Waxman is CMS eighth grade poetry winner

The eighth-grade winner of The Young Writers Showcase poetry contest at Central Middle School is Talia Waxman for her poem, "Glass."

The guest judge for the poetry entries was Sally Bliumis-Dunn who teaches "Approaches to Creative Writing" and a poetry workshop at Manhattanville College. Bliumis-Dunn praised Waxman's poem, "Glass," she said, "for the way Waxman approaches racism without naming it. This gives her poem great strength."

The poetry competition is the third of three genre competitions held at Central Middle School for the 2010-2011 academic year.

The Young Writers Showcase is a partnering project with the Greenwich Citizen and town middle school teachers and students to strengthen writing skills.

Following is Talia Waxman's poem, "Glass."

Glass

By Talia Waxman

Vases

Coated with dust

Fine lines branching and weaving across the surface

Like wrinkles in skin that come with age.

Simple vases

Each a single, solid hue

All in a row

A silent night of ruby, indigo, mauve

In a forest of olive, mustard, and mud.

Shatter them.

Let the vases crash to the floor

Let the silence of the night be disturbed

Let it be heard.

A splitting sound that will ring in your ears.

Struck by a bolt of lightning

Let them burst into flames of color.

Let the sound be piercing

Let it echo to the ends of the earth.

And once it has echoed in every ear

And the shards of glass are scattered

A glistening array of tints and tones

Craft a mosaic from those jagged pieces.

Let the sunlight stream

Through a melting pot of vermilion, sapphire, magenta

Through a medley of emerald, lemon, and chestnut

Glass.