1 . One early morning, I went into the living room to find my mother reading a thick book called Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again. I became immediately interested because of the word “Poems” that appeared in big, hot pink letters.
“Is it good?” I asked her.
“Yeah,” she answered. “There’s one I really like and you’ll like it, too.” I leaned forward.
“Patty Poem,” she read the title. Who is Patty? I wondered. The poem began:
| She never puts her toys away, Just leaves them scattered① where they lay, … | ① 散乱的 |
The poem was just three short sections. The final one came quickly:
| When she grows and gathers poise, ② I’ll miss her harum-scarum③ noise, And look in vain④ for scattered toys. | ② 稳重 ③ 莽撞的 ④ 徒劳的 |
And I’ll be sad.
A terrible sadness washed over me. Whoever Patty was, she was a mean girl. Then, the shock.
“It’s you, honey,” my mother said sadly.
To my mother, the poem described a parent’s feeling when her child grows up and leaves. To me, the “she” in the poem was terrible. It was my mama who would be sad. It was so terrible that I began crying.
“What’s wrong?” my mother asked.
“Oh Mama,” I cried. “I don’t want to grow up ever!”
She smiled. “Honey, it’s okay. You’re not growing up anytime soon. And when you do, I’ll still love you, okay?”
“Okay,” I was still crying. My fear had gone. But I could not help thinking about that silly poem. After what seemed like a safe amount of time, I read the poem again and was confused. It all fit so well together, like a puzzle. The language was simple, so simple that I could plainly understand its meaning, yet it was still beautiful. I was now crazy about the idea of poetry (诗歌), words that had the power to make or break a person’s world.
I have since fallen in love with other poems, but “Patty Poem” remains my poem. After all, “Patty Poem” gave me my love for poetry not because it was the poem that lifted my spirits, but because it was the one that hurt me the most.
1. Why was the writer attracted by the book Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again?| A．It has a meaningful title. |
| B．It was a thick enough book. |
| C．Something on its cover caught her eye. |
| D．Her mother was reading it with interest. |
| A．it was a sign of her own childhood |
| B．it was written in simple language |
| C．it was written by a famous poet |
| D．it made her think of what would happen |
| A．Easily. | B．Hardly. | C．Nearly. | D．Narrowly. |
| A．discover the power of poetry | B．recognize her love for puzzles |
| C．find her wishing to grow up | D．experience great homesickness |
2 . College Undergraduate Poetry (CUP) Competition
AWARDS
Two winners will be chosen for the College Undergraduate Poetry Competition, one receiving the Edna Meudt Memorial Award; the other receiving the Florence Kahn Memorial Award. For each winner, prizes include:
●$500 cash prize.
●Publication of the manuscript (原稿) as a book & marketed through Amazon.com.
●75 free copies of the book.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
●Application and Manuscript. Complete the application form and upload your manuscript file online at https://nfsps.submittable.com/submit.The manuscript must be a single document that contains only your title page followed by ten poems. Once you have uploaded the file, you cannot make edits.
●Fees.There is a $10 contest submission fee and no charge to open an account at Submittable.com.
●Submission Period. From the first minute of December 1 to midnight on January 31.
MANUSCRIPT GUIDELINES
Not following ALL guidelines disqualifies a submission.
●No Identification. There must be no author identification on any page of the manuscript.
●Title Page and Ten Poems. The manuscript will include only the title page and 10 original, unpublished poems.
●Titles. Except for haiku and related Japanese forms, each poem must be titled.
JUDGING and NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS
●Judging.Up to 60 entries will be sent to a judge who will remain anonymous (匿名的) until the winners are announced. Manuscripts are judged blind (identified only by machine-generated number). Decisions are final.
●Notification of Winners. Winners will be announced in the April issue of Strophes, available at nfsps.com.
●Contact Information. If there is any change in your contact information, please contact Jessica at jessica.NFSPS@gmail.com.
1. What is different for the two winners?| A．Cash prize. | B．Copies of the book. |
| C．The title of the awards. | D．Publication of the manuscript. |
| A．Once published poems. |
| B．Only the title page and 10 originals. |
| C．No author identification on the manuscript. |
| D．Some related Japanese forms without a title. |
| A．They will be announced online. |
| B．They will be judged by machine first. |
| C．They will be given a number randomly. |
| D．They will be classified according to the content. |
1.大赛的时间、地点；
2.朗诵内容：唐诗宋词(Tang and Song poetry)；
3.报名方式。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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Today, many Chinese people are becoming more interested in reading poems, no matter in
Quietly, we embrace
In a world lit up by words.
