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. )