The hall was jam packed with different students from different schools nationwide. I felt nervousness in my body but was able to calm myself with a help of a candy. Then I found a new friend in Neo, he was from Bacolod College, whose seat was on my right side.
"I'm very excited" He said to me.
"I'm a bit nervous earlier but when I started to ate a candy, I'm beginning to be okay, you want some?" I offered
"No, thanks, I'm not much into sweets"
"Oh, you're depriving yourself of a sweet life, just kidding."
"Not a good joke buddy haha, but thank you for being nice to me"
The buzzer alarmed then the speaker started to talk about the rules of the contest
"Good luck my friend" I said to him.
He nodded and said good luck to me too.
The theme was about poverty in the Philippines. After an hour, I finished writing my poem.
The Other Side of the Wall
By: Anton Reyes
Whenever I strolled on streets;
My heart is cut into bits;
They're just lying on the road;
Others, sitting like a toad.
Waiting for someone to give;
Something that will help them live;
Amidst of the poverty;
That it is like brevity.
I wish I could give them all;
The things denied by the wall;
Of poverty that divides;
From rich to poor that just hides.
Hoping for our government;
To find ways for betterment;
Of all the people whose poor;
Those live like a sad vulture.
After waiting for thirty minutes, the speaker announced that I won the contest, giving me a gold trophy and having a photo-shoot with the organizers and officials by my side. Everybody congratulated me including Neo who just won the third place.
"That was impressive by you, I never thought you will win the contest" He said to me.
"I'm just lucky, yours was great too. I was so sure that you will win any place in this contest." I replied.
"But it's nothing compared to you, Congratulations again."
"Thank you my friend, Congratulations too."
Neo bid farewell to me as he headed to his room.
When I got home in Zamboanga City, everybody congratulated me including my neighbours, friends, classmates and teachers. I was featured again on the newspapers, but not just on the newspapers, I was also featured at television news and social media websites. I never thought that I would get that far. It was like being in a dream; the only difference is just that I can still dream inside of that dream whenever I go to sleep.
My mom arranged a dinner at our house, with my relatives and Cindy as guests, to celebrate my victory at the nationals. While eating our dinner, we had a lot of conversations.
"What are your plans when you finish your studies Anton?" Aunt Margie asked.
"I'm a civil service eligible so I might get myself into government agencies, or maybe I could work in a newspaper company to write articles and poems." I replied
"That's great; I wish you would be successful."
"Thank you Auntie Margie, with all of you, my family, supporting me and of course my Cindy, I will be successful"
Everybody smiled at my statement including Cindy whose face was redder than tomatoes.
YOU ARE READING
A Poet's Tragic Love
General FictionAnton loves to write poems for his loved ones but one day, a person whose dearest to him suddenly died and made him lose his motivation to be a poet. Will he ever find a reason to write again? Or will he never ever be a poet again? Copyright...
