A Rhyming Review in Stanzas of Two. The 2022 Bard Competition.

By Joe Rudolph ‘22

The high school had gathered, to watch and to listen,
The poems of classmates, their voices, and diction.

The students were excited, they all were engaged,
Mr. Fletcher stepped up to the rickety stage.

He had silenced the students, “Can anyone hear?
Is this microphone on?” We let out a cheer.

An emphatic “yes” followed, the word filled the gym,
Mr. Fletcher said “Great, now it’s time to begin.”

“You’re here for poems in their finest rendition,
I welcome you to this year’s Bard Competition.”

The students went crazy, the cheers were fantastic,
Their love for poetry was clearly ecstatic.

The Freshmen went first, or so the judges pronounced,
And it was such a shame that they weren’t announced!

Jimmy Lothian went first, he spoke with such grace,
S. Heaney’s Blackberry-Picking won him first place.

Jim’s voice was demanding, he spoke with a passion,
His poem ended in a dramatic fashion.

“And now that all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.
Each year I hoped they’d keep, But I knew they would not.”

On to the sophomores, and imperative young crew,
Certainly, they gave our judges much to review.

David Roman spoke, and as graceful as a swan,
Gave an exemplary rendition of Kubla Khan.

Unfortunately, David’s poem was outshone,
Paul Masaka was king- he had taken the throne.

He gave Wordsworth’s I Wander Lonely As A Cloud,
‘Twas clear to say Paul had captivated the crowd.

The Juniors came next to compete in the battle,
Sebastian Borquez talked about goats, not cattle.

300 Goats was the title of the rhyme,
Sebastian was subtle, he did not take his time.

Though Sebastian was simple- his message stood firm,
He was overtaken by The Conqueror Worm.

Ralph Kamara spoke with complete dedication,
He was granted First Place! (Along with a Raven)

Along came the seniors, and it must be asked: Why?
Could it not be possible for a four-way tie?

Animals abound, Arnold continued the trend,
The Addressing Of Cats- Meow- not man’s best friend.

With a sparkling belt like a heavyweight champ,
Isaiah Fletcher returned to refresh his stamp.

Rhyming stanzas of Kipling flowed from Dan Kaiser,
If— he got second, it would be a surpriser.

The Wiseman went last with Oh Captain! My Captain!
To our Society of Poets, he made it all happen.

A winner was crowned, a Freshman named Diez,
The champion poet whose last name unfortunately doesn’t rhyme well.