“A boy turns away from his father
1st Place Winner
Christine Hawker,
North High School
To me there’s a man on the left, he is a father. On the right is the man’s son. The boy can’t face his father. He’s trying to escape from his problems. The rectangle around the boy is symbolizing how he is shutting everyone out. No one can get through the wall.
There the father stands wishing he could help, wondering what he can do. He is reaching out his arm to his child asking if there’s something he can do, but his son keeps his back to him.
A boy is in pain
2nd Place Winner
Rocio Verdin, 13, El Sereno Middle School
I see fear… ooo
Fear of growing up of the future
I see pain… ooo
Pain deep down in his heart
I see sadness… ooo
Sadness of the way people treat him
Because he is different so they make fun of him
But they don’t realize it hurts deep down inside
I see questions… ooo
Questions about life his future
Why things happen the way they do
He thinks… ooo
Why do people have to get hurt or die
Because of some unsensitive person?
His body… ooo
His body may not die but his soul, his confidence and self esteem will
I see a person… ooo
A person trying to make a difference
Who wants to change who wants world peace
I see a boy… ooo
A young boy trying to make the world a better place to live
I see love… ooo
I see a smart person… ooo
I see a kind heart… ooo
A man grieves at a funeral
3rd Place Winner
Michelle Benvenuto, 18,
North High School
When I first looked at this picture all I saw were a few lines and a circle. I kept looking at it though and after a little while I began to see much more than that.
This is a picture of a man at a funeral. He is at the casket paying his respects and is very sad. He’s hunched over the casket crying and can’t seem to let go. The person in the casket was his best friend. She looks so peaceful and calm lying there. The man wonders why she was taken away from him so suddenly and begins to get angry. He’s mad at her for dying and leaving him lonely. He’s mad at God for taking her way. He’s mad at himself for letting her go.
Then the man begins to think of what his life is going to be like without his best friend. “Who am I going to go to the coffee shop with? Who is going to laugh when I tell one of my stupid jokes? Who’s going to pick me up when I can’t seem to stand on my own? The man looks at his friend laying in the casket, so peaceful, so calm. All of a sudden he finds strength. He knows she would want him to be strong and that’s what he’s going to do. He stands up straight and walks back to his seat.
The man knows that his best friend is going to be with him always in his heart, in his soul, in his mind. As long as he has their memories, she will never truly be gone.
A man enjoys time with his baby, making me think of my dad
Honorable Mention
Alfredo Rodriguez, 17, Montebello High School
I see a little baby in a crib with a father sitting beside it. The father is tired from working all day and he could just sit alone and read the paper but he would rather sit and spend time with his baby boy.
Although there is a baby boy in the picture, I saw myself in that crib wishing that my father would have spent time with me when I was little, but now I’m older and it’s too late, so that’s why the boy is crying.
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