Part of each year’s Pride in Port celebration includes a Poetry and Prose contest. The theme for 2018 was “My favorite place in Port Washington is…” Schreiber High School sophomore Lily Labella won this year’s contest for her moving poem about the Port Washington Public Library. Lily’s poem is:
There’s more to a building than concrete.
There’s more to this home than the house.
From carpet to wall-
Welcoming all-
I know what this place is about.
It’s where children flip pages,
Where imagination is curated,
Where Storytime commences at two.
This is a scholarly sanctuary,
Every student can work here in peace.
It’s where we sharpen our vocations,
Amid silenced whisperings.
Staring at the clicking cursors of communal screens,
We craft that perfect paragraph-
Deadline fast approaching.
This is the place of hours spent,
Searching out series,
And surfing the Web.
Curled up in corners,
Stories on laps.
Filling one’s mind with fictional text,
Or gazing at art on the wall.
It’s true that this town’s always changing-
As residents surely agree.
The library too,
Has seen remodeling crews-
They’ve installed a more modern motif.
New programs evolve,
We’ve all been involved,
The future is within our reach!
You might have been dragged here against your will,
To watch someone else prowl the shelves.
Even then-
Count yourself lucky!
Not every town has what we have!
Community starts at the library,
Ideas are exchanged every day.
Climb up the stairs,
Nap in comfy chairs,
Take a snack on the balcony.
While you are there,
Peer over the rail,
Look onto Main Street and the Sound.
Boats in the harbor,
Books on the shelves-
We are the envy of the surrounding towns.
This is a suburb of destiny,
A land of empowerment by far.
No matter your calling,
Or struggle for knowledge.
PWPL stands for all.
Having grown up in Port Washington, Lily runs cross country and track at Schreiber High School. She loves writing and is eager to resurrect Kaleidoscope, a student-produced magazine at Schreiber. Anyone interested in participating in next year’s essay contest may contact Lucy Effron at the Port Washington School District in the spring.
