Middle and high school students were asked to write a poem or essay based on viewing the quilt collection: “Bold Expressions: African American Quilts from the Collection of Corrine Riley,” on display now at the Bellevue Arts Museum through Oct. 7.

The winning poem is by Bianca Tran, 13, a student at Chinook Middle School.

The contest was sponsored by Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue Reporter and Bellevue Friends of the Library.

Star of Bethelem

By Bianca Tran

She was amazed by the room of quilts,

And then she saw it.

The brilliant hues and patterns caught her eye.

Its dazzling combination of colors pulsed,

Creating a hypnotic beam,

Soon, everything faded and she could only see herself and the quilt.

Locked in a trance.

The pattern of cleverly color coordinated triangles,

Swirled around and around again.

Roughly stitched sidings became a frame,

Complementing the uneven triangles.

She ventured deeper into the mesmerizing quilt.

But suddenly she was called,

Forced to break away from patchwork.

The blanket lingered in her head from then on.

The name of the quilt: “The Star of Bethlehem.”