Poetry Contest Winner, Runner-up, Honorable Mention

By Katie McEldowney

Hello to my amazing readers!

As you may have heard, The Rampage hosted a February poetry contest, the theme was "Something From The Heart".

I am very happy to say we received +20 submissions, thank you to all who submitted a piece, we know how much vulnerability it takes to show your work to others, so thank you very much!

I am more than happy to announce the winner of our poetry contest….

                           Drum roll please….

Devin Brough! 

Devin submitted a poem that was haunting, beautiful, and unlike anything I had ever read before! Thank you so much Devin for submitting a piece of you to our contest! Being brave and vulnerable always pays off, here is our winners poem:

Devin Brough: "Medusa"

I keep waiting for my heart

to harden--to look at you and

immediately turn to stone, like

Medusa turns her victims.

but it doesn’t

this heart stays soft despite

your wickedness.

that is power

I am also more than happy to announce our runner up as Nouci Her! Nouci submitted a poem that was both beautiful and tragic, and you could tell it truly was from her heart, so I am proud to present our poetry contest runner up and her poem:

Nouci Her: "A Heart As a Daughter"

Oh, the things I wished I told you,

Good morning, good night to

Have a great day, come back safely

It has been a while since I’ve been next to you

Talking to you out of wonder, making sure you buy me the things I’ve wanted as a little kid

Even if it was as small as an ant or as long as a bamboo,

It is really cold, counting how many days you’ve been gone

I have never stopped thinking about you

I know you’d stay above and not by my side

You want me to do things alone because you know that I am strong and that I need to learn to do things by myself, without a father

Even if it was walking down the aisle signifying as the bride

As I grow up, I tend to do mistakes

I also hope you’re proud of how I fight for myself 

Because of how much it aches

When you were still here, the world was crowded and full

Now that you aren’t here, the world doesn’t feel as crowded as it used to feel when you aren’t here to carry me with love and that is a handful

I hope I fixed my wrongdoings the right way

The world is lonely without you as my father, living

You are always apart of my day

You are apart of my kind, golden heart

And that is Something From My Heart.

And last, but certainly not least, I am presenting our honorable mention, as Emily Holson! Emily submitted a poem of beauty and elegance, with language that will leave you mystified and intrigued to find the meaning to this piece of art, and here it is:

Emily Holson "Peach Pit"

There’s a peach pit in the desert 

And it grows 

Soaking up heat waves and ruin 

It’s wood cracks and wrinkles 

The pit sprouts and blooms from the sand below

Brilliant blooms of blush and pearl dot the desert floor 

The pit’s sprout reaches towards the ocean above 

It belongs to its roots, 

But the roots prefer a fickle place 

And the place to which it covers is lost in thought

A shadow crosses the dunes and waves 

Thunder and wind wring sand in a spiral

as the pit’s tree falls 

The roots falter 

Rain dots the edges of its grave like bits of disease among a dying gaze

And as the flood comes, 

And as the water flows,

As love yearns—

Peach trees farewell. 

Water prefers a pit. 

A pit would rather lie in the desert.

Once again, thank you to all those who submitted anything to our contest! I enjoyed reading each and every one of them, hopefully this will become a tradition that will long after we have all left our mark in Owasso High School!