Poetry Slam, Blue Ribbon Champion! :)

Each year at the elementary school that our kids go to, they have a special guest poet come teach them about different kinds of poetry for a week. The kids write various kinds of poems, and then at the end of the week, they have a "poetry slam" for the 4th graders. The top 20 kids (voted best by peers and teachers), then go on to the finals, where the choose the top 5 winners. Well, Friday morning, around 11:00 (just as we were starting Clay's friend birthday party at McDonalds), Tessa called me. She was so excited! She said she had made it to the finals, and invited me to come see her in the final poetry slam at 1:30. When we got there the top 20 finalists were sitting up front (two of Tessa's best friends also made it to the finals). They each took a turn to recite their poems in front of all the 3rd & 4th graders, and the judges gave each a score, based on several different factors, then they were tallied to get an overall score. Tessa's poem was all about her Dad. It was so cute. It talked about things she loves about him, fun memories with him, and all his great qualities. I was so glad that Neil was able to come hear her too! Anyway, at the end, they read the names of the 5 top poems, and Tessa got FIRST PLACE!! Way to go Tessa!!! :)
Here is Tessa's poem:

DAD

He is like a tremendous girraffe.
and his eyes are like giant saphires in the morning sun.
As his hair shines in the morning light, it reminds me
of a grizzly bear's chocolatey colored fur.
His bright smile always brightens up my day.

He works as hard as a clydesdale pulling an enormous wagon,
and mows the lawn like a beaver chews through wood.
He plays like a capuchin monkey at the zoo.
As he climbs the red rock mountains, he is a mountain goat.

I love him because he loves me as big as the ocean and as wide as the desert.
I love when he plays board games with me,
And I love how he makes me laugh so hard that I cry.
I love how he wraps his big, strong arms around me in a big bear hug.

I remember camping at Bear Lake in Utah, and making a golden sand castle as big as I am.
I remember sharing a thick, fresh, raspberry shake that was as sweet as honey.
I also remember going to a baseball game and hearing the crack of the bat against the ivory white ball.

I LOVE MY DAD!!