A note: Please keep your entries to 100 words or fewer. Submissions exceeding the limit will be disqualified. Thank you to everyone who entered their poems for Poet’s Playground, and we encourage you all to keep writing poetry.
Age 8 and younger
First Place
Tennessee: Where the Birds are Chirping
Francis Brown
Southwest Tennessee EMC
The lakes are clear.
And the grass is green.
The sky is oh so blue.
Tennessee is the prettiest yet.
The birds are chirping
And the dogs are barking at the inn —
And I am singing too.
So then we all sing.
The birds tweet tweet tweet
And the water is glimmering —
Like the spotlight of the show of
Tennessee.
I am in the meadows of my home
And this is what I see in Tennessee.
Second Place
Tennessee Days
Adaline Gambrell
Volunteer EC
I love my Tennessee days,
In the bright sun’s rays.
In the early mornings the deer are in my yard.
They jump and play really hard.
Summertime doing cannonballs in the pool,
It makes me feel cool.
The Tennessee River boats,
Look like humans when they float.
A frog jumping in the lake,
It must be evening and getting late.
I love my Tennessee days,
In the bright sun’s rays.
Third Place
My Tennessee
Julia Graves
Gibson EMC
Tennessee, my Tennessee,
How lovely is thee,
With flowers blooming and birds descending,
You are my home indeed.
With thunderstorms roaring and lightning flashing,
You are my one and true home,
With sunsets changing
With colors blue, purple, and green.
With your mountains high and valleys low,
With your lilies white and your stars so bright,
How could I not love this beautiful sight,
With all of the beautiful fields, you grow with all the Tennessee snow.
I could never know a more lovely place,
With joy, happiness, and peace,
I will never leave my lovely home,
My Tennessee
Age 9-13
First Place
Evensongs
Nathaniel Cookson
Tennessee Valley EC
Night is approaching,
I can see it in the sky.
The stars begin to twinkle,
While bats go flying by.
The whippoorwill is calling,
His voice echoes still.
I can hear the notes of music,
Resound from hill to hill
Owls join the chorus,
They’re hooting sharp and strong.
It makes the stars grow brighter,
In pure incessant song.
My heart is filled with awe
At the perfect harmony;
Of nature’s busy night,
It wonders even me.
So may I always love
The land of my heart.
It’s Tennessee, Tennessee,
Since my early start!
Second Place
What makes Tennessee, Tennessee
Jojo Brown
Duck River EMC
Tennessee is a home to
many beautiful, lush forests
on top of mountains and hills
the mountains are strong
and the hills are just
smaller mountains
the hills wish to be like the
mountains but will they prevail
I am not sure, but I do know
that hills grow even after a
forest fire tears down
the beauty of the hill
a forest fire is the only
reason that the hill
becomes more beautiful
inside and out
Tennessee is the home to
many wonders and contrasting
beauties, but that is what makes Tennessee
Tennessee
Third Place
An Ode to Autumn
Charlotte Wunderlich
Middle Tennessee Electric
Oh, to be Autumn,
with her golden leaves,
pumpkin spice,
changing trees.
The reds, oranges, and yellow,
dying leaves
gives this reason a tone so mellow,
yet we rejoice.
Like a flame before darkness flares,
the colors give a last “Hurrah!”
or is it too much to bear,
knowing that, despite our efforts, the world moves on.
Is it resistance or defiance,
or a subtle peace, a quiet falling.
almost if in a trance,
knowing death’s inevitable?
Perhaps we’ll never know,
but that’s the beauty of Autumn.
She’ll always put on a show,
and we’ll sit back and watch.
Age 14-18
First Place
Remember
Ella Hamsley
Cumberland EMC
Thinking back to yesterday with Grandpa at my side
Telling of the Mayflower sailing upon the oceans tide
As the first foot in the sand was planted
Soon freedom to the land was granted
176 years after the Pilgrims grounded
My dear Tennessee was founded
228 years later I am here
Filled with sweet peace and no sense of fear
As Grandpa rocked back and forth in his chair
He finished his story in the fresh autumn air
Hand in hand we thanked the Lord for our beautiful Tennessee home
May God bless this land and wherever we may roam
Second Place
Where We Find Rest
Presley Queener
Plateau EC
In the shadow of the mountains so high,
Where trees sprout and birds fly,
Fields of wildflowers in the morning light,
Crickets chirp in the warm, soft night.
Bluegrass picking, a merry sound,
Dumplings and pies were served, friends gathered ’round,
Rivers Splash, nature song.
In this land where we all belong.
From crazy towns to quiet streams,
A mural painted with dreams,
With every sunrise, hearts are blessed
In this wonderful place, we find rest.
Third Place
Hometown Love
Deja Puckett
Plateau EC
The volunteer state, we all know and love
A town called Oneida is where I feel snug
Fields painted gold under the blue-lit sky
With mountains ranging far, so tall and high.
The music of laughter fills the warm, starry night,
Bonfires and stories, our hearts feeling light
From vibrant cities to fields wide and free,
Every sunset paints a lasting memory.
My small town home, I could never fully leave
My home, my heart, where I belong, I believe
With every curvy backroad and friendly smile,
Tennessee, my home, you make life worthwhile.
Age 19-22
First Place
Tennessee
Ruby Purgason
Appalachian EC
Strangers to this land
do not understand
this blessed state
of being
Oh, the glorious people
Who knobbled their knees
Split the skin of their fingers
And wore the soles from their shoes
To make a home
To live here
Is to truly know the wonder
Of God’s most precious pearl
To stand upon the precipice
Overlooking an imitation of Paradise
brightened by little lighting angels
and truly understand
What freedom means
For this place
My home
Only fuels me with love
And life’s greatest
Shield and treasure.
Hope
Second Place
2 a.m.
Grace Kelley
Meriwether Lewis EC
It’s 2 a.m.
And I’m wide awake
I lay here in bed
But I can’t sleep …
Like a swirling storm
These feelings inside
So many questions
So little answers
Trying to understand
What it all means
But will I ever really know?
It’s 2:01 a.m. now
And I’m wide awake
I lay here in bed
But I still can’t sleep …
Third Place
Tennessee Charm
Haley Garrett
Duck River EMC
In Tennessee, where friendships grow,
And neighbors greet with open arms,
The bond we share, a steady flow,
Of laughter, stories, southern charm.
From Memphis lanes to Nashville’s streets,
We gather close, our spirits warm,
Through every trial, joy, and feat,
Together we can weather any storm.
In fields of green, in mountain air,
We find a kinship deep and true,
Tennessee, where hearts declare,
United, we will see it through.
Age 23-64
First Place
Appalachian Solace
Daniel James
Volunteer EC
In the hustle and bustle, I find solace,
In the quiet hum of ancient whispers,
Where the earth holds stories, deep as roots,
And the wind sings lullabies, soft and true.
These mountains cradle my restless spirit,
In their folds, I am both small and infinite,
The chaos of the world fades to echoes,
As I breathe in the calm of this old place.
Every step up these worn, winding trails,
Is a journey back to who I once was
Among the trees that stand tall, unyielding
I find my strength, my peace, my resolve.
Second Place
Give It To The River
Sabrina Harper
Meriwether Lewis EC
When I was very young
Just a little tot
An old fisherman taught me simple magic
Which I have ne’er forgot
He said you can keep trouble in a swamp
Or give it to the stream
You may lose your cargo to the wave
Yet never surrender your dream
With legendary talent
A great and cunning king
Instilled a love for life
Then cast my sights on hopeful things
We sat there on that riverbank
As my granddaddy spoke with care
We talked on trying times at length
Then, we left our worries there
Third Place
Tobacco Fields
Ericka Hughes
Mountain EC
In rows of green, tobacco stands,
Vitality in rugged hands,
With every leaf, they cut and bind,
A season’s worth of sweat they find,
And when the time to harvest nears,
The farmer works through fading years,
The barns are full, the leaves hang high,
To dry beneath the southern sky
Each stalk a story, rich and old,
Of soil that gave them strength and gold.
Tobacco’s more than crop or trade,
It’s woven in the life they’ve made
A thread of history, tough and true,
Passed down like seeds in morning dew
Age 65 and older
First Place
The Ancient Road
Charlotte Garrett
Upper Cumberland EMC
They say the old folks talked sometimes
About an Ancient Road
That ran down through our neighborhood
Not too far from our home.
Long time ago as we went by
I heard my mother say
“There used to be an old road there.”
She pointed out the way.
Old writings of a neighbor man
Make it seem so clear.
He wrote that in the former times
“The Great Road” ran though here.
O Tennessee, the hope remains
That this story be retold
And in the future we all shall learn
More of the Ancient Road.
Second Place
The State I Love
Jean Allan
Duck River EMC
I’ve been many places
Experienced many sights
When I return back home
I must confess delights
Nothing quite so pleasant
As mountains where I dwell,
And fields sown for harvest
In furrows plowed so well.
Country roads less traveled
Bring nature’s beauty thrills
So any country ride
Is pleasure without frills.
When budgets tend to shrink,
Then take a look close by.
You might find something missed
If you just halfway try.
I tell you unashamed
There is just not a place
That can bring the beauty
That Tennessee can’t ace.
Third Place
The Christmas Mule
Roxanna Lawdonski
Cumberland EMC
The faithful mule proudly wore the garland, holly and bells.
Baskets on his back overflowed with Christmas toys and treats.
He plowed in summer and spring,
pulled logs and stuck cars in fall and winter,
but this was the most important job he had.
Prancing through the deep snow, up mountains and through valleys
to ensure a wonderful Christmas for all.
Children would run out to pet the mule and rub his long black ears.
Carrots and cornbread were traded for dolls and trucks.
As the load grew lighter,
The man and the mule continued down the road, both smiling.
