2015 Sejong Writing Competition

Winning Entries :: Sijo

Zion Kim (11th grade)

first place

Overcoming the Limitations

They laughed when he struggled in his wheelchair, begging to join them.
They laughed when they heard him speak an awkward string of gibberish.
They saw him stand from the chair with determined eyes. They did not laugh.

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Emma Kein (7th grade)

second place

The Game

The walls are caving in,
I don’t know how much longer I can survive.
Is anyone coming for me?
Does anyone realize that I'm missing?
The door creaks opens. “Found ya!”
my sister says with a smile. “You’re it!”

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Talia Rochlin (10th grade)

third place

Again and again you ask me the same thing, "Who do you like?"
Each and every time, I refuse to tell. It is my little secret.
For some reason, I cannot find a way to say that it is you.

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Jared Skiles (11th grade)

third place

Flowers

The pleasure of the floral,
how it appeals with smooth colour.
The soothing scent tags along,
the soft petals so delicate.
What a shame that your arrival means
the departure of a friend.

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Lillie Chapin (9th grade)

honorable mention

The morning sky so picture perfect and nature calling to me
The sweet birds singing in my ear, it almost seems like a dream.
Then I realize I’ve just been on Instagram and Twitter.

Melissa Chow (12th grade)

honorable mention

For the World

Soft petals fall on the ground joining the once fragrant blossoms
A powerful gust of wind lifts the petals into the air
Scattering thin pink pages into the silence of the world

Keiagane Mork-Cardon (11th grade)

honorable mention

A Broken Home

Where’d you go? You promised you'd be home, but you haven't shown.
What went wrong? Was it that time? Why do I miss you? Please, come home.
Singing a drunken lullaby, in hollow ground, together, at home.

Meghedi Tamazian (12th grade)

honorable mention

Chaos Theory

The butterfly effect is the fragile dependence on beginnings.
We started simply: the study of time between yesterday and someday.
If a moth sprouts from silk when no one is looking, will it still learn to fly?

Elise Westervelt (12th grade)

honorable mention

Solitude

A lone wolf howls through the night, his grief ringing in the air.
Sitting alone in my room, I shudder at the sound of his sorrow.
Perhaps I could join him, two lost creatures seeking comfort.