Young Poets 12 and Under –

"My Strawberry Candy Cane" by Rachel Poon

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Cover image shows sunglasses on top of a book, on top of a journal, on top of the sand at a beach.

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Visit Young Poets World to explore all poetry submission opportunities for poets 18 years and under. Young poets may also submit to the Weekly Poems Contest.

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May 15th, 2026

Young Poets 12 and Under Contest #2 – First Place

My Strawberry Candy Cane

by Rachel Poon 

Oh, my little sweetling –
Snow on the beach;
Oh, bejewelled sea! –
How blue the moon, 
How red your Santa hat! –
Sharing the blue orb, Basel away.

You wrote in your letters –
You sketched your strong cheekbones;
You had me longing those bones to flesh,
Stashed away in stockings,
Under the mistletoe
Prancing in the white snow,
Tasting fervent love on your lips;
Indulgent candy cane, minty and strawberry.

But you were gone the next day; like crystals of your candy cane lips –
Bitter, bitter shards that erupt from your mouth;
They are not icicles any longer –
They are molten bits of lava; that once sparked
What was 
Us.

It is no longer an inferno —

It is nothing but ashes.

And I'm still here,
Trying to pluck out those crystal shards;
Candy canes; sweet words,
Tangled clusters;
Nothing but snares of melted shards –
Constellations of candy,
Yet we were never written in them.

John, John, you wretched Santa,
I'll never celebrate Christmas.


About the Poet
Rachel Poon resides in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Read the poet's biography and Young Poets World publications on Rachel Poon's Artist Page.

Young Poets Collection
This poem is also featured in Young Poets Collection #2, published in the Young Poets World Library.

Keywords: Christmas, emotional conflict, candy canes

Previously published in Young Poets 12 and Under:
War and Peace
by XinYun Cui (Leah)

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