Valentine's Day is almost here! To celebrate and spread a little kidlit love, we are excited to once again host our
"Silly Love Sonnets” Kidlit Poetry Contest!
It's time again to celebrate the little things you love the most! That first sip of coffee in the morning, the distant sound of a train whistle, the teeny tiny chocolate chips in a granola bar, or your softest, most comfortable t-shirt. Give us unusual perspectives: a poem from a dog who stops to sniff at every tree on a walk, a thundercloud ready to burst with rain, an earthworm making its way through the dirt.
Don't let the form scare you away. We are looking for sonnets but aren't sticklers for specific rules. Just give us fourteen lines about something silly you love. Rhyme and meter are a plus, but aren't required.
What: A fourteen-line poem celebrating any little thing you love. The sillier the better! This is all about spreading joy, and saluting the small pleasures in life. All submissions should be appropriate for a readership of kids ages 12 and younger.
Who: Agented, pre-agented, published, pre-published, writers of all ages and stages— all kidlit creatives are welcome to enter!
When: The contest submission period is from February 12th - 14th. A winner, two honorable mentions, and a kid choice winner will be announced here, on the Little Thoughts Press blog, and on our socials on Monday, February 18th! Selected poems will be featured on the blog and winners will receive a free copy of their choice of one of our issues & a bookmark featuring Little Thoughts Press cover art. Winning entries will be selected by Little Thoughts Press editors, Claire and Carrie.
How to enter: Post your entry as a comment on this post by 11:59 pm (EST) on February 14th. Comments will be turned on starting February 12th. Entries posted outside of this window will not be considered. Please include your name with your poem so we know for sure whose entry it is!
Details: Rhyme and meter are not required, but your sonnet must be fourteen lines. 1 entry per kidlit creator.
Grab your copy of our participant badge and help spread the word by sharing #sillylovesonnets on your socials! We can't wait to see all the silly things you can't help but love!
HEART FROM HANDS
By Christine Alemshah
I love my Baba so, he’s far away, but now he’s coming home.
I want to make him something special.
Something with my own two hands.
Sophie makes the best chocolate hearts.
Danny decorates a decoupage heart.
But my paper heart globs with glue and drips with glitter.
The perfect paper heart for Baba?
Not even close.
I throw it away and sob with nothing left in my lap but my hands.
That gives me the tickle of a grand idea.
Curve one hand, that’s a start.
Curl the next hand, and I have a heart --
From hands to share with Baba when we are together…
Or far, far apart.
Short but Sweet
Annelies Judson
Oh chocolate fish, oh chocolate fish,
You truly are my favourite dish.
When you appear beside my cup,
I just can’t help but eat you up.
I’ve checked Beijing and Barcelona,
Ontario to Arizona,
I’ve tried to find you when in Rome,
But New Zealand is your only home.
I bite straight through your chocolate skin,
Your pink marshmallow flesh within,
Every part of you is yummy,
In seconds you’re inside my tummy.
My love for you could not be stronger.
I only wish you lasted longer.
AS SHE HOLDS ME
By Caitlin T.D. Robinson
I have an aunt who knows just how to hug me
and when she tilts her head to read a book
her hair will sway and tickle, makes me sneeze.
And she can cross her legs into a nook
for me. And when we read our books in bed
I see the stars and moose and yup! a tractor.
At times the stories sing above my head
and each and every night I ask for more.
Tonight her throat feels sore and she can’t talk.
But we need books and songs before bed still!
The quiet way she sits is quite a shock.
I look at her and know I…
Sugar Sonnet
by Sharon Korzelius
Oh, how you edulcorate, grains of white;
soft and spongy like sand when you stay brown.
You taste delectable with every bite;
all the time, you turn my frown upside down.
You’re often inside cookies, sometimes cake;
peanut butter, vanilla, chocolate chip.
Never dull, rarely plain, make no mistake,
when I eat you, you have me in your grip.
I care not that you rot my teeth and gums;
give me Snickers, Reeses, and caramel creams,
Ding Dongs, HoHos, and mini muffin crumbs;
Valentines and Halloween fill my dreams.
So long as there’s chocolate: white, dark, or milk,
sugar will go down my throat, smooth as silk.
My Sweet Life
by Anne Lipton
I’ll travel ’round the world to scoop a treat.
I love to stroll the boardwalk by the sea.
In Italy, they say that life is sweet.
La dolce vita, you can order me,
and, in a nutshell, serves me up a motto.
I have no chill. Let’s hurry! Andiamo!
For nothing tastes as good as rich gelato
except perhaps for ice cream made from snow
or churned from custard simmered in a pot
from milk expressed directly from a cow.
In summertime or when it’s very hot,
such frozen treats will fill me up and how.
But cakes you bake you’ll have to eat alone
for I am but a simple waffle cone. Ciao!