The Santa Clara City Library held a poetry contest during April 2022, National Poetry Month, for children and teens in grades 2-12 to write and submit a poem inspired by the theme of “community.” We were honored by all the wonderful submissions from our young patrons and are pleased to share the poems of our winners here.

2nd - 3rd Grade

• "My CO-OP Community" by Maryam Ahmed
• "My Community" by Kabir Dalal
• "People Around Us" by Meera Barretto
• "Come to My House" by Naveen Sivasubramanian

4th - 5th Grade

• "Community Coral Reef" by Jiya Joshi
• "Caring, Not Passing" by Irene Lee
• "My Community" by Anaye Agrawal

6th - 8th Grade

• "Bright Town" by Alexis Vaile

9th - 12th Grade

• "Family Reunions" by Jasmine Fan
• "The Heart of Pride" by Amber Edens
• "Internet Identities" by Kaitlyn Nguyen and Sahana Moogi

 

My CO-OP Community

by Maryam Ahmed

* A co-op is a homeschooling community

 

At my co-op, I have many friends

I learn at home, so this is like my school

Where I see my friends depends,

But I’ve never seen them at the pool

 

Everyone brings different things,

But we all have one thing in common for sure

The big thing that brings

Us together is that we are homeschooled, and that is something I can assure

 

I have close friends, and acquaintances too, 

But they're mostly nice to me

They cheer me up when I’m blue

They’ll be nice to you too, I guarantee

 

My co-op is my community

I’ll be happy to see them at any opportunity

 

 

My Community

by Kabir Dalal

 

Our community is the place where we live

We care, we share, we love, and we give

 

My friends, family and neighbors 

Are important part of who I am

They love me and I love them

They mean more to me than a glittering gem

And when I feel lonely and sad

They hold my hand, support me and I become glad

 

In school they teach me lots of things

Science, Art, and how your doorbell rings

In the hospital they take care of me

Tell me how my health should be

Parks, schools, hospitals, neighbors

Firemen, Teachers, Policemen, Shopkeepers

Are all our community keepers.

 

 

People Around Us 

by Meera Barretto

 

Community is like a dove, 

I’ve seen it near and far. 

Community is like a dove, 

Community means love. 

Community before my eyes, 

community rise rise rise. 

 

Doctors doctors big big givers, 

taking away people's shivers. 

Teachers teachers building futures, 

on intelligent computers. 

Community community before my eyes, 

community community rise rise rise. 

 

Bakers bakers in their shops, 

Making yummy lollipops. 

Gardeners gardeners over there, 

Making flowers grow with flare. 

Community community before my eyes, 

community community rise rise rise. 

 

Can you be in community, 

can you build unity? 

Then you’ve got what it takes, 

to participate without one mistake! 

Community before my eyes, 

community rise rise rise. 

 

 

Come to My House

by Naveen Sivasubramanian

 

Sweet little House Finch, come to my house 

You are smaller than a mouse 

 

Come to my house, you are a sweet little bird 

When you came home, your sound I heard 

 

When you are outside, out the window I peek 

When you build your nest, we play hide and seek! 

 

Come to my house, your feathers are so pretty 

You are fancier than any bird in the city 

 

Come to my house and sing your lovely tune 

I hope you will land on my arm soon! 

 

Be my friend little House Finch, I’ll give you a hug 

In my house you’ll be as snug as a bug in a rug! 

 

Come on little bird, lets play together 

In rain, or shine or any weather!

 

 

Community Coral Reef

by Jiya Joshi

 

My community is like a coral reef,

Everyone has a role,

Like a cake cut into slices,

Together we make a whole.

 

Coral provides homes for,

Animals in need.

Our city tries to do the same,

Even though we’re not perfect,

We do try indeed!

 

Just like this watery landscape,

My city is beautiful and fun,

Most of us who live here,

We all care a ton!

 

 

Caring, Not Passing

by Irene Lee 

 

Community is not that complicated  

When we think about it now,  

And the thing is, people are all related, 

But they don’t know how to bow.  

 

They never respect, they just go their own way, 

Putting recycling in random trash cans, 

Without checking if their community's okay, 

With making trouble by banging pots and pans.  

 

The streets get full, faces go blank,  

The grass turns grayer;  

The more people who do not thank, 

The sky grows darker and faces go gloomier.  

 

People often treat others badly  

Because of different parts.  

People don’t know how to act politely 

Despite the same hearts.  

 

We are connected;  

We are all the same.  

Unkind and disconnected;  

It is such a shame. 

 

Community is not just a group  

But connected neighbors who share their day, 

Where we live hand in hand in a loop. 

So, what do you say?  

Where we stay, laughing with one another, 

Caring for each other paves the way. 

So please, why don’t we think about each other?

 

 

My Community 

by Anaye Agrawal

 

My community is a splendid one, 

Parks and libraries are there to provide fun. 

Its maple trees are beautiful, 

And the community is peaceful. 

 

Outside has astonishing sights to behold - flowers and twigs,

Huge front lawns to frolic in, and the houses are nice and big.

Interactive people inhabit it, short and tall, 

Many walk past our home, owning pets big and small. 

 

Other than walking dogs, 

Neighbors may take jogs. 

Drive strollers with adorable infants, 

Take pleasant saunters in comfortable pants. 

 

Halloween is quite enjoyable with the enthusiastic people over here,

At Diwali, everyone said “Happy Diwali!” if they were near.

At Christmas, all homes light up their Christmas trees,

And truly, all festivals here are celebrated together with glee. 

 

Since our first day at the community here, 

Our understanding of it slowly became clear. 

This happened due to the people that helped us and talked,

Even though, they just could have walked. 

 

Lively, yet so calm and beautiful, 

Everyone shares little things making it plentiful. 

The people truly live here in unity, 

I love my community.

 

 

Bright Town

by Alexis Vaile

 

Laughter fills the streets, 

children play and sing, 

white haired woman share their treats, 

their quiet voices ring, 

the community is rife with sun, 

the sky of clearest blue 

the toddlers run the street for fun, 

the parents join in too, 

even when their frowns are shown, 

they seldom linger long, 

the mailman drops off a note as the day gets hotter

a kindly woman comes out to greet him, 

holding an icy glass of water, 

two women kneel side by side planting purple blooms,

their baby girl plays in the grass, 

a harried squirrel still looms, 

neighbors knock on many doors, 

exchanging quiet smiles, 

a young boy throws his apple cores, 

a family walks for miles, 

hands are clasped and doorbells ring, 

throughout the lovely town, 

people talk and crickets sing,

 

 

Family Reunions

by Jasmine Fan

 

I wonder. 

if we’re 

related. 

 

She claims to have held me as a baby; 

he asks me what I want to be when I grow up,

forced to measure height 

with cousins I never knew 

existed. 

 

Twenty relatives. 

I feel like a 

Stranger. 

 

In Grandma and Grandpa’s old dirt village, 

I wish I had Wi-Fi, to Translate. 

 

My zipper bulges. 

Wooden chopsticks point in 

seven different directions, 

I Swallow in 

nervous gulps, 

Overeat. 

 

Awkward silence 

I twist my fingers, fake a smile, 

Overwhelmed. 

 

Someone is missing. 

I slip outside to find 

Grandpa. 

 

Relief in cold night air, 

I skip along the dirt path, 

Weave through willow trees. 

Swoop down and pick 

Wildflowers, 

Tiptoe to rest them on a

Large stone mound. 

 

Starlight illuminates 

Grandpa’s engraved Name.

Amidst the silence,

I feel

Familiarity. 

 

Family unions: 

I look heavenward.

 

 

The Heart of Pride

by Amber Edens

 

loneliness is suffocating

when the loneliness stems from your identity

it becomes a vise grip around your heart

choking you on the fear of never being seen or understood

growing up around those who will see you as wholly other

causes a rift, a disconnect between the mind and the heart

i was once two pieces

the mind tried so hard to conform

took the ideals of christianity and molded itself around them

but the heart knew it could never fit into that box

so it beat a steady drum beat

calling out to anyone who could help the mind reach the same wave length

sending out a siren song looking for those who felt and loved the same

the heart and its persistence saved me

pulled me to the people who saw beyond the mask of piety

into the glow of individuality inside

it tethered me to those who clothed me in rainbow and told me that I am too full of love

to be ashamed of how i feel

my identity is no longer bathed in loneliness

my mind no longer tries to force me into a box far too small

my hands reach out to those who looked at my heart and saw someone worth it

who saw the multitudes of color inside of me

and refused to let me paint over them with black and white

i sit on the shoulders of pride and i hold my head gratefully and defiantly high

 

 

internet identities

by kaitlyn nguyen and sahana moogi

 

people we've never really met

living their lives on the internet

what we know about them a silhouette

 

keeping their identities secret

for all we know, their name could be Juliette

or perhaps are they a Lafayette?

 

different countries using different alphabets

could be collecting or be facing debts

we can only wonder if they like omelets

 

she could be a brunette

he could live in Paris, eating a baguette

or they could play the clarinet

 

are they old enough to have a cassette?

or are they still dreaming of being a vet?

how can we know what kind of mindset

 

they come and go without regret

we don't know each other well, but yet

you shouldn't fret

because these are just people on the Internet