2024 Winner Poetry Ode to the Bookworm, by Annabelle Pettinger This is an ode; An ode to some of the most extraordinary people out there- The bookworms… The readers… The writers This is an ode to the little kid reading at recess, completely entranced The adult bringing a book to a formal event, may their love of reading never cease. This ode is for the elementary kid, reading under the covers with a flashlight at night The teen who stays up all night, living in a non-existent world the Grandmother reading her first grandchild a book Pray they are always entranced in the words. This is an ode for the misfits: misfits who can only feel socially involved in their reading The college student that reads to escape the stress of the assignments The authors who have writers’ block and need inspiration Never stop loving your books. This ode is for the words — The words in the books — The words that describe the books The words that define the characters The adjectives, verbs, nouns, adverbs, prepositions and more that transport us into the book Promise me that you will still be there when I set the book down. This is an ode for the characters: fake, fictional and dynamically developed. The nonrealistic men and women, perfect for each other The supporting characters, waiting for the cue to their next punchline The villain, always hiding behind the corner, scheming new ‘evil’ plans. This is an ode, An ode to the girl who stays up at night reading, The boy who reads in the cafeteria, The adolescent who buys used books everywhere, The writers whose love of books created their love of writing. This is an ode. For those people and more- This is an ode to my young self.
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