Congratulations to Linda
Smith for winning the Whidbey Reads Poetry Contest for her poem,
Crows Rising. Linda will receive a $25 cash prize from Whidbey Reads, and will read her poem as an introduction to the author of
Crow Planet, Lyanda Lynn Haupt's talk at the Oak Harbor Library on Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 PM. All poems were judged anonymously by Lorraine Healy, author of The Habit of Buenos Aires and other poems.
CROWS RISING
If my head’s tilted
it’s because of the weight of the sky
congested with crows
their cawing honed along
whetstones of thunder.
In a coin toss, crows are
morning’s heads or tails
deepening the tarnish
of snow-mottled foothills
like teaspoons
that stir into cream
coffee’s scalded perk.
They are the spades played
to trump afternoon traffic
in a flurry of passed tricks.
They are hand puppets
the shadowy beaks
dipping and diving into
dumpsters for doritos on
sunset’s flickering screen.
Like chess pieces, crows
move black misery across
day’s checkered spaces,
even sleep for them
a game of hide-and-seek.
But in my pale nightmares
they settle atop branches,
keep vigil like a north star;
where there is no light,
they become angels.
Linda A. Smith
Oak Harbor Library Blog
The Island Reading Challenge is a battle-of-the-books event aimed at improving literacy skills, while fostering a love of reading. This year's Island Reading Challenge included six teams of 3rd grade students from Olympic View Elementary and Crescent Harbor Elementary. After reading a selecton of six books, children took part in a "Quiz Bowl" game to determine the high scoring team from each school. All teams demonstrated impressive knowledge of the books and wonderful sportsmanship skills. The two dominant teams - Cool Readers, from Crescent Harbor and Legendary Readers, from Olympic View - will go on to compete in the ultimate, first-ever Island Reading Challenge final challenge. The final will be held at Crescent Harbor Elementary on Thursday, April 26th at 9:15 a.m. Families, friends, and community members are invited to cheer on these awesome readers and witness their literacy prowess. The team with the highest score will receive a trophy to display at their school and all participreaders will receive prizes. Of course, the biggest prize is their improved reading skills, newly won confidence and full-blown love of reading!
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