COMMENTS FROM CONTEST JUDGE MARIE KANE:

This poem celebrates nature by describing some of its creatures in delightful ways. Beginning with small examples and finishing with a "mighty tree," this tribute to nature is a pleasure to read.

In the first seven lines of the poem, the poet describes several of nature's creatures. The first is an ant-one of nature's smallest-that "crawls across the ground" and has to be careful to avoid "gusts of wind" that might "blow it off its legs." The poem then moves onto a butterfly that "glides in the air" being sure not to fly "too high." Next in the poem is a lizard that "scurries" and "gobbles its prey with delight." The specific and original verbs in these lines enable the reader to visualize the movement of nature in the poem.

In the last four lines, the writer describes a tree, and, where the earlier nature examples are smaller and have limitations, the tree stands "mighty" and "battles the wind." In fact, it is the battle with the wind that enables tress to be sturdy. The verbs show the previous examples of nature moving, often with caution, but the tree is described as being "strong" and something that "will not budge."

The use of exact verbs and the development from the smaller types of nature's creatures to one of the strongest are the pleasing aspects of this poem.

Thank you for the privilege of reading your work!

Marie Kane
Final Judge, Sarah Mook Poetry Contest
engmrk@aol.com