What does it take to be a writer? Well, one of our own can answer that. She has earned the honor of first place for Youth Poetry at the Central Oregon Writer’s Guild 2020 Writing Contest. Her poem, why is it hard to love a poet? will be shared at a showcase later this year. Her English teacher states, “Her poetry is noticeably complex and stylistic. Her words are relentlessly real and revelatory. She is an amazing writer and we are proud of her.”

We can’t have these words all to ourselves and want to share here. Enjoy the read.

why it is hard to love a poet?
it is such a curse
to see the beauty in
everything as long as
it's impersonal
the vulnerability reserved for
the blooming flowers
or the music that moves my
feet into a
pathetic one-two step
being a poet is no more painful
than being human, it's just that i feel
it more.  it feels like a fog-drenched cliff with no
lighthouse in sight
more like a soliloquy that won't stop
no matter how many rotten tomatoes the
front row tosses heavy-handed
i eat until the juice drips down
my face my callused hands ripe and red
and i am still unfulfilled
it is such a curse to see the beauty
in every word, except for the ones
you create