Student Poetry Contest
24th Annual (2025) GCC Student Poetry Contest Winners
—John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
Body of Work: Charlotte Parsons for three poems: Haiku1, Haiku2, and Haiku3
First Prize: E. R. for the poem: Winter Scene
Second Prize: Haruka Yoshida for the poem: Japan
Third Prize: Nhu Tran for the poem: Fight or Flight
Special thank you to the Judging Committee: Charlie Burton, Michelle Forster, Jessica Hibbard, Nicki Lerczak, and Dr. Kim McKinsey-Mabry. Winners will be honored at the college-wide Student Celebration of Excellence on Thursday, May 8. Thank you to The Office of Student Engagement and Inclusion for generously providing prizes. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Haiku1
The chair sighs at noon,
A pencil falls without a sound,
Dust dances in pairs.
Winter Scene
By E.R.
I am from far away from here
I live much closer to the lakes
But you wouldn’t be the first to think,
I made my home in one of Signac’s,
Sappy, snowy, boulevards.
A northern fairytale frosted blue
Couldn’t be further from the truth,
And I want to be the one to show you
So shut your eyes and let a memory unreel.
Wake up to the cold with a shiver
At the whistling of a wicked draft,
Ceaselessly attempting infiltration
Of cracks along your icy bedroom wall.
When you walk outside,
The rounded paw-prints in the snow remind
You not to check the forecast
Because you’ll never want to know
If the things that made them,
Made it through the night.
December squalls will keep you in.
Cracked lips will make it hurt to smile.
For weeks the clouds will bar the heavens
And without the sun you’ll go wild.
If you ever wanted someone to understand you,
You wouldn’t show them the paintings or the poems in your room,
But your window’s quiet, mid-January view.
You’ve learned to romanticize
The falling of the snow,
But you have not seen what I’ve seen,
And you do not know what I know.
Japan
By Haruka Yoshida
Cherry blossoms fall,
painting streets in pink and white,
spring breathes through the air.
Temples stand so still,
whispers of the past remain,
echoed in the stones.
Lanterns softly glow,
lighting narrow, quiet streets,
night hums with voices.
Mount Fuji stands tall,
watching seasons drift and fade,
ancient, calm, and wise.
Waves kiss the shoreline,
sunrise paints the sky with gold,
a new day begins.
Fight or Flight
By Nhu Tran
Pounding
My feet against the concrete
POUNDING
My heart against my ribs
Run! Run! Run!
I gripped the handle.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He’s gaining
GAINing
GAINING
I tripped, landing on the floor
The blade almost piercing me
He laughed
How dare he.
Red
Red
Red
All I see is red
The voices
voices
voices…
Kill Kill Kill
Kill Buzzing in my ears Kill
Kill Kill Kill
Stop. Stop. Stop.
I will not stop.
Me or him,
Him or me,
It will be me.
Stab
Stab
Stab
How dare he look scared?
Stab
Stab
Stab
Is that enough?
Splat, squelch, squirt
How disgusting, all that’s left
Drip, drop, drip, drop, drip, drop
My sweat, my tears, his blood.
