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Heta Patel wins North American poetry contest

August 30, 2012 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Meaghan O’Neal

The Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

New Tampa resident Heta Patel began writing poetry at age 9 or 10 as a way to create personalized presents for her family.

Heta Patel holds up her first place awards from the Kumon Earth Day poetry contest at the Land O’ Lakes Kumon Center. (Photos by Meaghan O’Neal)

When the Bartels Middle eighth-grader heard about a contest run by Kumon North America to find the best writers in the continent, the 12-year-old didn’t think she had a chance of winning.

“I was like, oh maybe let’s just try this contest out, see what happens,” said Patel, who attends the after-school enrichment program at Kumon’s Land O’ Lakes center.

What happened was a trip to New York City, a $500 prize and the title of top 10- to 18-year-old poet in North America.

The theme of the contest was celebrating Earth Day. Patel was one of 600 submissions.

“The Kumon Poetry Challenge encouraged children to use their creativity and imagination to celebrate the environment through poetry,” said Kumon University vice president Matthew Lupsha, who leads Kumon North America’s Green Initiative. “The contest was held during April, both National Poetry Month and Earth Day, a perfect time to pause and appreciate nature.”

Patel drew her inspiration from various articles and pictures from National Geographic Magazine that discussed the beginning of the earth. She was surprised to find out her entry was among the final seven in the contest, much less the overall winner.

She credits her parents for her motivation to succeed.

“My parents are my inspiration because they’ve always pushed me and told me ‘You can do this,’” Patel said. “You know, they’ve really encouraged me.”

Her success in the contest has motivated Patel to keep going further academically.

“It allowed me to really see the creative side of me,” Patel said. “I thought, oh if I can go and win this I can do so many other things that I haven’t even thought about.”

As for her writing, Patel plans to continue developing her skill. While she doesn’t foresee pursuing a career in writing, she does want to continue it as a hobby when she’s older.

 

Heta Patel’s winning poem

 

When earth was young still yawning

Its arms reaching to the Sun

And frozen cores were thawing

 

The world was silent, almost serene

Mother Earth spoke gently to the seas whispering life into them

For she was lonely, the quiet world worried her

 

Soon there was life, tiny but there it was, swarming

She poured love on them as she rained

Mother was patient

 

Soon creatures all roaming, rumbling, brought smiles on her face

Her smiles turned to frowns, slowly, as we slaughtered the trees

We poisoned her waters and ignored her screams in our

selfishness

 

Mother dithered to warn us with floods of tears

As she sweltered under our weight, trying to hold on, trying to

speak

Have we forgotten this mother, her love, her unselfishness

 

For us to bring back her smile and the serene silence

Some say “do this”

Some say “do that”

 

As we disagree to agree

Mother is patient

And waiting…

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