Art Poetry Contest.
Sponsor: Silent One
Inside of a 5x10 frame is displayed
The representation of a beautiful
Family. It is their family tree created
By Lila Anderson for a family that was
established on June 17, 1972.
The originals, or the parents, are seen
At THE TRUNK of the tree which consists
Of three main branches which have
Limbs appropriate for their family size.
The LOWEST BRANCH has no limbs. It
Represents the youngest son who
Has neither married nor fathered
Any children. JJ sits alone but has
Proven to be a most wonderful uncle.
On the NEXT BRANCH is seated a father,
CJ and a mother, KJ. CJ is the middle
child, and believing in legacy, he is seen with
3 limbs representing three boys born to them.
There are other beautiful branches
On this tree consisting of only leaves.
But there lies another OLDER BRANCH
With well designed art work representing
The oldest sibling who is divorced with
3 lovely children.
This lovely piece represents the whole
Of a family that began in Chicago, Il.,
And stands out most proudly in the
Johnson family.
We grow our family exponentially.
Siblings Uncles Aunts Cousins and little ones.
Take care of our own.
Worku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
It's shade not of night,
It's a rest from the flight
A poem more holy than any from page
A play with more grace than what makes the stage
More reverence there than buttress can bring
From the ground to the arch, apart from the wing
More grandeur than even more lofty a spire
More solid in nature than we can conspire
Giving shade through the day and rest through the night
For all who have need to retire from flight
It's a loss, there's no doubt
Whether storm, ice, or drought
Cellular, cellulose, wearing a crown
Grown all the way up… to only come down
When it's time to leave the sky to the wind
The leaves and the branches no longer to bend
Thence came the life that gave life to the lyre
That would raise up a canopy meant to inspire
More than a point, or a joint, or an arch
The oak and the elm, the maple and larch
Are reduced, as all things which sprang from the dust
To the fruit we produce to provide what we must
When it's time to be borne on the shoulder it's best
To have taken a stand between restless and rest
What we leave's what we're made of, leaf, branch, or tome
Make the most of your time, for we all join the loam
each person their own
branch of a family tree
waiting to be found
May we be blessed to understand…an eventually see
how important it is to tend to, cultivate and nurture
our ever-growing family tree
For only a healthy tree with strong and healthy roots
can grow healthy leaves and branches
and produce healthy…beautiful fruits.
She creates her world at night,
Her mind becomes a beacon of light,
Illuminating the dark corners of her mind.
She sees beyond her surroundings,
And in the stillness of the night,
The universe within her emerges,
She scripts these mysteries.
He crafts his art in a dimly lit room,
His mind flourishes in this ambience.
The designs emerge from the shadows,
Like a blooming meadow at dawn.
He sketches these creations,
And then they come to life.
I am a child born of the union of the two,
Two worlds dwell within me.
Sometimes I become a turbulent sea,
I create my realm at any time,
As long as it is an endearing clime,
Mysteries linger in my chamber,
And sometimes the unseen walks into my slumber.
She is gifted yet sometimes troubled by her abilities;
He is skilful and dutiful, yet haunted by the tendrils of the night.
I am a skyward architecture of the first and a budding of the second.
At times, I traverse strange pathways,
Together, we seek redemption.
August 30, 2025.
Spring and summer, those seasons went by.
The best thing in the world always falls from the sky.
No matter the situation, the love was theirs.
The price was no luxury for the poor boys and girls.
To sit up and prosper with such delight,
It grew up so fast, like a thief in the night.
Many more came from just that one person;
The first one that came made things a little worse.
Then things got better to the lucky number six,
Because the best number of all was three from the mix.
It grew up so beautifully with no time to wonder,
Intertwined with the opposite, then here came November.
With no time to spare, the poor thing grew,
Then out of the blue, one became two.
Wasted no time at all; it just happened to be
The best part about it came, happy number three.
To move out of the way and stay the course,
It was time to add one more, and that soon made four.
The number was up, and everything was complete,
And that was how it started, my Great Family Tree!
You come to me in my dreams
A foggy night a distant memory
I will never see you in life
But I’ll share your face in time
Family roots tender torn apart
Broken due to slavers cold heart
What was meant for evil we pray
Leads to blessings victory days
First black president of USA
And black First Lady descendant of slaves
Family history tree with roots so old
Despite being beaten separated sold
Victory is your blessed rainbow
First female president make it so
Like a tree, a family and its branches spread out and grow in different directions but are all rooted in the same soil.
Diverse be it may
The same seed we began and united all shall remain
Looking past and long ago
trails of names come trickling down
down they come
through the annals of time
their names defined
neatly arranged, in staggered lines.
Forgotten lists of greats and grands
silent, as their memories stand
in the past, immortal bands.
Family trees are carefully writ
down into the logs they go
mothers, fathers reap and sow
bearing children, they bestow
offspring issued in straight rows.
Trailing down to you and I
here we love, we laugh, we cry
living, breathing, this our lives
mortal we, until we die
adding to the rows inscribed.
This is life after death, after life
Death during life
Losing time, wasting time, spending time
Time after time
So Cyndi Lauper says
I was in Kindergarten on the school bus staring out the window the first time that song played in my head
This was the birth of my introspection
I wanted someone to find me
I had looked around all the corners
I didn't know who I was missing
But I wanted it to be someone who could save me
My little legs danced up the steps to the State Hospital
To see my mother clothed in white
In the building were white walls, white floors, white sheets
Silent Screams of those who were lost and confused
Trapped in a world they didn't fit in
This scene a puzzle piece in my destruction
a fear that didn't reach its destination on time
The nightmares that I fought
Sometimes genetic terrors skip one generation
This pain that plagues me
The poisoned fruit hanging on my family tree
Am I my father?
looking into a mirror
am i my mother?
Today I’m thankful for our family tree
for contained within it leaves and branches
are the people in our life…who currently adore us…
and contained within its roots
are all our ancestors who came before us.
Let me catch you in the morning when the sun comes out.
Under the dawn of light, you’re a beautiful sight.
With your warmth swirls with a dance before me, like butterflies in flight.
Taking my soul for a ride, down by the tree we go with the light of day setting down on us.
Kickin’ back against the tree, straw hat in tow with that summer breeze.
Lookin’ at you in those blue jeans, smiling back at me.
Dreams of a family tree with you and me.
Dreams of us all, under that family tree.
We had three children;
Gave us five grandkids.
Those bore three more-
Fourth branch fills tree!
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