Congratulations to our Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest Winner: Katie Hoff. Under the image, you can find her lovely poem, “The Tree.”

The Tree

by Katie Hoff

Deep within a forest

In a clearing stands a tree

Shorter than the rest of them

Out of all the eye could see

This tree had weaker bark

And was plainer too

With fewer leaves than others

And flowers that seldom grew

It had no fruit to eat

Nor branches you could climb

Yet out of all the other trees

I’d wish this one could be mine

Even though it might not seem

To be as good as the rest

This one is the only one

That stands up to the test

I couldn’t notice other trees

For they all look the same

But this one has a different feel

So this one I shall claim

The few leaves that grew there

And the flowers too

Were the most delicate

Through and through

This tree had truly tall branches

The bark I thought was plainer

Had just made me blind

Just not within its kind

It may not be the best

But between you and me

I really think I’m growing

Quite fond of this tree

I tried to show my peers

But they all laughed at me

They told me it was pretty strange

To be fond of a tree

I wasn’t sad

I wasn’t even mad

I would say

I felt rather glad

For when I had first seen my tree

I had thought it strange

But after a little while

My perspective began to change

After that I realized

I didn’t have to be

Like anybody else

For I am just the tree

(In full disclosure, the Spring 2021 Teeny Tiny Writing Contest winner was also the only entrant, which made judging super easy, and I didn’t have to stress about being related to contest entrants. That makes it a bit less like a contest, though. Fortunately, this is a decent poem. But, if you think you have an equally good or better story or poem in you, the Pencil Princess Workshop will try at least one more of these contests. Details on the Contest tab. )