Piece written for class project earns Central High School senior fifth place in national poetry contest

Sarah Garner, a senior at Cape Girardeau Central High School, says she's involved in and enjoys things associated with music, but it was her writing that gained her a national award.

Garner wrote a poem for a class at Central and after encouragement from her teacher, she entered it into the Missouri State Poetry Society Contest, where it won second place. Her poem, "Wind," then went on to place fifth in the Manningham Trust Student competition, held by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. She competed with 104 other entries submitted from 13 states.

Garner is a co-captain in the color guard for the Cape Central Marching Tigers. She also sings in the school choir. She plans to attend Missouri State University in Springfield or St. Louis University and major in fashion design.

Poetry, she said, is just something she does when a class requires it. Garner's teacher gave the assignment to write a poem that incorporated colors.

"I didn't think anything about it," she said. "One night I was lying in bed and it kind of popped into my head."

Wind

Yellow kisses of light burst off the once-still reflecting pool.

I breathe warm summer air

and put wrinkles on all that look within it.

The sun smolders with anger, glares at me --

scolds me for disturbing the stillness.

I flow over small green mountains

like a downward stream.

As I pass, the peaceful weeds wrestle each other and

lazy daffodils dance with me in the golden light.

I weave through muddy brown trees,

and the pea-green leaves applaud me.

I take my bow and move on to the rest of the world.