Vent Poetry Contest


				Search

Grand Prize Winners

High School

Middle School

Week 1

December 8, 2003
High School Finalist

December 8, 2003
Middle School Finalist

Week 2

December 15, 2003
High School Finalists

December 15, 2003
Middle School Finalists

Week 3

December 21, 2003
High School Finalists

December 21, 2003
Middle School Finalists

Special Highlight

Grand Prize Winners

High School

Depths of Discovery — First Place

Deep and dark, it’s always night
Bioluminescence is the only light
Fighting for survival is the only key
To be able to live in the deep sea

In finding food, they never know
They are so fortunate to get marine snow
Pressure so high, that humans couldn’t stand
100 times more than found on land

So many creatures we’ve never seen
The Pompeii worm is one of the extreme
Can survive a bath as hot as a fire
That’s something someone could really admire

So many mysteries on the ocean floor
Thanks to the Alvin who allows us to learn more
To Dr. Cary and those on the ship
Thank-you for allowing us on this wonderful trip

By Randi Richardson,
10th Grade, Mrs. Wolski's Class,
Arlington High School, Arlington, Washington

Middle School

Another World— First Place

Another world
New facts to be unfurled
Creatures live under
In a world of wonder
They can survive
Lower than we can dive
Eight tons of pressure
Almost too much to measure
Countless eyes darting
Stopping and starting
Speaking with one another
A shark eating his brother

The dark in the sea
Would cause children to flee
It’s like moonless night
Nothing in sight
A world we don’t know
That has everything to show
Another world
Around which our earth is curled

By Noam Finkelstein,
8th Grade, Dr. Browning's Class
Tenafly Middle School, Tenafly, New Jersey

Winners for December 8, 2003

High School Finalist

The Worm of Pompeii

I look at the fuzzy curlicue
A namesake of shattered city
A delicate curve, a backbone of fleece,
Bacteria can be so pretty.

Twisting and turning
Day after day
Hither and tither
The worm of Pompeii.

It lives, it exists
Under such conditions
Not a person could think
Of living by fissions

In the earth, in the sea
In the sparkling waters
That shimmer and dance
At the surface that spatters.

But down in the dimness
The darkness, the heat
The Pompeii worm triumphs
For it cannot be beat.

Submitted by an Anonymous Writer in 10th Grade,
Brandywine High School, Wilmington, Delaware

Middle School Finalist

Without, Without

Without the Alvin we could not explore the deep,
without the deep there would be nowhere for hydrothermal vents and tubeworms,
without the bacteria there would not be any life,
without the past exploration we would not know what to look for,
without the crew we would not know as much as we do today.

by Megan Hallman,
Grade 5, Mrs. Robin Bartel's Class,
Carver Center, Midland, Texas

Winners for December 15, 2003

High School Finalists

Depths of Discovery — First Place

Deep and dark, it’s always night
Bioluminescence is the only light
Fighting for survival is the only key
To be able to live in the deep sea

In finding food, they never know
They are so fortunate to get marine snow
Pressure so high, that humans couldn’t stand
100 times more than found on land

So many creatures we’ve never seen
The Pompeii worm is one of the extreme
Can survive a bath as hot as a fire
That’s something someone could really admire

So many mysteries on the ocean floor
Thanks to the Alvin who allows us to learn more
To Dr. Cary and those on the ship
Thank-you for allowing us on this wonderful trip

By Randi Richardson,
10th Grade, Mrs. Wolski's Class,
Arlington High School, Arlington, Washington

The Deep Sea Plunge —Second Place

Come along, come with me
Take a dive into the sea
Grab your gear and let's explore
All the way to the ocean floor.

Down below the bathypelagic zone,
We're seeing a world that is unknown.
Now that we're very far below,
The lantern fish are all aglow.

Finding new creatures every day
Seeing the predators and their prey.
Many crab of all the sort,
And tons of fish with much distort.

Bacteria is the energy source,
Though much is eaten with no remorse.
Food down there is a scavenger hunt.
These magnificent creatures are very blunt.

The ocean has become our friend,
A changing evolution that won’t end.
Wave good-bye to the squid and sponge,
This is the end of our deep sea plunge!

By Taylor Brown,
10th Grade, Mrs. Wolski's Class,
Arlington High School, Arlington, Washington

The Living Sea—Third Place

As the motions of the waves rocking me to sleep
The sea, eerie mistress is she
Waters as black as night
Hearing Humpback whales call to each other
Moon and stars being the only light I have
I welcome the peacefulness of Her embrace
Cradling me within her strong hold
My sweet dark mistress

Submitted by a Writer in 9th Grade
Yelms High School, Washington

Middle School Finalists

Exciting Life — First Place

A
Tubeworm
A
Tubeworm
Listen while I tell.
It stays
It stays
It stays in its shell.
It pops
Up
It pops
Down
It uses funny gills
It pops
Up
It pops
Down
To avoid being killed.

Submitted by a Writer in 8th Grade
Talley Middle School, Wilmington, Delaware

Riftia Riddle — Second Place

Long and skinny, red and white,
Has no eyes,
Stays in one place all its life.
So what do you call
This creature of the sea?
A Tubeworm,
Riftia,
Specifically.

Submitted by a Writer in 8th Grade
Talley Middle School, Wilmington, Delaware

In the Ocean Blue — Third Place

In the ocean blue,
It is deep, dark, and cold, too.
The fish swish and we wish to see something new.

We think there are only a few,
But little do we know there are more than we think
Or knew.

By Megan Baker,
6th Grade, Mrs. Sandra Reed's Class,
Bayou View Middle School, Gulfport, Mississippi

Winners for December 21, 2003

High School Finalists

An Adventure with Marty — First Place

Aaaahhhhhhh…Another warmful day at Hydrothermal Ventville
Oooopppp! There’s Marty, swimming at high speeds since he and I were born.
Gurgle. Am I a hungry larval! I better smell out some food and get my fill.
Hmmm… I wonder where Marty might be…
OH NO! Bulky Sharks got him! Those taken by Bulky Sharks have never returned.
Marty! Fight! Marty! Don’t go! Marty! Don’t worry I’ll make the Bulky Sharks take me too.

Swish, Swish, Swish, Swish!
Take me! Yes I know you see me! Take me! Please don’t separate Marty and me. Take me!
He he! Hey that tickles! Be careful handling me. I did say take me not tickle me.
Marty! Do you know what they are going to do with us?

I heard that they were going to bring us back to a lab. I feel weak.
A lab? Is that good? Are we going to go back home Marty? Marty I’m feeling weak too…
Aaaahhhhhh… Hmmm… I feel better I bet that was a bad dre…
Where am I? Where’s Marty?
Whoa! A Bulky Shark! Why is it looking at me?
Sniff sniff. I can’t smell any good food. Where’s Hydrothermal Ventville? Sniff sniff.
Marty! You ok? Are we safe?

I’m fine and we’re safe. I heard the Bulky Sharks talking; they’re going to take care of
us, observe us, and learn more about us and vent crabs alike. Isn’t that cool?
I suppose that’s great Marty, but I sure am going to miss Hydrothermal Ventville

Submitted by a Writer in 10th Grade,
Mr. Greg A. Stein's Class,
Brandywine High School, Wilmington, Delaware

Through the Eyes of a Deep Sea Creature — Second Place

All dark and gloomy, silent and calm,
The water still as a motionless animal.
Suddenly two bright eyes stare at me with curiosity and rhythm.
With a flip of its fin and a wave from its tale, I follow him to an animal like no other.
This animal is hard as rock, speed like no other, and cold as ice.
I stare with envy as this animal goes down deeper, where animals like us burn.
My longing eyes stare at the water tracks that this creature left behind, wondering why?
Why can this creature go down and we can’t?
With my back turned to the trail, I swim off, leaving my curiosity behind.

Submitted by a Writer in 9th Grade
Ms. Brantely's Class,
Chatham High School, Chatham, New Jersey

Vent Crab — Third Place

The vent crab with it’s NVGs
Sees what no one else sees
Where you came from is a mystery
No one can find you in your infancy
The change to adulthood is so extreme
You are two different creatures it would seem
Oh to study you in our lab
And find out more about this amazing crab
I guess what we find deep below
Is all we will ever get to know

Submitted by a Writer in 9th Grade
Mrs. Debra Wood's Class
Yelm High School, Yelm, Washington

Middle School Finalists

Another World — First Place

By Noam Finkelstein,
8th Grade, Dr. Browning's Class,
Tenafly Middle School, Tenafly, New Jersey

A Wondrous View of Alvin — Second Place

On the bottom of the ocean, on the deepest floor,
Where life exists so near the earth’s hot core,

Into sight of the creatures comes a light
From above where darkness is all in sight,

It is a contraption, seemingly made out of time,
On the side of the body it says “Alvin.”

Why is this large strange being here?
Sea dwellers are filled with awe and fear.

It is pretty, but scary, in its own way,
Coming down to where there is no day.

How can they live in such cold water?
Don’t they need something a wee bit hotter?

Is it from the top of the sea,
Where there is light and fishes swim free?

But before these questions can be asked,
Alvin is only a memory of the past.

But will it return? They want to know.
The answer is, only time will show.

Submitted by a Writer in 6th Grade
Mrs. Dianne Westfahl's Class
Heatherwood Middle School, Mill Creek, WA

How— Third Place

How do they live with no sunlight in the day?
Using their instincts to find their prey?
How do they live in the heat?
That’s why we’ve gone down to the deep.
Will we find the answer?
None of us know
But to find the answer
There’s only one place to go.

Submitted by a Writer in 6th Grade
Mrs. Sandra Reed's Class,
Bayou View Middle School, Gulfport, Mississippi

Special Highlight

As a special highlight, we wanted to share with all of you the wonderful poems that were written by students in Brandi Townsend's third-grade class at R. Shields Elementary School in Lewes, Delaware.

Small Paul

I am small.
My name is Paul.
I live in a vent
where the heat is content
It's very hot
down in my spot!
I have a winter coat
but I don't like to gloat.
What am I? ...
A Pompeii Worm!

Submitted by a Writer in 3rd Grade
Brandi Townsend's Class,
R. Shields Elementary School, Lewes, Delaware

Deep Blue Sea

The deep blue sea
is wonderful to me.
It makes me dream
of the things that could be
Deep down below
where the scientists go.
I think of the pompeii worm
and the Angler fish too
of the unknown things
in the deep, dark blue.
Then I think of the vents —
Hydrothermal and hot!
Exploding underwater
in the deepest of spots.
Someday I'll go
deep under the sea
and discover the mysteries
just waiting for me!

Submitted by a Writer in 3rd Grade
Brandi Townsend's Class,
R. Shields Elementary School, Lewes, Delaware