BARKS Pet Poetry Contest Winners 2011 Youth Division - 6th Grade and Below: [Winner and Runners up | Honorable Mentions ] Youth Division - 7th Grade and Above: [Winner and Runners up | Honorable Mentions ] Adult Division: [Winner and Runners up | Honorable Mentions ] Youth Division - 6th Grade and Below Winner Guinness the Cat by Lindsey Wright Guinness! Guinness! That's what I'd say That's what I'd say on a regular day It seems my curious kitty has snuck out of the house Trying so hard to catch one little mouse This cute little kitty can never prevail For the timid mouse saw her bright yellow tail Soon the kitty will come back inside And eventually find a new place she can hide When Guinness gets hungry, She will meow and she'll moan Once I hear this I'll let out a groan I search through the drawers for a can of fish Finally I find food and drop it on her dish When she's done with dinner, she snuggles up in bed Usually I follow her and pet her tiny head Although Guinness is loud, sneaky, even a little fat Guinness will always be my loyal kitty cat! Runner up Little Miss Perfect and Slobber Boy by Hailey Bauer Look at little miss perfect as she struts by in perfection she acts like she won an election with such good posture she's better then oscar with a shining coat not one strand of hair out of place as she leans over to take a sip out of the shiny red vase with her tongue so pink the water starts to sink she pounces off the table without leaving a label she pounces onto the window sill and closes her eyes and then starts to let out a soft purr           ...said Slobber Boy, a.k.a Sebastian Slobber boy is what we call him slobber hangs down on the chin on him he plows through everyone leaving his tracks of slobber when he rolls in the mud he looks like a gooey milk dud when he shakes it splats everywhere and it's a dread when he gets it on the white couch his food gets everywhere his hair sheds elsewhere and his dish is loaded with slobber I shouldn't even bother all I can say is he's known for his slobber he causes more stress cause he makes such a mess slobber everywhere even in our owners' underwear slobber slobber slobber boy they should of just named him slobber boy           ... said Little Miss Perfect, a.k.a. Pebbles Runner up How Much I Would Want a Pet by Rachel Lin My friends with their pets, Oh would I like one, A fish, a dog, a peacock, Just give me a pet, I will take care of it, And I will not sit, Until I get a pet, I hear barks, meow. What will I do now, Even with my brother I am so lonely, I wonder if I could have a pet called baloney, I am just here, Feeling so weird, Not having a pet here with me, Here am I walking along, Wondering if anything will go wrong, To wrap it up, I will ask my parents to give me a pup. Runner up Being a Puppy by Emily Lubertazzo It's so hard to be a puppy I get yelled at when I play in mud, run off the property, and lay down when I eat. But it can be so amazing! When I hear my owners say Guinness come, where are you? I know I am going to be LOVED, FED, OR BE PLAYED WITH! So I have mixed emotions about being a puppy. Except I do get pet a lot, food, and lots of LOVE!!!! Even though hearing how good it is the worst is when my owner tries to dress me up in a tutu I mean have you ever seen a 60 pound, 4 month old, German Shepherd in a tutu or a hat. Oh being a puppy!!!! Runner up My Crazy Cats by Taylor Zink We started off with one cat, but now we are up to seven, now that we have this many, home feels like kitty heaven. Our first cat is named Brie, she was a feral kitten. At first she was afraid of us, but then became quite smitten. Next came good old pickle. He always is quite cozy. Although he is snuggly, he is quite nosy. Along with Pickle came Pie. He used to run and hide. But when he realized he is safe, He is always by my side. With these two came Swirl. She is most times sweet and needy. But when it comes to dinner time, she can be quite greedy. To start the next litter came Moo-Moo. She is our princess by far. Of all my crazy cats, she thinks she is a moo-vie star. When we first got Taz, he couldn't find his purr. But now if he needs anything, he makes quite a loud stir. Last is little Eli, sister of Moo-Moo and Taz. Tiny, sweet, and lovable, but also quite a spaz. What is it like having seven cats? There is never a dull day. In my home full of cats, there is never a shortage of love, fun, or play. Brie, Pickle, Pie and Swirl; Eli, Taz, and Moo-Moo. If you enjoyed reading this poem, a cat would be great for you! Youth Division - 7th Grade and Above Winner Sock Pleader by Amanda Beck Mom please ... Just one sock! I want one with stripes! I promise I won't rip it ... Ok fine I can't promise that. But I'll bring it back It may be in pieces Maybe you can still wear it Ok maybe you can't But please let me have a sock There are all different kinds of socks ... Soft socks, rough socks, tall socks, Ankle socks, knee socks, White socks, blue socks, purple socks, Stripe socks, dot socks. "Ugh! I can't find any socks!" "Oh there's a pair!" Slam! Come on mom ... She got a sock Why can't I have one sock? She got 2 socks! I just want one sock! I just want a soft, silky sock! Just because I'm sometimes as vicious as a dragon Doesn't mean I shouldn't get a sock! "Grumpy, No!" Oh come on Mom! I just want a sock! How many times do I have to ask? This isn't fair ... Yawn! I guess I'll try later, after my nap Zzzzzzz! Runner up What a Fat Rollie Pollie? by Cayla Andrews Jiggle, Jiggle, Plop, Jiggle, Jiggle, Plop You know that feeling when you see something really fat? And you just want to poke it with a stick? Well that's kinda what it’s like living with my dog. With every sway and plop it just makes me love her more. When I see her, my storm clouds from over my head just seem to disappear. As if everyday was just like a big bucket of rainbows that I could jump into. Everytime she hits her head even though its bad it gives me a good laugh, but she can't help it. She may be blind, but she can see right to my heart And where I love her deeply. Runner up A Visit from the King by Natalie Kane He appears out of nowhere On light padding paws In silent wisdom A look and a leap Then a ball of ginger fluff content in my lap Velvet ears for stroking Chenille fur for fluffing Ten minutes or so, more or less by the day Before the release, the hop to the ground And then off he trots To the rest of his kingdom Until the next Visit from the king Runner up Waiting Red by Abby Scott He waits on the mountain, Chestnut mane twisting and adrift. In the crisp fall air, He waits for the moment he shall be free. When he is free from his stall, He will be the free creature he was meant to be. Red, is the horse of my dreams. I only see him in my dreams, For he was taken by cancer. His coat glistens, A black shroud of shine. Red's mane flowing with its chestnut glow. Look into his eyes and see they are an endless abyss. His eyes show his ageless wisdom and knowledge. Just a look will give you an instant answer. Just ask and he will answer. Even wisdom cannot keep you from death Death came to Red, On the summer of my 6th birthday. A large growing mass crushing his wisdom, The cause for Red to be taken away. On the mountain he waited, For the moment he will be free. On the mountain he waited For the moment he would be released of the pain. Adult Division Winner Incorrect Measurement Blues by Greg Weiss I need long days to think of things: the dry sound of the rain on the zinc, ants up and down across my jowls, water moving away from itself like a form of communicability, and a rooster on a shrimper in the Gulf watches the light crawl across his toes as the vase of wilted yellow flowers, nonworking laptop, Kingsford charcoal, microwave, nonworking dryer, cactus, and ceiling-fan all escape into and from storms of community. The days go beyond me like a buoy: mosquitoes in the ruins of the high-school string up and on along the walls, and the trains blow through at all hours, episodes of continuity like chicken-soup simmering, leafless trees, a lake in a field of dead grass - a trust in foreignness -and my cat, Bob, spayed but still full of desire, a description of a performance, number out of the universe, curse of immunity. Runner up Oooh! Aaah! Dog Guitar! by Ann Drysdale Lift me up like you did when I was small Hold me, enfold me, don't let me fall I'll lean on your bosom and I'll flash my teeth If you pick with your fingers on my underneath Oh, love me true and love me tender Make me quiver like a furry Fender Rock me and roll me, give me wings Strum on my belly till my tight skin sings Don't waste on air what you can play on me The touch-me tango - ecstasy! Runner up The It of Me by Ann Drysdale Oh, it love me. It say it love me. Me make wanting and it perform, always. It there, me sleeping. Not long me waking up and out. It boots first but not long, me needful. Me doggish fossicking, it no patience sometimes. Ow! Pull my neck! I trick it then - sit and look why? Then it do sorry-oh, Say sorry-sorry and do happyhands. In big grass and high trees, me go noleash, but not free, for it once-ago name me. Name bind strongleash. Me far and it loudname. Me come thunder, grinning with teeth. It give small eatable and happyhands. Aaagh! Happyhands! Only on head outdoors, but in, go everywhere, all the pits of my limbs and Oh, feely, feely into my underneath. It sniff my feet. It make love. Me please it easily. A look, a lick, rough buggeroff for sudden stranger, make it do often food and happyhands. BARKS thanks everyone who made this contest a success!