power and fame,
Both qualities essentially the same,
Can use lies to their full effect,
Society, our beliefs, and our lives,
Could be based off lies,
Maybe we never learn the truth till we die.

    Second Place - Gloria Po Shan Tang

Gloria is a sixteen year old student in Ontario who enjoys writing, reading,  and the arts. She hopes to write more books and poetry and publish them in the future.
 

 
                  Unknown

Hidden under the sewer unseen
Forget to look back to those who seem gone
When they are in front all along.
Ignorance becomes a lost existence.
It is not a game.
Life has no branch to escape.
Money is not the cure.
Crave love, and understanding.
A bond and acceptance with no fine print.
The voice of trust
Heroes to aide the world.
Mark the end of struggles
To bloom anew.
Unite for strength
Hold hands to break barriers.
Ears cleansed to listen
Eyes wiped to see
Screams to be responded.
Show a road that has light.
Ability to change
Accepting mistakes.
The choice is made
For a second chance.
Continuous walk towards tomorrow,
Into the Unknown.

    Third Place - Alice Aurora McClintock

Alice is a graduate of St. Mary's Secondary School who is preparing to attend Trinity College at the University of Toronto in the fall. She is a voracious reader, and has been writing since the age of eight. She finished her first novel last summer, and has many other projects underway!
 

                  Natural Causes

The shrouded stranger on ebony steed
Rides to the woman; fair of face, eyes of moon
She is the lithe figure by candlelight; her rose
Lips pressed against stained glass, waiting

She dreams of her warrior in the frosted night
Rain cascades against his cloak, pulls it tighter
Calmly envisioning the arms of his beloved
As they encircle his frame

The nymph slides into a silk robe
Exposing her neckline: only for his eyes
A knock at the door is her herald, she opens timidly
And they gaze at each other in the sliver of light

She asks of his well-being, pushing the door wider
He laughs, and speaks of the storm
Sits down at her private pallor table, tasting his cordial
She watches him with a stone face

Taking the drink, constantly sipping
He smiles again; she utters no words
Falling to the floor, his limbs convulse, hideous
Death-dance, and still she says nothing

But her face breaks out into a smile
She kisses him, drapes silk over him
And lies against him, listening for the sound
Of the non-existent heartbeat

She makes her way to the coroner
Still in her finery and wearing a grin
Explains that a man fell ill in her chambers
And he, doddery and bow-legged, says that he will come

Inspects the body, proudly proclaims:
Natural Causes.
She hides a snicker, and the coroner does not pause
To ask why

 After the burial she gossips with old friends:
"Done your lover in?" they ask,
She laughs, for this one has been her ninth
And there are plenty more men left