POETRY RUNNER-UP
Mairead Benson
HOGGARD HIGH SCHOOL 9TH GRADE
LA FLEUR EST BELLE
For one beautiful week a year in
April,
People come to our town from
all parts of the state
Because la fleur est belle.
Guys and gals dressed in their
Southern best spend the day in
Airlie Gardens,
Drinking, laughing, and enjoying
the beautiful, spring day
Because la fleur est belle.
Southern belles and their military
escorts stroll through charm-
ingly kept gardens
Because la fleur est belle.
Stars like Lynyrd Skynyrd and
Nelly perform for people
young and old
Because la fleur est belle.
Young girls gather to watch the
queen’s coronation
“That’ll be me one day …”
they say hopefully
Because la fleur est belle.
Children submit a masterpiece,
created with the festival in
mind, hoping they’ll be the
winner
Because la fleur est belle.
Local vendors line the downtown
streets to show handmade trea-
sures to enthusiastic shoppers
Because la fleur est belle.
High school junior girls meet
with judges, showcase elegant
evening gowns, and present
themselves to a crowd of
adoring fans and their fellow
contestants
Because la fleur est belle.
Our queen, her court, the belles and
their escorts visit a school, the
hospital, and the Boys and Girls
Club to spread the festival spirit
Because la fleur est belle.
The parties, the concerts, the
competitions
“Why does this all happen?” you
may ask yourself. Why?
Because la fleur est belle.
And it is there on that bush,
Flourishing petals of snow white
and delicate pink.
And there in that painting,
Masterfully created by a local artist,
And held carefully in a little girl’s
hand,
Who watches the queen and her
court in adoration.
For one week, it is everywhere,
Because la fleur est belle.
The flower is beautiful.
And that is why this all happens
in our small, North Carolina
town,
Because our azalea is beautiful.
Mairead Benson is a 9th-grader at Hoggard High
School who loves to read, write, perform in Thalian
Association Children’s Theatre productions, travel
and golf. She aspires to be a neurosurgeon or lawyer.
She has been selected two years in a row to attend
the prestigious and challenging Gen. Hugh Shelton
Leadership Camp.
ALLISON POTTER
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