My 10 year old daughter Aurora won the Writer’s Ear prize at her elementary school. The contest, sponsored by the Staunton Music Festival, involves students listening to a musical selection and writing a poem or story based on their response. Aurora wrote the poem below. The prize-winning entries are read aloud by the authors at a free concert on April 6th. Go Aurora!
The music Aurora listened to can be found here and it’s Track 5.
Track 5
I hear the distant shouts of trouble,
While the wind whispers my name,
I pause and look at the sky, a gray blanket of worry.
I need to help. My legs couldn’t have carried me faster,
And my heart couldn’t have created a faster beat.
The wind speaks again, but this time it yells.
“Hurry, hurry.” “Hurry, hurry”
Now the only enemy is time.
–Aurora Schwaner
Translations from the English 
Wow, and Holy Crap, Jeff! There’s some serious talent in the Schwaner family. I mean, you’re okay and all that, but Aurora! At ten I was barely able to tie my own shoes, much less write a coherent sentence, much less an excellent poem! But seriously: WOW! And I hear that “hurry hurry” louder each day. You Schwaners are plugged into the great drift of poetry…
Thanks, Robert! Yeah, these kids scare me sometimes. Their writing is so much deeper than mine was at their age. Aurora’s very excited, and so are we. Crazy talent.
Crazy talent, indeed. Like her dad.
Even if I was not predisposed to love the theme, my hat would be off for this one and floating away in the wind — huzzah, Aurora!
Thanks SJ! She is very happy, and we’re looking forward to seeing her read in public in April!
FANTASTIC, Aurora!!!! WOOHOO!!!! A really lovely poem!!!!
Thanks, E! Aurora was happy you liked it. She was like, “Oh, is that the Emily who makes the really cool books?” Yes.
Awesome 😉 As an occasional publisher of very fine contemporary poets such as yourself, I shall keep an eye on that young woman.
I didn’t listen to the music because I wanted to read the poem without the distraction and the poem is marvellous in its own right, right from the first line. Congratulations, Aurora Schwaner, poet.
Thanks, Mary! I will be sure to pass this on to her.
I weigh in with everyone else here, Jeff. You have a very talented daughter. A terrific poem in response to that rather intense piece of music.
Thanks Len. With you and Mary chiming in, Aurora will be pleased to have an international fan base!
Reblogged this on Life is But This and commented:
It is humbling to read the work of this young poet’s work. Aurora is only ten years old! I took the liberty of translating it to Chinese and recorded the translation in Cantonese.
What a terrific poem! Congratulations and hat’s off to Aurora. She has a real talent — now there are three poets in the Schwaner family.
Talk about a chip off the old block… congrats Aurora!
Thanks C! Her reading is on Sunday, it should be really cool.
I hate kids these days. In my day, mediocrity was the standard. Yours curmudgeonly. … me.