This November, Oakmont junior, Lily Harris had her poem, The Time Before, entered into The 2024 Beals Prize For Young Poets, run by the Beals Public Library in Winchendon, MA. She originally submitted it in October, when her teacher encouraged her to give it a try. “Mr. Nevard was the one who told me I should write and submit a poem,” stated Harris during her interview. “I had never submitted poetry to a contest before.”

Harris competed with students from 10 other area schools. The Beals Contests is a unique opportunity funded by the Winchendon Cultural Council, The Beals Memorial Library, and the Friends of the Beals Memorial Library. Oakmont student Ash Nolan was also a recognized finalist for the poem The Day the House Burned Down.

Early in November, she got the email that she had earned herself a spot as one of the top ten finalists and was invited to the final event on November 21st. There she would be sharing her poem along with the other 9 local student poets. “I was really excited, and nervous. I had never shared my poems with a crowd, so I didn’t know what it would be like,” Harris recalled. 

“When I got to the event, I ended up talking with some of the other poets. I really liked everyone’s poems, and it was obvious why they were in the top 10 finalists,” Harris said during our interview. When we asked how she felt when she won she stated. “I had no clue that I was going to win, the judges did these intros talking about the 2nd and 3rd winners before, and it was obvious that they won, but they were vague describing the last one, so I think everyone was on the edge of their seats.” 

“I was so happy that I won,” said Harris, “I remember I sat there in shock when they said my name, my grandpa said I had my hands on my face in surprise.”

The Oakmont junior won a framed certificate and a cash prize of $150. “I hope I can do more contests like this one, and it’s not all about the winning, I loved being there and listening to the art, everyone was so passionate about their poems and some of them even made me tear up. It was a wonderful experience.”

Before they announced the winners, Harris talked to the judges, “I wanted to thank the judges for choosing me, and also compliment the poems that they had shared from their published work,” she stated.

“I remember I told them how this was one of my first poems, and they told me how I should never stop writing them, which warmed my heart. Even though I plan to pursue a career in law, I know I will never stop chasing my passion of writing and building up my skills.” 

This shows that Harris has a clear talent for writing, and even if she decides not to pursue a career in creative writing, the written word  sure will come in handy in the pursuit of a law career. Oakmont is proud of her accomplishment, and hopes that she continues to write more in the future. Her poem was indeed very impressive, especially as one of the first attempts at writing poetry for a contest.

In true poetic style, Harris said that rather than sharing ‘what her poem is about’, she wants to put it out to the read for interpretation.

*Lily Harris is an active member of Oakmont Clubs and a key member of The Oakmonitor staff.

Below is the prize-winning poem.

The Time Before 

By Lily Harris

It’s just a little instant

And, just maybe, a time

Preceding whatever it may please,

A movie,

A song,

A poem,

A night of sleep.

And yet you think nothing of it.

It’s all everyone’s lives combined

Into a fraction of a second,

The simple peace of nothingness

Before a streak of something comes in,

It’s just a little instant 

And, just maybe, a time

When you suddenly stopped

The little, unimportant thing you were doing,

And just existed 

For a small, brief moment

Before carrying on 

You, too, knew of it.

It is nothing. 

It is the nothing.

The thing of nothing that makes everything 

else a thing, 

It’s anything and everything, ever,

An end to something great,

And perhaps

A beginning to something greater.