1998 Mount Rushmore International Writing Contest Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln: Presidents with Visions for America If they could speak today, what might they say?

First Prize: Adult Poetry
Ellen Jackson
Santa Barbara, California
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Theodore Roosevelt: A Monumental Figure

Here I sit on top Mt. Rushmore,
Wishing that you folks would hush more.
Way up here there's peace and quiet,
It's just bully! Why not try it.

Here I sit engraved in stone,
With three companions, I'm not alone.
I can't move-not one iota,
But I'm at home in South Dakota!

South Dakota in 'eighty-five,
That was where I felt alive.
I caught a thief who broke the law,
And punched a ruffian in the jaw.

Sitting here right next to Lincoln,
I can't help but do some thinkin'.
As a friend of this great nation,
I believe in conservation.

Garbage, waste, and air pollution-
Where, oh where, is the solution?
Pesticides and global warming,
Even killer bees are swarming!

Wilderness--I tried to save it.
It's your heritage, don't pave it!
Nature helps to soothe the soul.
It keeps you sane, humane, and whole.

As President I did my best,
As a monument I can rest.
In South Dakota, land of the Sioux,
I can just enjoy the vioux.

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