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SmileyStore.com announces the 2005
Smiley Spring Poetry Contest Winners!
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Meet the Judge
Contest entries were judged by Kimberlee Tyndall of Raymond, NH. Kim is a graduate of
Mount Holyoke College and has been a professional writer for 25 years. Kim was also
the judge for the 2004 spring contest.
Judge's Review
"I was impressed again with the quality of the poems," said Kim.
"I looked for interesting themes, intriguing word choice, rhymes where they
occurred, and were appropriate, simplicity..." "But more importantly," explained Kim,
"what are the feelings that the poem arouses in the mind of the reader?"
About Dana's poem, Kim said "Spring is Arriving is a well-constructed poem with
nice images. The consistent theme builds, and it rhymes so well. It has great
cadence and timing and the lines are just the right length. This poem stood out
and clearly deserves first place."
"My Smile Style, Tois Blankenship's poem, is a nice simple poem that rhymes
well and flows easily," said Kim. "Tois has some interesting word images. I like
the line about 'contagious, I guess I am diseased' - very unexpected, original, and
delightful. Great effort!"
"Jennifer Short's untitled poem is a bit of a promotion for Bitwise Gifts (that's okay,
Jennifer, we don't mind at all... -editor), but her
poem holds together nicely," said Kim. "Jennifer has a good use of words, especially
'debut', 'exciting yellow', and the reference to middle age and a youthful
glow. She describes the smiley face icon extremely well, along with its place in the
world."
Honorable Mentions are awarded to three additional poems that exhibit outstanding
qualities.
For her poem Smiley Spring Arrival, Kathy explained that her challenge and
inspiration in writing this poem was to express her concept of a Michigan spring,
which can be very short, and hence a short acrostic poem. "I think Kathy did a
great job," said Kim, "the poem is simple but the image comes through."
Kim went on to explain, "Choosing a single perfect word can be as difficult
as choosing a whole sentence of words. When I read this, I thought I would respond
with a word poem of my own, but couldn't come up with anything so well crafted... it's
not easy!"
"Cynthia's Smiley Poem for Spring uses interesting phrasing such as
'long endless yards' and 'suddenly myriad insects leap'," said Kim, "and an
interesting technique where the first letter of each word in each line spells
'smiley'. It's a sensitive poem about spring!"
Finally, Debbi's poem Blooming Smileys is "very cute and well
constructed," said Kim, "It seems to be two poems in one. The timing changes midway,
then the topic changes in the following couplet. Rhymes are not forced and each couplet
contains a complete thought. I especially like the image in the second couplet
("I see a Smiley, winking at me!").
Petunias kind of have that way about them..."
"I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the Spring contest again this year," said Kim.
"As always, it was difficult to select the top three from so many excellent entries.
Best wishes to everyone, and keep writing!"
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Signs of Spring Inspire
First Place Winner
Dana Smith-Mansell of Pottsville, Pennsylvania looks forward to spring and the
inspiration it brings to her creative writing. "Spring always makes me smile, as that
means summer and the warm weather is right around the corner!" said Dana, "I'm always
inspired by signs of spring." Dana is a smiley collector with originals from "way back
when." Dana is also an accomplished writer with poetry, essays, and
illustrations published in print and on the web. "I enjoy all aspects of the creative
process and continue to expand my experiences through writing and art," said Dana.
You can see more of her work at
Dana's home page.
Spring is Arriving
Mountains once barren begin to fill,
Specks of green spot the hill.
A variety of birds appear on the lawn,
Their chatter begins at the crack of dawn.
The grass is thick, turning deep green,
Flowers emerge from the earth unseen.
A time to renew, reflect for a while,
A time to see change, greet all with a smile.
Warmth and brightness radiate from the sun,
And the days are long enough, to get my work done.
Dana Smith-Mansell, Pottsville, PA
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Second Place Winner
Radiates the Spirit of Smiley
Tois Blankenship lives deep in the heart of Marshville, North Carolina with her
husband Charlie and three children. "I have smiley faces everywhere," said Tois,
"in my car, my house, my job; everywhere I go a smile follows!" Tois' only literary
experience is a third place finish in last year's smiley poetry contest, but she
has demonstrated her talent again this year. "Smiley is my favorite subject to
write about." said Tois, and the advice she shares with everyone is "No matter
how bad things get for you, keep on smiling!"
My Smile Style
My smiling is so natural,
I do it with such ease.
Since smiling is contagious,
I guess I am diseased.
I’m smiling because it’s springtime,
But, I smile all year through.
And, if you ever seen me,
I probably smiled at you.
If you don’t have any reason,
To me it just seems lazy.
I smile so big at strangers,
That many think I’m crazy.
There are smiles, smiles everywhere.
They are filling up my home.
And, the space around me,
I call my no frown zone.
When it comes to crying,
It’s really not my style.
Because nothing I have looks better,
Than when I wear my smile.
Tois Blankenship, Marshville, NC
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Love for Smiley Inspires
Third Place Winner
Jennifer Short of Terra Alta, West Virginia remembers Smiley seems to have always
been a part of her life. "I have always liked smiley faces since I was pre-school
age and my aunt had a smiley face clock in her kitchen," said Jennifer. "In my
freshman year of college, we were greeted with large smiley faces with our names
under them to show us which dorm room was ours. That was neat!" Jennifer studied
poetry in grade school and the class published a book of class poems for their
parents. In junior high, her poems were printed in the local paper.
Untitled
Spring is here and that's a reason to smile,
A big friendly grin stretching for a mile!
Inside a bright face, an exciting yellow,
Everyone around the world knows this fellow!
He made his debut on buttons years ago,
He's reaching middle age, but keeps a youthful glow!
You can find him on t-shirts, earrings, and more,
But the best place to buy him is Bitwise Gift's Smiley store!
Jennifer Short, Terra Alta, WV
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Honorable Mention
Smiley Spring Arrival
Spring
Makes
Its
Living
Entrance...
YIPPEE!
Kathy Van Peteghem, Marysville, MI
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Honorable Mention
Smiley Poem for Spring
Spring moves in lovelier every year
Since my infancy, loving each young
Sunrise, moving into long endless yards.
Sharing more illustrating light; exuding yellow
So my interested little eyes yearn
Seeing magnified images loom, exceeding yesterday’s.
Suddenly, myriad insects leap, entering your
surroundings, making it less enjoyable, yes?
Spring months include lots, endlessly yielding.
Cynthia Eastman, Litchfield, CT
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Honorable Mention
Blooming Smileys
The sweet sounds of birds in Spring
Puts Smiley faces on everything!
In the bloom of petunias, sweet as can be,
I see a Smiley, winking at me!
Is that a dandelion peeking through the lawn?
No, it's a Smiley, waking with the dawn!
The sky is cerulean blue; the breeze softly blows my hair;
I look around me, and see Smileys everywhere!
For you see, life is what you make it; the choices are all yours;
You can choose to see problems, or Smileys behind all doors!
So turn your blues to yellow, say no to toil & strife,
Put some sunshine in your heart and Smileys in your life!
Debbi Smith, Deland, FL
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First Place - Youth Division
Amy Burzak is 13 years old and a 7th grade student at Woodbury Middle School in
Salem, New Hampshire. Amy illustrated her poem with a very colorful painting and
then printed the poem over the painting to create a complete art and literary presentation.
Our judge, Kim, commented "This one is exceptional. I hope she keeps on writing...
Amy's painting is also good and illustrates her poem. Her poem tells a very vivid story,
with each line building the story forward through the night. She rhymes well without
making any 'forced' rhymes. Very impressive for such a young lady."
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Dreamer's Night
The sun dies
At the moon’s rise
See the starry sky
Away I fly
The cool air
Is so fair
From dancing barefoot in the grass
To a statue made of glass
Meet a love, away you dash
In a red dress and blue sash
Finally free
Just to be
Princess of spring
I want to sing
Sky turns bright
See the light
Life starts a new
Like mornings dew
Then here again
Missing what has been
And so it seems
I finish my dreams
Until my next flight
Tomorrow night
Amy Burzak, Salem, NH
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Second Place - Youth Division
Nannette Anderson is 7 years old and lives in Pt. Charlotte, Florida.
The title of her poem can be read vertically in the first letter of each line.
"My favorite food is rice and chicken," said Nannette "and I love my mom and dad."
Nannette's favorite thing in school is Spanish, her favorite colors are blue and pink,
and she loves to play Polly Pockets. "My mom made me write the poem," Nannette
confessed, "but I love my mom; she is cute and she is marvelous." Nannette has also
written a book titled "The Bow Princess". Thanks for the poem, Nannette, and we hope
you continue to write wonderful things!
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Special
Mom
I love you
Love
Eagles
Icecream
Trust
Ice
Sled
Sleep
Party
Rain
Indian
Nest
Great
Nannette Anderson, Pt. Charlotte, FL
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Thanks to everyone who sent a contest entry!
You brightened our day and were generous to share your talent with us.
Happy Spring to everyone!
Copyright © 2005 Bitwise Gifts LLC
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