JEWELL - Brookelyn George, a fourth grader from Ellsworth, took fourth place in this year's POET Tree poetry contest with a poem about the beauty of nature and why we must protect it.
Fourth-grade students across the Midwest sent nature-themed poems to POET for the contest, which was organized around POET's tree-planting activities during Arbor Day.
The top five poets receive Visa gift cards as prizes.
"Thank you to all the students who submitted poems this year. It's always amazing to me to see how much insight young people have on important issues such as our environment," POET Senior Vice President of Communications Greg Breukelman said.
Here is George's poem:
Enjoy the Beauty of Nature
Enjoy, help, save,
stop those who want to harm.
The beautiful sight around them.
And protect our beautiful, wonderful nature.
The wildlife depends
on many things we destroy.
To make the things
that we think we just have to have.
Nature is so beautiful and useful
but some take it for granted.
And what would they do
without all of the things nature gives?
Nature is the key to life.
And if we destroy it
what will happen
to all of us?