1998 James McIntyre Poetry Contest Winners

Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3
First Prize

Ingersoll
By Sarah Lindsay

Is a great place to me and my Dad
Never a bad place
Great community to me
Excellent place to people
Rivers are so fresh
So good that people live here
Oxford County is cool
Lots of best friends here
Lots of quiet here

Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3
Second Prize

Ingersoll
By Brian Johnston

Independent
No place as nice as Ingersoll
Good schools
Exciting
Rivers are clean
Sweet neighbourhood
Oxford County
Library rocks
Lots of friends

Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3
Third Prize

Ingersoll
By Corey Cheung

Ingersoll is cool
Nice people
Great place to live
Excellent place to live
Rivers are fresh
Sweet neighbourhood
Opportunities to learn
Lots of friends
Library is the best

Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3
Honourable Mention

Ingersoll
By Sophie Roe

Ingersoll is the best
Nobody ever litters
Great water
Excellent town
Really good stores
Super libraries
Oxford County rules
Lots of land
Lots of water

Grades 4-6
First Prize
and
Best Poem Overall

Poor little bug on the wall
By Piper Trusler

Poor little bug on the wall
No one to love him
No one to wash his cloths
No one to ticle his toes
Poor little bug on the wall

Grades 4-6
Second Prize

We won the war of school
By Josh R. McDonald

(sing to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic")

We have burned down all the backboards
Now the teachers can not teach.
We have launched all the pencils,
They are gone past enemy reach.

We've shredded all the notebooks,
And we bolted the door,
The school is no more.

Glory, glory hallelujah!
We've won the war, what's it to ya!
There is no more quizzes,
Not anouther stupid test,
The school is at rest!

Grades 4-6
Third Prize

What I like about cheese
By Althea C. Green

Cheese and crackers
Hot melted cheese
Eating it on all kinds of food
Eating it sprinkled on popcorn
Swiss cheese
Eating melted on nachos

Grades 4-6
Honourable mention

All about cheese
By Randy Allcock

Cheese is good
Cheese is weird
Cheese makes my teeth turn yellow
Cheese is food

Grades 7-8
First Prize

It would be nice!
By Amy Dicicco

It would be nice if we could fly,
Fly high and soar through the nice blue sky.
It would be nice if there was peace on this earth,
NO sirens ringing, NO funerals for singing, NO children crying,
No people dying.

IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE!

It would be nice if everyone was kind, and no one had nasty minds.

OH, IT WOULD BE NICE TO LIVE SUCH A WONDERFUL LIFE!

It would be nice if there was no suffering, and that all families had money and food.
It would be nice if every person got treated the same, not left out or
made fun of because they think different or are different in any kind of way.

IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE COULD LIVE SUCH AN IMPORTANT LIFE!

It would be nice if we could all be loved, and we all believed in the one above.
It would be nice if there was no suffering, NO cries for help, NO screaming out.

IT WOULD BE NICE TO LIVE SUCH A PEACEFUL LIFE!

Wouldn't it be nice if this all came true?
If you want it to, it starts with me and you.
If we all help out one day it could be a wonderful life.

OH, THAT WOULD BE NICE!

Grades 7-8
Second Prize

Remember Them
By Kristal Thompson

Remember them the ones who fought for our rights our peace and our country
Remember the poppy the red and the green
Those colours are something no one knows what they mean.
On November 11th we raise our heads high and proud of our soldiers who fought and who died.
On November 11th the flag flies at half mass waving in the clear crisp blue sky.
I wonder how it feels to die or to be left all alone, no wife no children no home.
So Remember the poppy the red and the green
Our peace and our freedom and what Remembrance Day means.

Grades 9-12
First Prize

The Bond
By Katie Clark

								   I feel                       as though
								 You've let                   me slip before
								  I've even                      slipped.
									Keep                           in
					   mind and heart all the times we've shared: the ahyulkas,
							  the teardrops,                the "obsessions".
							no distance between           our imperfect corpses
				shall expunge these memories. We can and will hold on, I have
								not    fallen                to my    death
							   as         you               believe.    The
							  bond          we             share          will
							never          break.         And               yes,
						 I am                glad that  someone       truly cares.

Grades 9-12
Second Prize

I Love a little hate a lot
By Tracey Durham

I love a little hate a lot
Deep dark immoral thoughts
Sleep a little dream all day
Stupid things that we say
Speak a little then start to shout
Open the cage and let them out
Look a little then close your eyes
Stop wait open your eyes and listen
You don't know what you're missing
Things are falling from the sky
When will I? When will I?
Hope a little wish a lot
Look at all I think I got
Laugh a little I think then you cry
Why do I? Why do I?
Open your eyes and listen to all the lies
Iron tears deceive the truth
A little boy robbed of youth
Everyday I can't say
Watch them fly! Watch them fly!

Grades 9-12
Third Prize

Racism
By Ashley Peters

Don't discriminate against me for who I am
Fear for the ones who need it most
Don't hate me for who I am
Support those who are scared
Don't hate me because of the colour of my skin
Don't accept for what I am but who I am
Get along with those around you
Don't judge people that you don't know
Don't judge people by their appearances but by their personality
Racism help stop it now!

Grades 9-12
Honourable Mention

No limitations
By Kristen Mackay

The things I use to do for fun have now become serious,
The things I use to be good at I have now become better.
There are no limitations to what I do.
I strive for improvement and suffer if I don't.
I'm pushed to success and won't accept failure.
I believe in my abilities and myself.
I'm not ashamed to lose but merely disappointed.
I have conquered and also been conquered.
Either way I gave it my best.
I may climb the wall in pain and agony
But at least I made it,
At least I can say I did it.
I look for improvement in my performance.
I pick out the bad, not the good,
But I don't complain when I can't do it,
And I don't get down on myself when I can't do it,
I just practice until I can.
I'm a girl. I'm not ashamed. I love it.

Cheese Poet Laureate's Award - Juvenile
(Best Cheese Poem)

Cheese
By Alysha McLeod

Pizza is yummy! Kraft dinner is too!
I'll sing a song about cheese just for you!
Cheese buns, lasagna, popcorn, galore!
Paris and Italy... cheese on the floor!

OAC to Adult
Limerick
First Prize

A teacher whose name was Lew
By H. Ruthanne Foster

A teacher whose name was "Lew"
Had students who wished time flew
He taped his motto in place
Of the classroom clock face
"Time passes, but kid what about you?"

(some people who attended I.D.C.I. in the early '60s may remember the sign)

OAC to Adult
Rhyming Verse
First Prize

Back Forty
By H. Ruthanne Foster

Daffodils, robins' trills
Lady bugs on window sills.

Blood roots, rubber boots,
Barn owls' "hooty-hoots"

Old brooms, violet blooms
Lilac sprays in living rooms

Willow weepers, spring peepers,
Red wool flannel sleepers.

Cat tails, fence rails,
Maple sap drips in pails.

Kittens' purrs, fishy lures
Purple wands of lavenders.

Potato bugs, kids' hugs,
Binder twine to braided rugs.

Quince jams, spring lambs,
Babies pushed in wicker trams.

Frosty nights, northern lights,
Wild geese in moonlit flight.

Orioles, swimming holes,
Piping, hot cinnamon rolls.

Newborn calves, childrens' laughs,
In the haymow, full of chaff.

Maple keys, winters' breeze,
Red wings crying "Oke-a-lees".

Quilt frames, crokinole games,
Spring bonfires' leaping flames.

Sunrise, fire flies,
Evening painted purple skies.

Sunflowers, windmill towers,
Late spring thundershowers.

Grandpas' clock, "tickety-tock",
Nine day pickles in the crock.

Fields of grain, summers' rain,
Close my eyes,... I'm home again!

OAC to Adult
Rhyming Verse
Second Prize

Stolen cheese
By June Goff Smith

You may call that grey mouse
Slightly dumb...
But he justly knows
Where his lunch comes from,
He is smart, and mighty quick
For he carries with him
A tiny stick....
He can trip that trap
In a very short time
Grab that cheese
And quickly run
So you can see that
Grey mouse not dumb.

OAC to Adult
Rhyming Verse
Third Prize

Someday
By Tom Lamb

				Someday I'm going to take a trip,
				To lands so far away.
				Explore the sights and hear the sounds,
				Will do it all,     Someday.
				Someday, I plan to learn new things,
				Some hard, some just for play.
				They add to make me who I am.
				Will do it all     Someday.
				Someday, we meet up with old friends,
				To laugh and spend the day.
				To share the memories now gone by.
				Will do it all     Someday.
				Someday has slowly passed me by,
				Am left with just today.
				Can hang my head and feel so bad?????
				Or do my best     Today.
				Someday will pass you by and yet
				Will never come you way.
				So make the best of what you have.
				Enjoy and never walk away.......

OAC to Adult
Free Verse
First Prize

Wild war ponies
By Gary Robson

My horses, prancing they are coming.
Have you loved this land;
My horses, neighing there are coming
For what it is -- it's for wealth,

Prancing they are coming
It's freedom,
All over the universe they are coming
It's northern wind,
They will dance; may you behold them.
And above all
A horse nation, they will dance
Upon the wild and graceful wind.

OAC to Adult
Free Verse
Second Prize

The writer's dreams
By Nick Edwards

Where do they come from, my dreams,
In the middle of the night or the heat of the day?

Where do they come from, my dreams,
To tease me, or plague me?

Why do they come, my dreams
When nothing has summoned them?

Why do they come, my dreams
Is it to curse me, or make me wonder?

Why are they forgotten so quickly, my dreams
When I need them?

Like fog in morning sunlight they glisten,
And then disappear from my view.

Perhaps my dreams are to tell me
Who I am, or why I am here.

But, gone and forgotten are my dreams
No matter how hard I recall.

So appearing just once in a lifetime,
Write them down the first time they call.

OAC to Adult
Haiku
First Prize

Oishi
By Kim Koyanagi

Soothe and nourish me,
Delectable, delightful
Ubiquitous cheese.

Cheese Poet Laureate's Award
Adult
(for best poem about Ingersoll history)

Hear ye, hear ye
By Ken Hughes

Born in an era when survival was tough,
Ingersoll developed because we had the right stuff,

Built around the banks of a river so strong,
History was in the making, it wouldn't take long,

Who'd have thought we'd still be here today,
Where did they come from, why did they stay,

We've nurtured famous people and withstood a flood,
Do you remember Aimee McPherson, Laura Secord or Lefty Judd,

Divided by a river, surrounded by rich limestone rock,
Our prosperous survival shouldn't come as a shock,

Some towns are know for their landmarks or abundance of trees
Ingersoll is known for it's people and it's great cheese,

Hear ye! Hear ye! Sing out a cheer,
If it's solace you search for, you'll find it right here.


		1827-1906 Cheese Poet of Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. Originator of the Cheese Poem or Dairy Ode. Founder of Ingersoll's Unique Poetic Tradition.

1998 James McIntyre Poetry Contest Winners Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 First Prize Ingersoll By Sarah Lindsay Is a great place to me and my Dad Never a bad place Great community to me Excellent place to people Rivers are so fresh So good that people live here Oxford County is cool Lots of best friends here Lots of quiet here Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 Second Prize Ingersoll By Brian Johnston Independent No place as nice as Ingersoll Good schools Exciting Rivers are clean Sweet neighbourhood Oxford County Library rocks Lots of friends Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 Third Prize Ingersoll By Corey Cheung Ingersoll is cool Nice people Great place to live Excellent place to live Rivers are fresh Sweet neighbourhood Opportunities to learn Lots of friends Library is the best Junior Kindergarten to Grade 3 Honourable Mention Ingersoll By Sophie Roe Ingersoll is the best Nobody ever litters Great water Excellent town Really good stores Super libraries Oxford County rules Lots of land Lots of water Grades 4-6 First Prize and Best Poem Overall Poor little bug on the wall By Piper Trusler Poor little bug on the wall No one to love him No one to wash his cloths No one to ticle his toes Poor little bug on the wall Grades 4-6 Second Prize We won the war of school By Josh R. McDonald (sing to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic") We have burned down all the backboards Now the teachers can not teach. We have launched all the pencils, They are gone past enemy reach. We've shredded all the notebooks, And we bolted the door, The school is no more. Glory, glory hallelujah! We've won the war, what's it to ya! There is no more quizzes, Not anouther stupid test, The school is at rest! Grades 4-6 Third Prize What I like about cheese By Althea C. Green Cheese and crackers Hot melted cheese Eating it on all kinds of food Eating it sprinkled on popcorn Swiss cheese Eating melted on nachos Grades 4-6 Honourable mention All about cheese By Randy Allcock Cheese is good Cheese is weird Cheese makes my teeth turn yellow Cheese is food Grades 7-8 First Prize It would be nice! By Amy Dicicco It would be nice if we could fly, Fly high and soar through the nice blue sky. It would be nice if there was peace on this earth, NO sirens ringing, NO funerals for singing, NO children crying, No people dying. IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE! It would be nice if everyone was kind, and no one had nasty minds. OH, IT WOULD BE NICE TO LIVE SUCH A WONDERFUL LIFE! It would be nice if there was no suffering, and that all families had money and food. It would be nice if every person got treated the same, not left out or made fun of because they think different or are different in any kind of way. IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE COULD LIVE SUCH AN IMPORTANT LIFE! It would be nice if we could all be loved, and we all believed in the one above. It would be nice if there was no suffering, NO cries for help, NO screaming out. IT WOULD BE NICE TO LIVE SUCH A PEACEFUL LIFE! Wouldn't it be nice if this all came true? If you want it to, it starts with me and you. If we all help out one day it could be a wonderful life. OH, THAT WOULD BE NICE! Grades 7-8 Second Prize Remember Them By Kristal Thompson Remember them the ones who fought for our rights our peace and our country Remember the poppy the red and the green Those colours are something no one knows what they mean. On November 11th we raise our heads high and proud of our soldiers who fought and who died. On November 11th the flag flies at half mass waving in the clear crisp blue sky. I wonder how it feels to die or to be left all alone, no wife no children no home. So Remember the poppy the red and the green Our peace and our freedom and what Remembrance Day means. Grades 9-12 First Prize The Bond By Katie Clark I feel as though You've let me slip before I've even slipped. Keep in mind and heart all the times we've shared: the ahyulkas, the teardrops, the "obsessions". no distance between our imperfect corpses shall expunge these memories. We can and will hold on, I have not fallen to my death as you believe. The bond we share will never break. And yes, I am glad that someone truly cares. Grades 9-12 Second Prize I Love a little hate a lot By Tracey Durham I love a little hate a lot Deep dark immoral thoughts Sleep a little dream all day Stupid things that we say Speak a little then start to shout Open the cage and let them out Look a little then close your eyes Stop wait open your eyes and listen You don't know what you're missing Things are falling from the sky When will I? When will I? Hope a little wish a lot Look at all I think I got Laugh a little I think then you cry Why do I? Why do I? Open your eyes and listen to all the lies Iron tears deceive the truth A little boy robbed of youth Everyday I can't say Watch them fly! Watch them fly! Grades 9-12 Third Prize Racism By Ashley Peters Don't discriminate against me for who I am Fear for the ones who need it most Don't hate me for who I am Support those who are scared Don't hate me because of the colour of my skin Don't accept for what I am but who I am Get along with those around you Don't judge people that you don't know Don't judge people by their appearances but by their personality Racism help stop it now! Grades 9-12 Honourable Mention No limitations By Kristen Mackay The things I use to do for fun have now become serious, The things I use to be good at I have now become better. There are no limitations to what I do. I strive for improvement and suffer if I don't. I'm pushed to success and won't accept failure. I believe in my abilities and myself. I'm not ashamed to lose but merely disappointed. I have conquered and also been conquered. Either way I gave it my best. I may climb the wall in pain and agony But at least I made it, At least I can say I did it. I look for improvement in my performance. I pick out the bad, not the good, But I don't complain when I can't do it, And I don't get down on myself when I can't do it, I just practice until I can. I'm a girl. I'm not ashamed. I love it. Cheese Poet Laureate's Award - Juvenile (Best Cheese Poem) Cheese By Alysha McLeod Pizza is yummy! Kraft dinner is too! I'll sing a song about cheese just for you! Cheese buns, lasagna, popcorn, galore! Paris and Italy... cheese on the floor! OAC to Adult Limerick First Prize A teacher whose name was Lew By H. Ruthanne Foster A teacher whose name was "Lew" Had students who wished time flew He taped his motto in place Of the classroom clock face "Time passes, but kid what about you?" (some people who attended I.D.C.I. in the early '60s may remember the sign) OAC to Adult Rhyming Verse First Prize Back Forty By H. Ruthanne Foster Daffodils, robins' trills Lady bugs on window sills. Blood roots, rubber boots, Barn owls' "hooty-hoots" Old brooms, violet blooms Lilac sprays in living rooms Willow weepers, spring peepers, Red wool flannel sleepers. Cat tails, fence rails, Maple sap drips in pails. Kittens' purrs, fishy lures Purple wands of lavenders. Potato bugs, kids' hugs, Binder twine to braided rugs. Quince jams, spring lambs, Babies pushed in wicker trams. Frosty nights, northern lights, Wild geese in moonlit flight. Orioles, swimming holes, Piping, hot cinnamon rolls. Newborn calves, childrens' laughs, In the haymow, full of chaff. Maple keys, winters' breeze, Red wings crying "Oke-a-lees". Quilt frames, crokinole games, Spring bonfires' leaping flames. Sunrise, fire flies, Evening painted purple skies. Sunflowers, windmill towers, Late spring thundershowers. Grandpas' clock, "tickety-tock", Nine day pickles in the crock. Fields of grain, summers' rain, Close my eyes,... I'm home again! OAC to Adult Rhyming Verse Second Prize Stolen cheese By June Goff Smith You may call that grey mouse Slightly dumb... But he justly knows Where his lunch comes from, He is smart, and mighty quick For he carries with him A tiny stick.... He can trip that trap In a very short time Grab that cheese And quickly run So you can see that Grey mouse not dumb. OAC to Adult Rhyming Verse Third Prize Someday By Tom Lamb Someday I'm going to take a trip, To lands so far away. Explore the sights and hear the sounds, Will do it all, Someday. Someday, I plan to learn new things, Some hard, some just for play. They add to make me who I am. Will do it all Someday. Someday, we meet up with old friends, To laugh and spend the day. To share the memories now gone by. Will do it all Someday. Someday has slowly passed me by, Am left with just today. Can hang my head and feel so bad????? Or do my best Today. Someday will pass you by and yet Will never come you way. So make the best of what you have. Enjoy and never walk away....... OAC to Adult Free Verse First Prize Wild war ponies By Gary Robson My horses, prancing they are coming. Have you loved this land; My horses, neighing there are coming For what it is -- it's for wealth, Prancing they are coming It's freedom, All over the universe they are coming It's northern wind, They will dance; may you behold them. And above all A horse nation, they will dance Upon the wild and graceful wind. OAC to Adult Free Verse Second Prize The writer's dreams By Nick Edwards Where do they come from, my dreams, In the middle of the night or the heat of the day? Where do they come from, my dreams, To tease me, or plague me? Why do they come, my dreams When nothing has summoned them? Why do they come, my dreams Is it to curse me, or make me wonder? Why are they forgotten so quickly, my dreams When I need them? Like fog in morning sunlight they glisten, And then disappear from my view. Perhaps my dreams are to tell me Who I am, or why I am here. But, gone and forgotten are my dreams No matter how hard I recall. So appearing just once in a lifetime, Write them down the first time they call. OAC to Adult Haiku First Prize Oishi By Kim Koyanagi Soothe and nourish me, Delectable, delightful Ubiquitous cheese. Cheese Poet Laureate's Award Adult (for best poem about Ingersoll history) Hear ye, hear ye By Ken Hughes Born in an era when survival was tough, Ingersoll developed because we had the right stuff, Built around the banks of a river so strong, History was in the making, it wouldn't take long, Who'd have thought we'd still be here today, Where did they come from, why did they stay, We've nurtured famous people and withstood a flood, Do you remember Aimee McPherson, Laura Secord or Lefty Judd, Divided by a river, surrounded by rich limestone rock, Our prosperous survival shouldn't come as a shock, Some towns are know for their landmarks or abundance of trees Ingersoll is known for it's people and it's great cheese, Hear ye! Hear ye! Sing out a cheer, If it's solace you search for, you'll find it right here. Continue reading with 1999's Winning Poems
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