Congratulations to 8th Grader Kate Reiniche for recently being awarded State Winner in the North Carolina Young Authors Association. In addition to being a state winner, Kate is a Judges’ Choice Winner, an award given by the judges at the state level.
Below is her winning entry in the competition.
Choices
In our world
Every word is on display
Every sentence, every compliment, every rant
It never goes away
Every jab you tweet, every comment you post
Has the ability to haunt you, is a forsaken ghost.
Even if deleted it leaves an imprint on your mind
Plagues you as you try to unwind
Each and every word holds the power to
Destroy, rebuild, insult, and brighten
Lift up, diminish, hurt and frighten
Betray, love, support and burn
Isolate, surprise, excite and turn
Negative phrases end in blazes
They are a blight that has besieged the world for ages
And they end with debate, self-hate
With someone taking a step forward or a step back
From a cliff, a precipice of which they are on the edge
Debating whether to jump or to flee
People say you control your own destiny
But in a way you also affect other’s fates
So choose to build up, to spread love, and do great
They say words hold magic
That the pen is mightier than the sword
But they never specify what kind of magic they store
For you never know when a single word
Can make or break
Can pack a poignant punch
Can make one trust in the goodness of the world,
Or turn those hopes to dust.
Kate Reiniche, Grade 8
Melissa Puritis, WAAS Teacher
Wilmington Academy of Arts and Science