Teens > Summer 2008 Teen Writing Contest
Summer 2008 Teen Writing Contest
Grades 9-12 Poetry Winner: "I'm Praying for Them" by Linda Lim
Let me tell you this story of a boy and a girl,
Meeting' her completely changed his way of seeing' the world,
Inside the story, there's something' I want you to learn,
Cause if you do, she might even make her return,
But I could care less if you understand well,
Pay attention, listen up, I got a story to tell
Verse 1:
He met this girl during a Long Hot Summer,
Down to earth type chick, hated Escalades and Hummers,
He was just a Shorty, barely 12 years old,
She was fresh and new to him, with depths untold,
More than just a pretty face, He really dug her mind,
Misunderstood, people always thought her maligned
And He 'd listen to her when he got outta school,
People laughed hearing' that he knew her, cause he wasn't cool,
but no, he didn't care. hurt her?, he wouldn't dare,
He cherished loved all the moments they shared
Check it, she had the coolest and finest technique,
Spoke in a method that was intricate and rather unique,
The loveliest thing was her abundance of soul,
No bad intentions, chilling' with her was his only goal
Verse 2:
She regaled him with tales about far off places,
And he was, eager to fall into her verbal embraces,
The way she spoke created worlds quite real,
Ones that lived, breathed, ones that could feel,
Her words, her stories, they hit him in the heart,
They moved him, with the messages they'd impart
The subjects varied, he never knew what was next,
Could be conspiracy theories, or murder suspects,
Or outcasts with skill, both ill and automatic,
Creating rhythm and poetry with their blueprint schematics,
His favorite story was 'bout a gang; Wu-Tang,
A group of 8, speaking' in a cryptic slang,
Blessed, gifted, with deadly Shoaling style,
In a trial of skill, they'd defeat all the opponents for miles,
Ready to die, she lived her life with zeal,
Life after death seemed completely unreal,
Her words were so smooth, soothing' his mood,
And he grew to love her, so it was her he pursued,
Verse 3:
But seasons changed, and her words got rearranged
The beautiful stories, long ago were exchanged,
Traded in her flow for money at a show,
She got into weed, started dealing' in snow,
And puffing ' it down, it caused me to frown,
As she rolled around town and was hanging' with clowns,
Not the same, her stories became picture books,
Less focused on content and more on her looks,
She was dating' a soldier that she met at a club,
Cause he had a Cadillac and it was sitting' on dubs,
A ruthless fella, he took all of her cents,
She begged him to stop but he wouldn't repent,
Driven by greed, he stole for more than his need,
Tied her up so tight that she started to bleed,
Then he pulled out his nine,
Stopped and turned on a dime,
Shot her in the place where she used to rhyme,
She took two to the face, he got away with the crime,
Now she's laying' in the ICU,
She's with him in his heart and in all that he can do,
In his thoughts, never far does she stray,
When she's in his dreams, he always begs her to stay,
He's hoping', praying', that she'll recover
Cause once upon a time, he used to love her,
Sometimes when she speaks,
There's still that hint of technique,
So I know she's still real,
Not a dream or mirage, it's something' we can feel,
He'll take her back, still love her, just gotta see this crap stop,
Cause the girl I'm talking' about y'all, is hip-hop.
