Congratulations to Bernadette Donovan who won The America Library of Poetry’s national poetry competition in the Grade 3-5 Division!

Bernadette, a fifth-grade student at East Union Intermediate, entered a poem entitled, “Dear Future Self,” in which she reflects on how much she enjoys and appreciates her life as it is in the present, a time she wishes she could stay in but knows it’s not possible.

“I really like my life, and I would love to keep it the same,” Bernadette said. “I love all of the people around me. I trust my family. I can tell them anything. Everything fits when I’m with my family. It’s almost like we each connect a puzzle piece for each other. And my friends make my day. If I do have a bad day, they always know how to cheer me up. If I’m having a good day, they just make it better.”

Asked what the poem will mean to her in the future, Bernadette said it would probably make her emotional.

“I think it will always remind me of how great life was at this age,” she said. “It’s nice to have a good life, and I know that not everyone has a good life. We should appreciate what we have in our lives because someone else might not be as lucky as we are.”

In addition to earning a first-place certificate of achievement, Bernadette will also be published in a book.

She thanked Mrs. Juran for her help in putting the final touches on the poem.

“Mrs. Juran is always so proud of what you do,” Bernadette said. “She always tells you how proud she is of you, and she always helps you. I couldn’t figure out the ending (to my poem), and she helped me with that. I really like that she contributes to my work and goes with my flow instead of trying to change what I’m doing.”

“Dear Future Self” was the second poem Bernadette has ever written – the first was about her love of baking in third grade.

“I just feel really proud of myself and confident,” Bernadette said. “I like writing, and I’m definitely going to do the poem contest again this year.”