The winners of Chatham Area Transit’s first Poetry in Motion contest will be recognized during CAT’s monthly Board meeting on June 23, which will once again be a virtual meeting due to Covid-19.
Jacob Salazar, a 12-year-old student at Georgetown K-8, and Jayla Lawton, an 18-year-old graduate of Woodville Tompkins High School, are the winners of the contest that drew more than 150 submittals from talented students throughout Chatham County.
Salazar was selected for his poem, “When Spring Comes” and Lawton was selected for her poem “Fruit Basket”.
Earlier this month, both winners were presented with trophies for their selected poems, which were limited to a maximum of 200 words. Their poems also will be displayed on the inside of CAT’s larger buses and read during the June 23 meeting, when their creativity will be recognized by CAT staff and board members.
The contest proved that Chatham County is full of bright and talented young people, said interim Executive Director/CEO Michael Brown.
“We look forward to recognizing the students and sharing their very unique poems with our board members and the community,” Brown said. “And, we are pleased their poems will be prominently displayed inside our buses. These young winners and all of the students who entered this contest should be commended.”
The contest was held in conjunction with National Poetry Month in April, although the COVID-19 pandemic delayed recognition of the winners. The contest was open to all of Chatham County’s public and private middle-school and high-school students. CAT received 153 entries from 18 different schools.
Georgia Southern University English professors and a representative from Deep Center judged the contest and selected the winners. CAT extends a warm thanks to the judges:
• Dr. Elizabeth Howells, Department Chair of Literature at Georgia Southern University
• Danelle Lejeune, author and professor at Georgia Southern University
• Marquice Williams, Program Manager at Deep Center
Assistance provided by employees of the Chatham County-Savannah Public School System and Live Oak Public Libraries is also much appreciated.
The public can access the board meeting by calling (786) 535-3211 and then entering the access code: 679-920-205.
“When Spring Comes” by Jacob Salazar
When spring comes, joy fills the air,
As I know that baseball time is here
I get a new bat and a new glove,
Because my parents give all the love
I play shortstop because I am not that tall,
But my height doesn’t matter when I hit the ball.
“Fruit Basket” by Jayla Lawton
The praline holds a place in gift baskets
Accompanied by strange fruits from every ghetto garden
Like raspberries from backyard ditches
And scuppernongs near tidal creeks
Four leaf clovers pinpoint dates
When Ogeechee could roam free.
Food deserts are filled with corner stores
Built off Westside stories and yeast
So you call our red-lined peaches a delicacy
A tourist attraction
Or another River Street Sweet.