Elementary and Middle School

    
K-2nd Grade
1st Prize
Aaliyah N., 2nd Grade
Altitude Elementary School, Aurora
The Leprechaun and the Cow
Once there was a baby Leprechaun
Who always thought that he was Jackie “Chaun”
It was early dawn,
And he saw a cow in his lawn
He asked the cow to move
But the cow said Moo-Moo
The Leprechaun said he knew Karate
And the cow said he knew Cow-rate
And they started to fight
In the middle they stopped for a biscotti oatmeal bite
Suddenly everything looked right
They played and laughed
And made sure all the oatmeal biscottis were stocked

 

2nd Prize
Piper D., 1st Grade
Coyote Hills Elementary School, Aurora
Someone w ho starts with Lepra and ends with chaun
and always sings a summer song
Into a forest comes a cow 
How finding the forest, no matter how
Searching for a pot of gold
Suddenly the cow starts to grow old
Oh no! The gold is starting to grow mold
Holding a sack of gold with mold
Gold with mold is very bad 
and bad is very mad
and mad will make it very bad
The gold is getting very mold
And the mold is getting very old 
and the gold is getting very crusty 
and the crusty is getting very rusty

 

3rd Prize
Isla B., 2nd Grade
Home schooled, Boulder
One day a leprechaun was walking on a path,
when suddenly he stopped and said, “I’ll blast!’’
It was a miss moo cow then and there,
giving milk for the leprechaun’s care.
He filled himself a cup of milk creamy white
And said, “This will help me sleep through the night!”
But the next morning he awoke to a surprise;
Staring back in the mirror were big cow eyes!
His legs were cow-like and so were his feet.
He drummed and drummed to the beat.
He grumbled “Now I am a leprecow!?”
Leprecow went down the path, saying, “WOW!”

 3rd-5th Grade
1st Prize
Kayleen B., 4th Grade
Hunters Glen Elementary School, Thornton
A cow graze in a field of hay
She thought, “today will be a fine day”
So, she looked at the sun
Sang a little hum
And went on her merry little way.
Suddenly the sky began to darken
And the clouds began a sparkin
The sky opened up and the rain came down
And the little cow put on a frown
Soon the storm had cleared
And then a rainbow appeared
She saw something bright
And thought, “what a light”.
Then saw what it was as she neared
“a leprechaun” she squeaked
And around the rainbow she peaked.
As he counted his pot of gold in his arms
She looked in his eyes and saw a charm
He said, “don’t be afraid, I will do you no harm!”
And together they walked back to Longmont Dairy Farm

 

2nd Prize
Seneca G., 3rd Grade
Home schooled, Boulder
Trouble With Larry The Leprechaun
Carrie the cow was munching on a clover,
then Larry the Leprechaun rushed on over.
“Be careful” he said, my gold is there.
Carrie looked at him and said “ I don’t care”.
She stuck out her tongue and made a sour face,
then Larry the Leprechaun said “fine, I’ll challenge you to a race”.
“Whoever wins will get my gold”
then Carrie said “but you’re too old.”
now they got ready to go,
and all of a sudden they heard a big “No!”
That gold is precious, it’s been here for years,
it brings so many people there’s a whole lot of cheers.
So Larry and Carrie looked at one another in the eyes
and decided to make a compromise.
Larry and Carrie became great friends,
and that is where this story ends.

 

3rd Prize
Lena G., 5th Grade
Louisville Elementary School, Louisville
Mardy the leprechaun was a trickster they say,
He played at least lots of tricks every day.
He’d play them on dogs,
He’d play them on cats,
He’d play them on rabbits,
He’d play them on bats.
But, he got bored, and he got tired,
He didn’t find joy in what he’d admired.
He wanted adventure, he wanted some fun,
So he went to the field, filled
With green, and with sun,
So he found him some cows,
And chose just one.
He snuck quietly in,
To not make them run.
This one was tall, this one was thin.
This one wore a big happy grin.
When she saw him, she stopped eating her grass, and stared large eyed
She was amazed at what she had spied.
“A leprechaun!” Dandelion had thought,
“Remind me again what happens when they are caught?”
Once she remembered, she sat right down you see.
“I want hoof polish, Lullabies, and a pony!”
“Who said anything about three wishes? You haven’t caught me quite yet”
“what ya’ plannin’ ? A trick to net?”
“NO “said Dandelion,
She dashed, she swerved,
He ran he curved,
She jumped, he ducked.
Then everything was dark. He woke up in a barn,
In a stall feeling queasy,
He thought,
“That must have been easy.”
Soon an evil smile crossed his face,
“Hey I bet I could beat you in a race,”
“A race you say.”
Dandelion said.
She handed him a cap colored bright red,
“Longmont dairy,” Mardy read.
“Never mind the race,” he said.
“I’ll have some of that delicious milk instead.”

 6th-8th Grade
1st Prize
Luke M., 8th Grade
Home schooled, Aurora
The Leprechaun and the Cow
There once was a cow named Jill,
who lived on top of a hill.
As she walked along,
humming a song,
she saw something next to the mill.
With glee she said, "Oohh!"
for there, under a rainbow,
shining so bold,
was a pot of gold,
oh, how bright it did glow!
She merrily skipped through the grass,
the sky was clear as glass,
but little she knew,
that inside a shoe,
a leprechaun watched her pass!
The leprechaun watched in disarm,
that slowly turned to alarm.
Would she steal his gold?
Then he looked cross the wold,
and gazed at her owner’s barn.
Suddenly the farmer called, "Jill!"
and Jill went back up the hill.
But no one was there,
and into thin air,
he escaped with the gold by the mill!

 

2nd Prize
Andrew W., 8th Grade
American Academy – Motsenbocker, Parker
Lucas the Leprechaun
Leprechaun Lucas was
Simply thirsty one day
He wanted a drink
That was really gourmet
So he made friends
With a cow named Lula
I heard that they collect
Milk caps for moola
Lucas loves the milk
That comes from Longmont
Both Larry and Lula think
That it’s something to flaunt

 

3rd Prize
Maya C., 7th Grade
Summit Middle School, Boulder
The Green Cow
There once was a cow who turned green
They thought something was wrong with her spleen
But as it turned out,
There was no need to pout
For it was a leprechaun’s trick to be mean.
     

High School

    
9th-12th Grade
1st Prize
Liam J., 9th Grade
Centaurus High School, Lafayette
Down on the pasture, during a sunny day,
The calf wandered off to go and play,
When she came upon a little grass house,
A figure emerged who was the size of a mouse.
She realized it must be a Leprechaun
Who just then stepped onto the lawn.
He looked up at the calf in pure terror
and just then the calf realized her error.
The calf said "Sorry, I am just here to roam"
"I didn’t mean to scare you out of your home."
The Leprechaun breathed a sigh of relief
glad that the cow wasn’t a thief.
The Leprechaun said "As per tradition,"
"three wishes you’ll get, to improve your condition."
The surprised calf felt her knees go weak,
and at first was too shocked to speak.
The cow replied "My first wish today"
"Is for a big pile of grass and hay."
Just then she heard the caw of a crow
and a huge pile of grass began to grow.
"For my second wish, I want nothing more"
"Than a big field for me to explore"
Suddenly, the farmland began to expand
Until she could no longer see the end of the land.
For her third wish, she didn’t know what to do.
She had everything she wanted, that was true.
But the Leprechaun’s house was very run down
and she just noticed the Leprechaun’s sad frown.
"For my third wish, I’ll give you an expansion"
"To turn your house into a great mansion"
and at this wish, the Leprechaun filled with joy,
while the mansion grew, he was one happy boy.
As the calf walked back toward the mountain of hay,
she reflected on all that had happened today.
But she most remembered the Leprechaun’s happy smile
and all was good, for a very long while.		 2nd Prize
Emily B., 10th Grade
Home schooled, Arvada
The Charmed Cow
A farmer stands in empty field.
His heart despairs. The cow won’t yield
A single drop of milk for him;
And in that case, his life is grim.
He has no other ox or goat.
So with a sigh, he pats her coat.
The cow goes out and wanders there
Among the broken boulders bare.                 
From leafy woods there hops a man,
He’s very short and slightly tan.
His beard is long, his watch chain thick.
His clothes are green. He twirls a stick.
He whistles out a merry tune.
He struts along and very soon
He hears a sound, a distant moo.
He starts to dance and leap anew.              
He finds the cow and brings his cup,
Just hoping he can fill it up.
But no milk comes, despite his glee.
And then he counts, “a-one, two, three”.
He taps his cane upon the cow.
The little man then takes a bow.
He milks the cow and to his pleasure
The cow gives milk beyond great measure.         
The farmer looks upon the sight,
As rainbow glimmers in the light.
On crest of hill, his good cow stands
At end of brightest rainbow grand.
The farmer comes to get his cow,
And finds some footprints leading down.                 
A vale of mist floats all around,   
Now brushing footprints from the ground.               
The leprechaun, all dressed in green,
He skips and hops into the sheen.
The lonely farmer milks his cow.
And hollers an excited, “Wow!”
The milk is bright and fair as gold.
It seems to shine like lanterns bold.              
It tastes as sweet as clover honey,  
And folks implore and offer money.
A cow once all devoid of milk,
Now worth far more than finest silk.
A farmer caught in misery,
Now o’erwhelmed with constant glee.
A leprechaun in dreadful thirst
Charmed a cow, and fate reversed.		 3rd Prize
Nathan P., 10th Grade
Monarch High School, Louisville
The fields speckled green, with nothing to be seen
Until something usually unseen appeared to also be dressed in green
I mooed and I mooed but it turns out the little green man just wouldn’t move
He had put me in a mood, so I turned around to find some good food
I shuffled and I sighed, my black and white spots I was sure could be seen from the skies
I felt as if life was full of a bunch of lies
I then looked down and in front of my eyes, laid a pot full of a sight for sore eyes
It was a pot of milk caps, a sure to be prank, and my mood just continued to sink
I knew he wasn’t nice
Just from the start he seemed a particular greedy mouse
He ran away in the distance with the gold, and everything seemed to unfold
I rallied my cow friends, for the end wouldn’t be near, and we all ran as fast as a deer
Sooner or later the Leprechaun was circled
He had no choice but to give up the prize he most desperately seized
And we made a treaty
Where we would let him be
Where we gave him our milk
And all our prizes he would leave

Honorable Mentions

    
Audrey B.
4th Grade
On that fateful day
in the chill that comes before May
it happened just as I say
my eyes met a surprise.

As I sat there chewing my hay
on the eve of St. Pat’s day
I felt something my foot was on
and out popped a plump little leprechaun!

And he said “Boo!”  
and I said, “Mooo!”
He said, “Who in the world are you?”
I said, “I am a cow, will you please move?”

He said “Listen to what I Proclaim.
I’m now bound to your very name.
But I’ll have to do it speaking in verse,
because of that horrible witch’s curse

My first wish: for his pot of gold.
My second: for unlimited hay.
My Third: will you please stop speaking in rhyme?
It’s hard for me to concentrate!

He said, “ Do you mean it?
Do you really want me to?”
I said, “ I do, I do, I do!”

And there was a poof and he was gone,
that silly little leprechaun.

Addison K.
Grade 5

Leprechaun and Cow

The rain fell steady but out came the sun
The leprechaun would have to hide his gold while on the run.

He looked around and saw a farm
Thinking that would be a great spot for “me charm.”

Into the barn, he ran with his pot full of gold
But there stood a cow, hiding from the cold.

He “mooed” in delight at the sight of the small, sneaky man
The leprechaun smiled and was immediately a fan.

Together they plotted a place for the gold
Kept it a secret and never told.

Elise D.
Graade 2
Spring is Coming

The flowers are blooming
The leprechauns are singing
The trees are gaining their green leaves
As the cows graze in the pastures.

Evan E.
Grade 8

With a brown scruffy beard, I cause mischief all day But it’s all in good fun, I just want to play On one Saint Patty’s day in 2019, I saw a spotted cow looking at me, And just as I started to turn and run, I stepped on a rock and fell right on my bum, Right then that ol’ heifer trotted right up, and she knew at that moment she was bound to have good luck, By that time I had to follow my oath, to grant three wishes the successor might hope, But this cow only had one, and I knew right then it would be quite fun, When she told me she wanted to give chocolate milk, I waved my hand in a motion softer than silk, And just then, with a big flash of light, Her wish was granted and she was overcome with delight, This is the story of me and that cow, Who could give chocolate milk but no one knew how.