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Matilda Bray Earns Poetry Recognition
Rising sophomore Matilda Bray was distinguished this year in Bucks County Community College’s High School Poetry Competition and was notably one of only three ninth graders in the competition to earn a finalist title. An avid poet, Matilda has written hundreds of poems, has been published numerous times, and in 2018, published her first book of poetry titled Under the Moon as My Sun. Proceeds from her book sales are donated to the Children’s Literacy Initiative of Philadelphia, where Matilda has also hosted readings of her work to inspire the next generation of poets.
Her writing started with the short stories and poems she composed as a child. It was her first-grade teacher, Ms. Sabol, who noticed her abilities and encouraged her to submit one of her poems into a competition hosted by the school paper. This submission earned Matilda her first formal recognition as a poet. She says, “What I enjoy most about poetry is that you can make it your own [and] you have the freedom to express yourself in any way you’d like. Whether it’s through the words, line spacing, or format, you can create a work of art that’s completely unique."
Throughout her poetry journey, Matilda has turned to guidance from her mentors, including esteemed local poets Lorraine Henrie Lins and Joanne Leva. These mentors have empowered Matilda to defend her choices, using the line “would you fight me in a dark alley for this?” to highlight the importance of selecting every word and phrase with the utmost intention. As she considers her own role as a mentor, Matilda’s message to other young aspiring poets is, “write whatever comes to mind and observe the world around you, as long as you are getting your thoughts flowing.”
Matilda’s inspiration comes from a variety of sources: nature, novels, current events, and personal experiences. More recently, her content has evolved to focus on human rights. This genre of her poetry presents situations from various perspectives and aims to reflect injustices through the lens of marginalized populations. She credits her humanities teacher, Ms. Stoudt, for inspiring her to use her poetry as a vehicle of expression in this way. Matilda also hopes to someday translate her passion for humanitarian causes into a career as a human rights lawyer.
Matilda plans to publish her next collection of poetry later this year. For now, here is one of the poems that earned her recognition in the Bucks County Community College competition this spring:
Iris
It stood
head arched in an unintentional peak
leaves leaned over
slightly to the right of the stem
just far enough
to catch the sun
restless winds blew the flower
It all directions
and chilled it
with a cloak of frost
and left it in a wave of solitude
deer seem to find the flower
nonexistent
and felt more inclined
to make a statement with
berry bushes
and the tallest blades of witchgrass
a little pathway of stones
leads to the purple flower
the stones, perfectly rounded
and multicolored
and brilliant in the rays of light
and if a passerby looks closely
they will see tiny carvings in the stone
unreadable
but still there
and anyone who sits beside the flower
to look at the sun
in the day
or at the stars
at night
will find a certain peace
and find the world to move
just a little bit slower