Help us celebrate the 26th Anniversary of this local tradition! 
Welcome to Fresno County Public Library's 26th Annual Poetry Contest happening April 1st through April 30th. Poems will be judged by talented, local professionals and our winners will be celebrated at an in-person Awards Ceremony in June 2025. 

DATES
The contest runs from April 1st – April 30, 2025.

Winning poems will be announced online and in person on June 8, 2025.  

CATEGORIES
3rd-5th Grade
6th-8th Grade
9th-12th Grade
Adult (18 and up)

PRIZES
Winners in each category will receive a gift card, generously donated by the Friends of the Fresno County Public Library.
1st Place: $200
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $50

RULES AND GUIDELINES 
  • Submit your poem using the link on this site.
  • Participants must be residents of Fresno County.
  • One poem can be submitted per person.
  • Poems written in previous years can be submitted.
  • No previously published poems will be accepted (including but not limited to theses, academic journals, and online publications).
  • Poems can be submitted in English or Spanish. 
  • Participants will retain the copyright on their poems.
  • FCPL reserves the right to not publish poems that violate the FCPL Rules of Conduct and Comments Policy (linked below).
  • Participants are responsible for ensuring the poems submitted do not violate the guidelines for the contest and are not plagiarized or violate an existing copyright.

Remember: This contest is for all ages so please use appropriate language. The Library reserves the right to not publish or post entries. Poems that violate the FCPL Rules of Conduct and the Comments policy (linked below) or violate the rules of the FCPL Poetry Contest will not be eligible and will not be published.




Rules of Conduct
Comments Policy

Seduction in Silence

The eyes, Chico, they never lie 
these eyes are mine 
wandering and observing all. 
they roll towards the heavens 
and glow under the moonlight. 

siren eyes, doe eyes, 
painted with thick black wings and lashes that reach the rooftops 
seductively trail the outlines of curves and place soft kisses. 
in fits of ecstasy, burning with desire, images of a fire blazing 
drip from the honey color iris. 

eyes that hypnotize 
entracing those with a subtle glance 
leave you wanting more, just one more look 
they plead and beg, for I put a spell on you. 
look at me! fall into the magic of my eyes once more. 

wide eyes, narrowed eyes 
change shapes to create an illusion 
these intoxicating, dancing orbs. 
they illicit a frenzy, a craving 
for they are insatiable. 

these eyes roam free 
as mirrors to the soul, they bare all. 
these eyes hold power, fluttering close and opening when they please. 
as soft as angel kisses 
with all of the Devil’s charm. 

eyes don’t lie, 
for these eyes are mine. 
they shine and twinkle, 
their honey and green, 
and leave a man on his knees.


--Jacelynn R., Adult

Man’s Best Friend

Some say the world’s most loyal companion is a dog. 
Their fur bringing comfort to those who touch, 
their eyes full of love. 
With almost no comprehension of abuse. 
That is, until acted upon by the world's most evil creature. 

How is it that an animal that has been beaten senselessly, 
will still come when called? 
Will still come only because they feel an overwhelming responsibility, 
the responsibility to be loyal to their masters. 

Why is it that their unconditionally loving hearts are taken for granted? 
Is it that their hearts are too big? 
Too big to the point that larger dogs, 
will die sooner than others. 

Pitbulls, 
Rottweilers, 
Cane Corsos. 
The most misunderstood of the canine kingdom. 
Bred to fight, 
born to be beaten. 

But it’s never that simple. 
These dogs are meant for love, 
to protect and guard. 
To love with their big hearts, 
that will end with their early arrival at the rainbow bridge.


--Sarah L., Adult

Algo de mi para ti

Me estoy muriendo de amor por ti 

Nose como expresartelo lo que siento de ti 

Desearia que me expreses lo que sientes de mi 

Quiero estar cerca de tu corazon contigo, 

Quisiera saber si sientes algo de mi, 

Lo mismo que siento por ti, 

Sin ti no se que hacer de mi ser 

Me necesitas y yo tambien quiero tus sentimientos 

Ven a consentirme que yo soy un reflejo de lo que quieres de mi 

Sin ti yo soy nada 

En cambio el dia de hoy pienso en ti 

Dime que otro hombre se expresaria asi de ti 

Como yo lo hago por ti.

--Asahel R., Adult

And So the Garden Dies

And so the garden lives
She raises the garden,
She waters the flowers everyday
She makes sure they have enough sunlight
The pink peonies,
The red roses,
The yellow tulips,
They are alive.
During the spring they bloom, aromatic and elegant
In the summer they are alive
In the fall they wither and shrivel up
And in the winter they die.
Like a flower through the seasons,
She is alive in the summer time
And in the fall she begins to wither and shrivel up, shrunken with age.
She can no longer water the flowers.
She sleeps in her room all day and night
Winter comes as gentle as a feather’s fall
Trees are bare
The air is frosty,
Insects no longer buzzing
In her room, there is a stillness in the cold air
The bed, empty
No one makes sure the flowers have enough sunlight
No one waters them everyday
No one raises the garden.
The pink peonies,
The red roses,
The yellow tulips,
They are dead.

--Brooke V., 9th-12th Grade

The Warmth of Memory

"When starlight fades, and suns grow cold, Your memory's warmth, a story told. In endless night, a final gleam,
Your love's the light, within my dream."

--Angela G., 9th-12th Grade

Develop Nausea

Sunlight peaks through the horizon.

It makes its way to shine through as much as it can.

It shines through a leaf.

It shines through a dew drop.

Its shine reflects off a beetle’s shell.

It shines through a butterfly’s wing.

It shines through a window.

Its shine hits my skin.

The remains of all it has shined through makes me develop nausea,

as the shine ends.

--Alyca J., 9th-12th Grade

New Horizons

A road that twists through places new,
Where everything feels bright and true,
I step beyond the things I know,
Into a world where fresh winds blow.

The air is thick with something strange,
A feeling that I can't arrange,
Each block and corner has its own,
A story different, yet unknown.

The streets are like a brand-new book,
With hidden pages if I look.
I trace the words, I start to see,
The places where I want to be.

It's like a journey, long and wide,
Where dreams and fears both intertwine,
Each step feels like a song unsung,
In new places, where I belong.

--Erickyah J. 9th-12 Grade