Wareham Middle School eighth-grader Carolyn King was recently awarded a first-place prize in the Massachusetts Science Poetry Contest.

King's entry was a poem and drawing that compared the departments of the U.S. government to the parts of a cell.

The Massachusetts Science Poetry Contest, sponsored by Dr. George Ladd of Boston College, is in its 26th year. The contest challenges students in kindergarten through eighth grade to combine their science knowledge with their writing skills in a creative way.

Winners have their poem published in a book and are awarded a certificate, ribbon, and book.

The winning poem:

Parts of a Cell Analogy to Federal Executive Departments of the U.S

By Carolyn King

Cell Membrane to Department of Homeland Security

Protect us from disaster,

Man made or not.

A barrier from cytoplasm to environment,

Sustainability to be sought.

Chloroplast to Department of Labor

The humble work the hardest,

Let pay be sufficient.

Chloroplasts serve under the sun,

Energy made in an instant.

Cytoplasm to Department of Justice

A court of justice retains order,

Encasing the organelles in a jell.

Every system is held together,

Those guilty end up in a cell.

Endoplasmic Reticulum to Department of Transportation

What we need is convenient transportation,

From Point A to Point B.

The best to get work and deliver,

How efficient don’t you agree?

Vacuole to Department of Treasury

There are bills to be paid,

Finances to be settled.

Storing all the essentials,

Every material capsuled.

Mitochondria to Department of Energy

Energy conservation is key,

Production slowed down a bit.

Researchers just might pay the price,

Safety as a benefit.

Golgi Body to Department of Commerce

Promotes essential economic growth,

Targets on business and government.

Distributes materials throughout the cell,

Each necessity is sent.

Cell Wall to Department of the Interior

Standing to attention, weiding our flag,

We join together as a union.

A wall surrounds a rigid frame,

At ease, gentlemen.

Ribosomes to Department of State

Small factories produce proteins,

Improvement on America’s well- being.

Either floating or attached,

Health betterment in full swing.

Lysosome to Department of Veteran Affairs

No amount of research can medicate what you’ve seen,

Repair what damage is done.

Are you well enough for a job?

Don’t lose faith, your journey has just begun.