Ode to Tom Parker (Contest Winner)

by Bridget Cozzi

9th-12th 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!)”

Tom
I stare at your name with tears on my face
Blurring the words that fill the page
Words tears can’t erase
Because your strength is something I can’t replace
What filled my heart when it was vacant
When I thought I couldn’t make it
You were there to show me where to start
While you carried the weight with a smile on your face
Saying you were going to beat the tumor infesting your brain
And I never thought the day would come
When the world would feel emptier just by one
So I tape a heart to my shirt
Because you lost a battle you didn’t deserve
Because even in my darkest hours you stayed
You were okay
You always kept going
Giving us hope that sunk in like Christmas day snowing
That you would never leave this place
Not even for a moment
And when things get bad
I’ll hold you close
I’ll hear your voice
Remember what you chose
To fight when things were down
Search for yourself through the lost and found
Find that part of you deep inside
That will fight until the very last moment
Fight till you die