Ode to My Past (Contest Winner)

by Delilah North

5th-8th GRADE WINNER FOR SPRING 2022 POETRY CONTEST. Prompt: All submissions must be in the form of an ode. The ode is one of the oldest forms of poetry and believed to have come from ancient Greece. The word ‘ode’ is derived from the Greek word ‘aeidein’ which means ‘to sing or chant’, and these poems were originally performed with a musical instrument. An ode is typically written to praise a person, event or thing (you could write an ode to your pet or favorite food!)”

Can I breathe?
I asked in my head, and I the only one?
Like the only fish in the sea
Like the only bird in the sky
Like the only person on earth,
These moments chase after me each day

Why

Laughed at,
Judged and lost,
All these words and
their meanings run through my head,
Like a panda in the zoo,
Like a word in a book,
Like a needle in a jar,

No one will listen
No one understood
But what do I need?
Felt nothing but fear,
Know nothing but myself,
Saw nothing but darkness,

But then the sun rose up
The bird set flight once again,
Like a flower in the field,
Like a friend in a crowd,
Like a book in the library,
Remember to find the flashlight in the power outage
To remember who you love and who loves you,
Like a nest in a tree,
Like tea in a mug,
Like the words that found their way into this ode,
They came together to give you something to read.