Foxes on the fence have always involved the entire community and this year they added their 1st poetry contest. “We were thrilled so many children took up the pen,” said Darcy Justen from Middleburg Garden Club, “we had over 135 entries from three of our local schools and they were fantastic.” The winning poems were read at Art in the Burg, will be published on Facebook, the Middleburg Eccentric, and Second Chapter Books will be putting together a book with several of the poems and will be available in their store.
They were asked to write about a fox and lift the reader out of the ordinary giving us a glimpse into this beautiful and intriguing place we call home. “A good poem comes from the poet’s heart and easily touches yours using concise words in a concise order,” shares Darcy Justen creator of the contest, “ Often the author’s effort to make sense of the world is by expressing clear, memorable, concrete images to make a point and creating a world inside the poem. This poem makes you want to read it, again and again, finding something new each time you read it”, she continues, “All the poems were very creative, and it wasn’t easy to pick the top three, but they are as follows. Congratulations and many thanks to all the young poets.”
1st place:
Ella Johnson-12 The Hill School
The Fox’s Routine
My coat shimmering,
My claws sharp,
My legs fast, my
Face dark, my
Stomach hungry–
Prey be warned!
I pounce,
Stumble, dance,
And prance.
I kill, I creep,
I steal, I sleep.
I eat, catch,
Bite, scratch,
Run, chase, and leap at last.
I hunt my prey,
I chase all day.
The sun goes down, and
I slow down.
I shut my eyes and fall asleep,
The day is done, tomorrow will come,
But I must go to sleep to see my
Morning feast.
2nd Place winner:
Amelia Haws- Age 11 Banneker Elementary
Horses galloping across fields, over jumps,
But what for?
A fox.
Russet fur flashing through the forest
Faster than you can see
Black ears twitching, listening,
For the pound of hooves against the ground,
For the hounds
The mournful bay of the dog when it has found his trail
But he won’t be caught.
He knows he can run, faster, faster
He can race the horses
He can bound, spring ahead of them
He can take flight
Climbing the air as if it were stairs
Soaring high
Everything else below him
Left behind.
3rd Place winner:
Reese, Robbie, and Riley Teasdale- Age 12-8-6 Middleburg Community Charter School
Foxes, Foxes Everywhere
Foxes, foxes everywhere.
Foxes, foxes in my hair?
Foxes, foxes I don’t care!
Foxes, foxes if you dare.
Foxes, foxes in a box.
Foxes, foxes with a lock?
Foxes, foxes can give a shock!
Foxes, foxes sitting on a rock.
Foxes, foxes everywhere.
Foxes, foxes in a scare?
Foxes, foxes with a mare!
Foxes, foxes with a stare.
Foxes, foxes on Middleburg fences.
When the parade commences?
There are no defenses,
because of foxes, foxes eminences!
Foxes, foxes everywhere.
Foxes, foxes at the fair?
Foxes, foxes in their lair!
Foxes, foxes with some flare!
