Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2018 finalist, Laasya Babbellapati! Laasya finished 8th grade this past school year. The poem submitted is called “The Unknown.” One of our judges enjoyed Laasya’s “[s]mart use of stanzas to show five different perspectives on ‘the unknown.'” and the “[n]ice twists and turns from fear of the unknown to interest in the unknown, and a plunge into the unknown (which is where the poem ends—we don’t know what happens after that!).” Enjoy!
Where your teachers lose their train of thought,
Where your questions get postponed,
Where your textbooks come to a screeching halt;
My friend, you’ve reached the unknown.
You’re showering me with facts to memorize
While I try to stifle my yawn,
But what gets me on the edge of my seat
Is the life that lies beyond.
In this sea of stars and galaxies,
We’re not much greater than a pea;
Oh, how I wish I could flee from this insignificance
And escape from reality.
Humans, imbeciles as we are,
Place God upon the throne,
But when different religions deride each other,
Let’s face it, we’re slaves to the unknown.
If we knew
The day we die
And mourned until that date
A larger query will arise;
What happens after our inevitable fate?
Hurry;
Time is running out!
And why, you seem to ask?
As long as the flame of youth still burns
Curiosity will last.
So come forth my friend, take my hand,
Who knows where we will go;
We’ll travel to the edge of time,
Come, let’s plunge into the unknown.
Wondering how to support the youth writer in your life? We can help! Check out our cheat-sheet below which will help you have creative, writerly conversations with your Young Inkling—even if you’re not a writer yourself.
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