Congratulations to Concordia Lutheran High School junior TaylorAnn Minarik who has received a Scholastic Art and Writing Award for her poem entitled, It's her first time being alive too.
According to the artandwriting.org website,"Students' work in the Scholastic competition is judged on the basis of three core values: originality, technical skill, and emergence of a personal voice or vision."
Read the entire poem below:
It’s her first time being alive too
A poem by TaylorAnn Minarik
It’s your first time being alive
It's a chilly day
You step off your college campus
August winds slap your face
You take a bus to your childhood home
You cannot take a car
You don’t have the funds
But your mother always gave you rides when she couldn't afford to either
It's your first time being alive
It’s noon and you grow hungry
You want a big, juicy steak
You go into a restaurant
You leave after the lunch
The food was rubbery and made without care
But your mother always made you a home-cooked meal with love
It's your first time being alive
The wind starts to pick up again as you walk towards a familiar road
You zip up your thin coat
You still shiver from the cold
The holes in your jacket catch wind and prick your arms
You are icy and alone
But your mother always gave you a blanket when she was freezing too
It’s your first time being alive
You walk on the road towards your childhood home
The gravel of the pavement hurt your feet
You start to bleed from your heel
You need a bandaid or ointment
The pain is almost unbearable
But your mother always took care of your wounds even though hers were worse
It’s your first time being alive
You arrive at your childhood home
Your mother is waiting on the porch with cookies and milk for you
She knows you used to like this snack when you were little
She hugs you when you reach her
You are worried and hurt
But your mother transfers your hardships onto herself so you are happy
It’s your first time being alive
You think about all the time you yelled at your mom
You think about all the lies you told her
You think about all the times you scared her
You think about all the hurt she endured for you
You think about something new though
You think about her pain and how she didn’t deserve the rebellion of your love
You can only think of one thing
It’s her first time being alive too.