Mary Amato

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the Young Authors Contest sponsored by the Montgomery County Council International Reading Association.

I enjoyed meeting all of the young authors in attendance at the exciting awards celebration. Special thanks to Paula Zeller for coordinating this year’s contest.

Here is just one of the many fantastic pieces of writing that caught the attention of the literary judges. Rosa’s poem won first place for 5th grade poetry in the county and second place for 5th grade poetry in the state:

The Rain

(by Rosa, age 11, Seven Locks Elementary School)

The rain starts drizzling

Fine and small,

Whispering to you,

Telling you its secrets.

It gets heavier,

Angrier,

Like you aren’t listening.

Then it’s furious,

Banging at your window,

Threatening to break in

And destroy you.

Now it is not telling,

It is yelling,

Not its secrets,

But insults.

Finally, the rain eases,

Forgiving you,

Giving you another chance.

It starts again with secrets,

Then it gives up

And leaves you at rest