LIS 5th Grader Wins Poetry Contest

Alison Lu, a 5th grader in Ms. Flower's class at Lawrence Intermediate School (LIS), won a poetry contest sponsored by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton (AAAP).

Alison, along with several other students in the LIS Gifted & Talented program, submitted their poetry to the AAAP 50th Anniversary Poetry Contest. Alison's poem, entitled "Star Gazing," won for the elementary division.

Alison attended a dinner and lecture ("Is Anyone Else Out There?") at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton on May 12. Alison's poem is below:

Stargazing

By Alison Lu

Little Buttons in the Coat of Night with the large moon representing their faces The Ambassador of the solar system the galaxy the universe the multiverse taking a family photo though far away from each other they all line up together with the inky sky as their background and smile to you, twinkling knowingly, for you would smile back.

Little specks of white In a blanket of smoke and cloud waiting to be looked at in awe and wonder Hoping to be that beautiful firework a flash of lightning breaking from the sky, A snowflake falling from the endless night. Falling like a wounded bird to make a little child hope, wish, and dream though knowing that wish will not come true unless they tried.

Forming pictures for you to wonder at connecting the dots For you to imagine heaven up there For you to wish you would play up there with the twinkling marshmallows

In the hot-chocolate sky In the Milky Way Stars clustered together like individual snowflakes forming a blanket that covers the darkness of space As black as ink

Clouds cover the sleepy stars, Light taking their job, Forever in a game of hide-and-seek, Except they are always hiding,

But nowhere to be found.Though people know where they are, They are too lazy to uncover them. Sailors despair, For the certain king of the North,

Is playing as well.

The sky breaks through, rosy pink, Like a flower fringed with black. The color of star’s blood, for they would silently stalk away, a distant place

To entertain another For their job is to create dreams To breathe their cold breath They watch over you silently.

They move on, retreat dying with every light And in the end, rebirth They shall see you again On the other side

Just wait, see, smile, laugh, sleep, cry and dream as your spirit soars up to greet them someday, becoming one of the Little Buttons in the Coat of Night.

--Lawrence Township Public Schools