Pamunkey Regional Library
Poetry Contest Winners
Each year the library has a poetry contest in March. During National Poetry Month in April, programs recognizing the poetry contest winners are held. Members of the community are also encouraged to share their favorite poems with their friends and neighbors at these events.
Past Poetry Contest Winners 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
PRL Poetry Contest Winners 2010
Overall Winners
Kindergarten
"Fall"
Elementary
"EWWW!"
Middle School
"Admiration"
High School
"Silently Watching" by Nadia Gouldin
Adults
"Baltimore" by Devon Mattys
Kindergarten Winners by Library
Ashland - "A Day at the Beach" by Ella Swager
Goochland - "Camping in the Snow" by Kyle Blanchard
King & Queen - "Summer" by Dayshelay Evans
Montpelier - "Horses"
Elementary Winners by Library
Ashland - "Lay Me Down" by Jazmyn McLaren
Atlee - "Virginia"
Goochland - "In the world I'm a loner" by Wils Hosken
Hanover - "Spring" by Liana Favale
King & Queen - "Dad Was So Mad" by JaTwon Hence
Montpelier - "Christmas"
Rockville - "Tree Haiku" by Erin White
West Point - "The Pizza" by Breyona Harvey
Middle School Winners by Library
Ashland - "An Empty Space" by Olivia Price
Goochland - "Seasick" by Melonie McDowell
Hanover - "Some People Choose to Whine like Me" by Garret Morgan
King & Queen - "When I Look in the Mirror What Do I See" by Rishyne Gaines
Mechanicsville - "My Ocean" by Madelyn Farrow
Montpelier - "Math Class"
Rockville - "Journey of Courage" by Jonathan Campbell
West Point - "There Once Was a Boy Named Brown" by Destiny Teginie Davis
High School Winners by Library
Ashland - "On a Rainy Day Such As This" by Alice
Miller
Atlee - "Forever"
Goochland - "Spike" by Amanda Wiley
King & Queen - "Our World" by Levi Grant Jackson
Montpelier - "You're Special"
Rockville - "In Front" by Cameron K. Turner
Upper King William - "Summer Days" - Kara Nigro
West Point - "Why You?" by Sara Harver
Adult Winners by Library
Ashland - "Miss Springtime" by Charles Sanders
Atlee - "Good Soldier"
Goochland - "From My Places to Yours" by Judy Hickey
Hanover - "Grub and a Frog" by Todd Swain
King & Queen - "The Soldier" by Kendra Jackson
Mechanicsville - "Oyster" by Shelly Willis
Montpelier - "There Are Those Days"
Rockville - "Haiku" by Anne Margaret White
Upper King William - "Hummingbird" - Nancy Gouldin
West Point - "Fade" by Victoria Willoughby
Photos of this year's winners
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Nadia Gouldin – 2010 Overall PRL High School Winner. She was also the 2009 Overall PRL Middle School Winner
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Nancy Gouldin – 2010 UKW Adult Winner – Nancy is Nadia’s mother
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Nancy and Nadia Gouldin – Proud mother and daughter!
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Kara Nigro – 2010 UKW High School Winner
PRL Poetry Contest Winners 2008
Kindergarten-2nd grade
Springtime
by: Samantha Anderson
Lois Wickham Jones/Montpelier Branch Library
Spring is coming—
Flowers are blooming,
Birds are chirping,
Frogs are burping.
Spring is here—
Through the window I peer,
I see things far and near.
I fill happier than ever;
I love the weather.
3rd – 5th grade
My Best Friends
by: Tony Holmes
King & Queen Branch Library
My first best friend is Moody Mark,
He plays football with me.
My second best friend is little Andrew,
Who often likes to kick me in the knee.
My third best friend is Rude Reggie,
Who talks a whole lot.
My fourth best friend is Deontre,
Who thinks he’s good when he’s not.
My fifth best friend is Krabby Kristen,
Who wants all the attention.
Well, that’s all of the friends that
I’m going to mention.
Middle School
Spirit Free
by: Tiara Johnson
Goochland Branch Library
Those who claim to recognize beauty,
Label me as ugly,
They don't realize,
That my movements are poetic,
My stride is determined,
My spirit is free,
But I am like a caterpillar,
looking for shelter and protection,
So I am imprisoned in my mind,
Frightful and aghast,
Shrouded in uncertainty,
Drenched in spiritual rain,
So slowly I re emerge,
triumphant and unbeaten,
I have survived,
Victory is within my reach.
High School
The Richest Bunch In Town
by: Annie Slater
Lois Wickham Jones/Montpelier Branch Library
We may be low on nickels and dimes,
but deary we've got no shortage of good times.
Scarce are the rolls of bills,
but sad faces are scarcer still.
We don’t have a safe for our money,
the valuables play in the yard when it’s sunny.
No marble halls have we,
but we do have the most beautiful maple tree.
We don’t have a butler waiting at the door,
but one of the little one will let you in for sure.
We don’t get crammed in fancy places,
rather we enjoy our wide open spaces.
We don’t own silver, but we do have gold,
I’ve got a mason jar full of all the honey it will hold.
We don’t have classes to teach us things,
Why, we learned to sing while dish washing.
We don’t have stock in the market
because for Mama and Daddy,
raising good kids is their first target.
We don’t wonder if prices drop and fall
because on our little farm we've really got it all.
We don’t have to worry about robbers,
because we haven’t anything they’d want to bother.
We don’t keep our love locked away,
we tell it to each other every day.
We aren’t like those poor folks who sit around and frown.
Why should we, after all, we're "the richest bunch in town!"
Adult
Washing Up
by: William A. Palmer
West Point Branch Library
Now that the guests are gone, she stands
before the kitchen sink in stocking feet,
an apron-vested priestess on her holy ground.
Her acolyte, I clear the dining table
of a paten flecked with crumbs,
a chalice sloshing dregs of coffee, cooled.
They join the dirty dishes on the countertop,
a mute, expectant queue, like catechumens
gathered to receive a sacrament.
She plunges each in turn beneath the steaming suds,
her reddened hands a sacrifice
to glided banding delicately limned.
Then from the stainless pool they rise transformed,
a sheen of water sparkling in the light,
our baptized congregation newly shrived.
We offer up the coming calling of our task,
the one who washes, one who dries,
familiar practiced rhythms without words
until the service ends, our vessels purified.
The gurgling water in the drain
intones a blessed canticle of peace.
PRL Poetry Contest Winners 2007
Adult Overall winner
“War Games” by William A. Palmer, Jr.-West Point
Adult Branch winners
Ashland- “For Jake” by Lauren Thompson
Atlee- “In Remembrance of You” by Rebecca Anne Lythgoe
Goochland- “The Sunset” by Judy Raviotta
King and Queen-“Her Spring” by William Stewart
Mechanicsville-“The Runner” by Jessica Like
Montpelier- “I am” by Donna Wilkerson
Rockville-“Vernal Sun” by Lee Ann Stanford
Upper King William- “I Have a Box in My Room” by Samantha Downing
West Point-“Christmas in June (or the Red-Robed Parson or the Call to
Worship)” by Matt Alford
High School Overall winner
“True Independence” by Dana Thompson-Ashland
High School Branch winners
Ashland- “Roll the Tape” by Dominique Marmolejo
Atlee-“Hanover” by Kaitlin Gastrock
Goochland- “Running Scared” by Brittany Allen
King and Queen- “Good Morning Darling” by Lauren E. Rasnick
Montpelier- “Surprising Beauty” by Annie Slater
Rockville- “My heartaches” by Joe Nuckols
Upper King William- “Wonderous Love” by Kristin Downing
West Point- “Cool Blue Winter” by Mallory Pillsbury
Middle School Overall winner
“Ready to Play” by Bonny Turnage-Mechanicsville
Middle School Branch winners
Ashland-“Land Of Sorrow” by Elizabeth Vican
Atlee- “Freedom Song” by Christina Norwood
Goochland- “Snowflakes” by Jasmine Daniels
King and Queen- “My Father” by James Mercer
Mechanicsville-“Dancing with the Buttercups” by Cassie Turnage
Montpelier-“My Banjo” by Jordan Clarke
Rockville-“Mother Nature’s Flight” by Rachel Snyder
Upper King William-“The Victim” by Anonymous
West Point- “They Gate to Heaven” by Kathleen Virginia Erdman
3rd-5th grade Overall winner
“My Night Symphony” by_Katelyn Petty-UKW
3rd-5th grade Branch winners
Ashland- “Child’s Fantasy” by Hannah Womack
Atlee- “Time” by Bailey Hall
Goochland- “Seashell” by Imelda Bernal Sanchez
Hanover-“Cub” by Jarrett Michael Nooney
King and Queen-“Kite” by Katelyn Robinson
Mechanicsville- “I Am Wild” by Jordyn Like
Upper King William- “Diamante” by Collin Nigro
K-2nd grade Overall winner
Harriet Tubman by Tony Holmes-K&Q
K-2nd grade Branch winners
Atlee-"Flowers" by Katrina Letter
Goochland- "Best Friends" by Lauren Creasey
Hanover-"Reading is Fun" by Abby Reaser
King and Queen-"Martin Luther King, Jr." by Katelyn Robinson
Mechanicsville-"My First Day of School" by Mitchell Turnage
PRL Poetry Contest Winners 2006
Congratulations to
2006's overall winners:
Adult – Patsy Bickerstaff - "Virginia Letters"
High School - Daniel Thorpe - "Cloud 10"
Middle School - Porter McRoberts - "Reflection of Life, a Nature Poem"
3rd - 5th
grade - Tyrika Ford - "A Dark Scary Place"
K - 2nd grade -
Madeline Vest - "Fun with Harry Potter"
PRL Poetry Contest Winners 2005
Overall Winners
Adult - "Ode to Joe" by Elizabeth Creagh, Ashland and
"Kitchen Art" by Ruth Stewart, Mechanicsville
High School - "Our Symbol" by Laura Owens, Mechanicsville and
"The Entertainer" by Claire Devor, Ashland
Middle School - "Hero" by Kori Fleming, Upper King William and
"Runaway" by Cassie Turnage, Mechanicsville
3rd-5th Grade - "Spring Playtime" by Michelle Zischke; Montpelier and
"Banana Rapper" by Neil Prettyman, Hanover
K-2nd Grade - "The Clock" by Alexis Wassenberg, Upper King William
Branch Winners
Richard S. Gillis, Jr./ Ashland Branch Library
Adult - Jeannie Dortch;
High School - Claire Devor;
Middle School - Jalysa Taylor;
3rd-5th grade - Alyssa Klein;
K-2nd grade - Susannah Gilmore
Atlee Branch Library
Adult - Joel Newman;
High School - Ashley Perry;
Middle School - Christopher Woychak;
3rd-5th grade - Caroline Yeager
Goochland Branch Library
Adult - Marsha Hippert;
High School - Jasmine Turner;
3rd-5th grade - Laura Hippert
Hanover Branch Library
3rd-5th grade - Brittany Lewter
King and Queen Branch Library
Middle School - John Mercer;
3rd-5th grade - Kelsey Gruber and Shalissa Moody;
K-2nd grade - Tamarrie Redd
Mechanicsville Branch Library
Adult - Jean Worthman;
High School - Becky Walls;
Middle School - Julie Kusherik;
3rd-5th grade - Shelby Loveday
Lois Wickham Jones/ Montpelier Branch Library
Adult - Rosemary Kirkpatrick;
Middle School - Margaret Castlevecchi;
3rd-5th grade - Nicole Zischke;
K-2nd grade - Julie Zischke;
Rockville Branch Library
Adult - Teresa McRoberts;
Middle School - Mariah Elliot;
3rd-5th grade - Conal Jaeger
Upper King William Branch Library
Adult - Marion Jones;
High School - Katherine Rivara;
Middle School - Alexandria Burgess;
3rd-5th grade - Hannah Wassenberg
West Point Branch Library
Adult - William A. Palmore, Jr.;
Middle School - Philip Liberato;
3rd-5th grade - Amahl Hodge
PRL Poetry Contest Winners 2004
Richard S. Gillis, Jr./
Ashland Branch Library
Adult - Dale Watkins "The Cemetery"
High School - Sarah Horning "Beautiful"
Middle School - Hannah K Kannegieter "Wolf"
K-4 - Taylor Nicole Schools "I Saw Dolphins"
Overall Winner K-4 - Alice Miller "Harriet Tubman's Poem"
Atlee Branch Library
Adult - Kelly Ann Lewis "Setting Me Free"
High School - Amanda Perry "A Life Well Lived"
Middle School - Michelle Nuckols "The Broken Pencil"
K-4 - Hannah Tibbett "Whispers by My Side"
Overall Winner High School - Allison Burton "Realize"
Goochland Branch Library
Adult - Susannah Merrill "Vine Girl"
High School - Jasmine Ada Toney "Creations"
Middle School - Jason Tabor "Farming"
K-4 - Olivia Ann Tabor "Valleys and Water"
Hanover Branch Library
Adult - Edwin Seay "A Rainy Day"
High School - Alyssa Warner "These Tales Are Told the World Over"
Middle School - No entry
K-4 - Mathew Santucci "Snowballs Are So Very Round" and Chandler Culley
"Snow Days"
King and Queen Branch Library
Adult - Doverly Davis "Shell Never See His Dark Eyes Shine"
High School - Kyle Jones "Nothing Left"
Middle School - Sarah Groat "Rainbow"
K-4 - No Entry
Overall Winner Adult - Lynda Fleet Perry "Hunter's Moon"
Mechanicsville Branch Library
Adult - Ruth L. Stewart "Morning Star"
High School - Joanna E. Lewis "Seasons of Play" and Laura Owens "Life's
Journey"
Middle School - Cassie Turnage "The Winter"
K-4 - C. Ryan Petry "My Pocketknife"
Lois Wickham Jones/ Montpelier Branch Library
Adult - Jack Trammell "If I Could"
High School - Ashley Catron "Love?"
Middle School - Emily Satterwhite "Army of the Lord"
K-4 - Katie Kirkpatrick "Family"
Overall Winner Middle School - Mark Tuell "Poem"
Rockville Branch Library
Adult - No Entry
High School - Jessie Stretch "Blown Down House"
Middle School - Jacob Stretch "Unique Pattern of Different Shapes and Sizes"
K-4 - Cody Collins "The Coin"
Upper King William Branch Library
Adult - Bill Stewart "A Soldier's Prayer"
High School - Davina Harvey "Scared"
Middle School - John Deemy "Never Alone"
K-4 - Austin J. Gower "Summer"
West Point Branch Library
Adult - Carolyn Annette Wills "Farm Boy"
High School - No Entry
Middle School - Ashley Tucker "I AM!"
K-4 - No Entry
