I was first published when I was only 10 years old. My 4th grade teacher encouraged me to write a lot (on a typewriter back then) and submit a few of my poems to a publishing contest. The contest was for students attending a Department of Defense school in Asia and 500 entries would be chosen for publication in their Far East Sun magazine. Below is a PDF of my published poem and the entire poem is also below.

PDF: sun-fifteen-poem

The sun is out.
The skies are blue.
And everyone is saying,
“Whoop dee do!”

Since they know
That today will be
The best day in the year.

For everyone knows
That almost everyday
Was dark without a drop of
Light.

This is the North Pole
And the South Pole.

Sarah Carter
Grade 4
Yokota East Elementary

Originally published in the Sun Fifteen magazine in 1989.