Poems
Joanne Tolles, an English teacher from Danbury, Connecticut, who writes poetry on the Web site Allpoetry.com under the nickname TheLordReigns hosted an online poetry contest, In Memory of Northern Illinois University’s Lost. "The Sled Team" by Maureen L. Gard who writes under the nickname SongDove took the Gold prize. She wrote, "The different animals that come to help the husky represent the different colleges that have been supporting NIU. Each one is a different mascot helping to support and lighten the load." She chose a bulldog because she is a Marine, a Lance Corporal stationed in California. She grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois and has friends at NIU.
The Sled Team by SongDove
"The sled team pulls strong,
Barking out to the snowy fields.
High spirited,
A team.
The wind howls in response,
But fiercely it whips.
Ice stings the nose,
And a haze blinds the teams sight.
Push forth,
Stay strong.
The lead dog strains,
He pulls and he tugs.
He looks back to his team,
To rally his brothers.
But they are no more,
They're harnesses hang empty.
The Husky sinks to the ground,
The sled bears too much on his shoulders.
The snow whips at his face,
His body becomes cold.
But from the haze comes a figure,
A stubby bulldog emerges.
He barks at the Husky,
Pushing at his still form.
He huffs at the cold,
Growling at the storm.
The lead dog still lies,
All hope having left his heart.
But with a startle he lifts his head,
The harness jerks and jingles.
The Husky looks back,
There stands the bulldog, harnessed.
The stubby dog barks,
More shadows crunch through the snow.
The Husky shakes the snow from his coat,
A new team slowly harnessing behind him.
A horse, a tiger, a bull,
A panther, a beaver, and more.
The lead dog stands,
The load now much lighter.
He lets forth a bark,
His new team responding in voice.
So the new team pulls,
Sharing the load.
They are an odd team to watch,
But a team none the less.
They pull together,
And together they weather the storm.
In their hearts,
They are all Huskies!
The author Tarcus, took the Bronze prize for the poem, "Again." Tarcus added, "I feel for all and wish them well in their recovery it will be a long haul but sadly there are more and more victims every week to help console each other.
God bless and keep you all safe."
Again by Tarcus
You never allow anyone near you
You never let anyone in
All the anguish and torment inside you
No one to release all the pain.
It's easy to say it after the event
Especially from so far away,
yet it seems that soon, these tragedies,
will be happening every day.
Is it the guns to blame? someone bought them,
Is it the uni or the victims (not fair)
Are we all not to blame for desertion
As they feel there is no one to care!
Though our hearts may go out to the parents,
To the families of those who have gone
Remember as well the survivors
As they are the ones must go on.
Sadly we will never know the real reason behind so many incidents as this.
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References:
TheLordReigns. (2008). "Valentine’s Day Tragedy – In memory of Northern Illinois University’s Lost." Retrieved July 2, 2008 from: http://allpoetry.com/contest/2391311
SongDove. (2008). "The Sled Team." Retrieved July 2, 2008 from: http://allpoetry.com/3922901
Tarcus. (2008). "Again." Retrieved July 2, 2008 from: http://allpoetry.com/poem/3921945
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