Romeoville Martinez Students' Winning Poetry Entries

Hope the Dog
By Emily Hughes

I hear a car door slam
I can feel my heart thumping in my head
That wiggling little ball of fur carried in the door.

Little eyes peek out
My heart opens wide
People crowd around
Waiting their turn.

I bring you to my room and
set you on the floor
you nervously shake until
you find comfort in my lap.

I caress your fragile ears
and ponder what names would be good?
Cookie, Blondie, Sugar
No name could fit that joy.

You are my love, my dream, my comfort,
my altogether stress
I realized that you are the start of a new beginning, a new hope.

Your puppy days are over
you’re just about the size of me
but your golden green eyes still
meet me at the door.

You galumph around
and mess wherever you want
even if you’re dumb as a box of rocks,

I still love you

Piano
By Michelle Jacobo

In front of my eyes
stands a black and white treasure,
confused, I wonder what it is.

A gift for my mother, not for me.
I remember trying to reach
the 50 key keyboard,

I watched as it sat there collecting dust,
until I started playing.
I used my mother’s college notes,

I learned keys, notes, and fingering by heart
they were all in Spanish.
One day we found a piano teacher.
I was a happy, jumping monkey.

Today, two years into lessons,
50 keys are now 88 weighted keys,
I’ve gone from Twinkle Little Star to Prelude

The feeling of accomplishment runs through me.
Piano isn’t a hobby,
It’s a passion,

That only comes when you put your heart and soul into what you love.

READ MORE: Two Romeoville Martinez Students Earn National Honors for Poetry