Today, we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2024 finalist Phoebe Wagner! She finished 5th grade this past school year and wrote a poignant poem called “Let Me Grow”. One of our judges said that the poem illustrates “the trials and tribulations of life” and demonstrates Phoebe’s “profound and mature view of the world”. Continue below to enjoy her poem in digital book or plain text form.
In a damp quiet nook I stood
bright purple petals bloomed from my stem
the sun wrapped me in a warm glaze
the rain was like touches of joy
the crow sang all morning long
and the night sparkled with stars.
A cracked house twisted with vines
towered above me
insides lonely and dull
it stood, perched high on bare cement
all life drained from its gray walls.
To find color
you would have to find me
a burst of color
from a crack in the ground.
Because sometimes the most beautiful things
are in the least expected places.
…
One day,
sunlight tangled in the tall oak tree,
the people came.
Carrying sharp tools,
they covered me in a thick layer of cement
the pounding deafening.
Over and over, they pushed my leaves
and compressed my colorful petals.
I couldn’t breathe.
Days passed and my flower wilted
my bright green stem
turned to a rusty brown.
“Let me grow,”
I cried.
Every night I would.
If only I could have a chance to be heard.
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