The Writer’s Block writer’s group held a youth and adult poetry competition in Union City, Pennsylvania on April 15, 2008. Among 16 entries, the following writers and their poetry were chosen winners by their peers.

First Place Youth
Metaphor For My Family by Vanessa Josephine Bowser

My family lives among the stars
Mom is the North Star, a guiding light
Always helping me to make the right decisions
Dad is Lupus, the wolf, silently watching,
Protecting his children
My brother is Lepus, the hare
Full of endless energy
Our mixed breed dog is Draco, the dragon
Guarding his treasure from strangers
And I have traveled through the Milky Way
Out of foster care, towards my loving family

Second Place Adult
Reflections by Victoria J. Miles

Looking in the mirror
who do I see?
A stranger’s reflection.
Is she really me?
Sometimes I quickly turn away
hoping the face will change.
To someone else,
anyone else,
but the image stays the same.
Often I wonder what it is I wish to change.
The outside or the inside,
the problems, the pain.
Insecurities in my life
some too painful to bear.
From the outside to the inside,
hurting in the middle…somewhere.
I wish I had a mirror,
of one I have my doubts.
One that shows a person from the inside out.
Then maybe, just maybe,
I’d know where to begin.
Liking this stranger
from the outside in.

First Place Adult
Bag Lady Soliloquy by Joanne Ainsworth

“This is my favorite park bench
In the sun,” she said.
“I sit here every day that it don’t rain.
I scrounged this supermarket cart.
They’ll never miss it; they got lots.
It’s good to pack up all the stuff I own
And ain’t too hard to push.”

“I got a card for Mother’s Day that had a rose—
A pretty rose. You wanna see?
It came general delivery
‘Cause he don't know just where I’m at.
I hardly do myself, these days.
He wouldn’t rekonize me now.”

“The mission’s givin soup today.
My bones could stand the heat,
They’re gettin kinda stiff and achey-like.”

“Lotsa upstandin folks like you
Look right at me like I ain’t here.
I got some feelins too, y’know.
I got a card for Mother’s Day that had a rose—
A big, red rose. You wanna see?”

ALL writers retain the sole possession of the copyright to their poems.