“Get over it, they said at the School of Broken Hearts.”

These are the words with which junior Ali Ziegler won the central Ohio Poetry Out Loud competition as Olentangy’s representative. She performed “Mourning Poem for the Queen of Sunday” by Robert Hayden and “Personal” by Tony Hoagland. Ziegler will present these two poems, along with “Uphill” by Christina Rossetti, at the state competition, held at COSI museum at 1:30 p.m. on March 19.

“Poetry Out Loud is an opportunity for students to embody a poem and express it to an audience,” Ziegler said.

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation created Poetry Out Loud to “encourage the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation, master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.”

Ziegler entered the competition because it was required by her English class, but realized the enjoyment it provided and decided to continue competing. Her poems carry a heavy message—some she selected for her personal connection to them, others for the literary merit.

“‘Personal’ is about a guy who wants everyone to not take little things for granted, like the price of grapefruit or stamps. ‘Uphill’ is about a terrifying journey a person does not want to take, and their subconscious is telling them ‘you can do it. Everything is going to be okay. Chill out.’ ‘Mourning Poem’ is about someone who has lost all hope and believes their only option is to take their own life,” Ziegler said. “My favorite line is ‘Don’t take it personal,’ because I say it all the time.”

To understand her poems, she researches the author, time period and influential events. Once she understands the background, Ziegler analyzes the poem for tone and meaning, and then tailors her delivery to convey the central conceit of the story.

“My English teacher [Natalie] Hunter has helped me by encouraging me and really just being there for every step,” Ziegler said.

As she faces more intense competition, her hard work increases with her passion for poetry. We at The Beacon wish her the best of luck on Saturday!

Updated April 13: Ali did not advance to the national competition.