PORTSMOUTH — Lauren Flowers, a sixth-grade student at The Pennfield School, submitted a winning entry in the 2017 Aquidneck Land Trust Art and Writing Contest sponsored by Sixteen on Center, a design firm in Tiverton.

The contest was open to all schools on Aquidneck Island, kindergarten through grade 12. Students could submit entries in art and writing.

Lauren's poem, entitled “Gone to Gooseberry,” described her favorite scenic vista on Aquidneck Island and earned her top prize among entries from students in fifth to eighth grades. Here it is:

“Gone to Gooseberry”

The wind blows thoughtlessly on the water

Small waves roll on to the beach

leaving squiggly lines in the wet sand 

where they recede

The lonely lifeguard chair 

awaits the next day of sunshine 

and laughter of children

Scrambling up the smooth rocks 

tucked below the crest 

seeking shelter from the breeze 

A quiet place to sit and unwind

all but the whispering wind

On a cool night

gazing at the dock 

floating lonely in the navy water 

I wonder what lurks beneath

The sun, a deep orange and yellow spectacle 

lies low in the sky

Forgotten buckets, cast aside on the sand 

wishing they were home

Barnacles and periwinkles press the rocks 

alongside the moss-like chartreuse seaweed

The sky sighing deeply

after a long day

as the sun drops below the horizon

Goodnight, Gooseberry Beach