The Elizabethton Arts and Cultural Alliance has announced the winner of its April Poetry Contest held in honor of National Poetry Month. There were 21 submissions, each of which was posted to the group’s social media. The judges were Jillian Reece of Carter County Drug Prevention, MaryAnn Owen and Harley Williams, both of the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library. The winner is Amanda Baxter of Elizabethton, Tennessee. Her winning poem is below.
Reborn
By Amanda Baxter
Born a babe with endless potential
Variables in life, often exponential
Childhood brought pain, just a prelude
Empathy and love always seemed to elude
Aged but no wiser, acclimated to the harms
Hopeful for love, driven to a narcissist’s arms
Depression malignant, taking a soul
Dead but still walking, not in control
Reborn at the sound of a baby’s cry
Forced to life, body and mind do comply
Strength returns as parental love
The fate of the baby now taken hold of
Leaving what was once thought of as home
Embracing newness and many things unknown
New strength, new life, new smiles, now secure
Only happiness and love left to endure
Printed with permission
