National Poetry Month Contest Winners 2025

Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Monroe County Library System’s National Poetry month poetry contest!

Adult Category

March 2020: Hope

By Brandy Dixon

the little black bird with drops of red on his wings
          sits in the ordinary backdrop of a world in the labor pains of spring
while everything is still bleak
                                                and brown
                                                                        and dirty

flowers—and all their colors—have been long forgotten
        buried in winter’s coffin
the brightness of the sun is hidden behind clouds
        it played hide and seek so long we forgot it was even there
we forgot the warm kisses of light upon our cheeks

the songs of the birds, too, have faded from our ears
        replaced by the deafening silence
                                of long, cold hours of isolation
                                                        spent wondering if spring will ever return

we look around and see only death
                                                        darkness
                                                                        brown-ness
the virus of hopelessness hovers in the air like a mist
        it infects all of society
how quickly we forget!

but you, little red-winged blackbird,
        you didn’t forget
you brought back the song to our calloused ears
you remind us to
                        HOPE
                                for spring will come again

Teen / Tween Category

Pigeon

By Landon Warshefski,

There is a pigeon
standing alone
braving the pure
ferocity
of New York

The amount of
courage
this pigeon holds
is truly
spectacular

He
is not afraid
of the huge crowds
and the speeding
cars

A true example
of a relentless
fighter
Nikola Tesla knew.

Children’s Category

Irish Spring – A Haiku

By Leo Lievens

Emerald fields bloom,
Trapezoids of light dance bright,
Joyful spring awakes.