Sebastian Martinez
Age:
17
13-21
Third Place Award
Poem
2024
I’ve always had dreams to reach in my career
And I will not deny that it was hard to get here
But I had determination to reach all my goals
Everyone would applaud, I knew where I’d go
However one dream of mine had alluded me so
Not similar to anything I’d ever known
It started out slow, I didn’t feel right
Until I finally noticed on one fateful night
It was a dream of new friends
A potential for love
People I could rely on
Is what I was dreaming of
So I sought to achieve this
As I’d done times before
But as I quickly learned
This dream would take more
People are ruthless
Rejection I found
Couldn’t keep my head high
My dream stayed on the ground
But I didn’t give up
I didn’t run back
I looked at myself
I began a new track
I made myself better
No one told me to
I became more involved
My dream would come true
A group of my people
Right in front of me
A chance for new experiences
Now I could see
People are ruthless
People always fight
But it’s these people I love
That let my dreams take flight
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