2009 Winners
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Student Poetry Contest
Grades 3 - 5
First Place: Rhea Kohli - "Born To Be Free"
Born in a small town in Georgia,
I walked the earth early in life as a fun loving child,
Not knowing that there was a difference in me and others,
And trusting all that were good and mild.
Child of a lesser God was my label,
Just because I was darker was I told that my ancestory was unstable,
Many fellow brothers and sisters looked down upon me,
While I tried hard to make them see,
That all of us were the same,
And it did not matter if we were blacks, whites or from other groups we
came.
This made me hurt and I started to preach,
That love, non violence and justice should we teach,
All our kids, and brothers and sisters alike,
No matter whether they were black or white.
Oh, how difficult those times were,
When no one listened to us Madam or Sir,
We went around with a message of peace,
Which fell on deaf ears and the message shredded piece for piece.
And then in those moments of despair,
I was reminded of Rustin, Mahatma Gandhi who I did so much respect and
care,
When they charged down to meet their battle,
They did not falter, stop short and vainly rattle
This gave me courage not to lose my spirit,
As it is often said that the night is darkest before the early morn,
And even a pretty rose is known to have its own thorn,
So, onwards we marched to the monument in Washington D.C.
To have our dream realized and to let it be,
For soon we would have learned our message from the past,
And I would then say- “Thank God Almighty I am free at last!!”
2nd Place: Kenyatta Kruetzfeldt - "I Am"
I am a believer in civil rights
I wonder if we will ever be treated equally
I hear prejudicial words still today
I see America will have its first African American President
I want there to be no more racism
I am a proud African American
I pretend not to hear prejudicial comments
I feel sad for ignorant people
I touch others with my beauty
I worry about how I will be treated when I get older
I cry when I think of what my people had to go through
I am a very proud African American
I understand I will have to work harder through life
I say "I will persevere"
I dream that I can be anything I want to be
I try to treat others the way I want to be treated
I hope I will be judged by the content of my character
I am and will always be a proud African American
3rd Place: Kaya Cross - Stand Tall
Dr. Martin Luther King fought for us one and all.
He made men and women freely stand tall.
Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream to show what equal
rights mean,
We remember him as a leader during a confused time.
His belief in nonviolence put the guns of war to silence.
As a proud strong symbol for us all,
Dr. Martin Luther King makes us stand tall.
If Dr. Martin Luther King did not exist
Life in America wouldn’t be like this
The first American dream is to live together in harmony
Dr. Martin Luther King fought for us one and all.
He made men and women freely stand tall.
The times of Martin Luther king were rough but Martin
was tough.
He stood against the old rules of time
And gave us the dream that makes American real hope come alive
As a proud strong symbol for us all,
Dr. Martin Luther King makes us stand tall.
Grade 6 - 8
First Place: Claire Ryan - "My Hands"
My hands are not black.
My hands are
Gently placing
Pale green
sprouts
In the soft
loam
Pouring
cool water
From a shiny
can
To quench
and rejuvenate
Watching
buds blossom
Into a collage
of colors
My hands are not black.
My hands are not tan.
My hands are
Expressively
moving
Accenting
words
Upon a stage
Miming happy
or sad
In the spotlight
Adding flair
to everything
Pressing
hard keys
To let music
flow
My hands are not tan.
My hands are not white.
My hands are
Painting
and brushing
Letting
color fill
A blank
page
Carefully
shading
As figures
form
From nothing
Tearing
colored papers
Like an
exploding rainbow
My hands are not white.
My hands are not brown.
My hands are
Tenderly
stroking
Soft, young
fur
Braving
winter walks
For big
puppy eyes
Whistling
and chirping
To feathered
friends
Tossing
yarn
For a meow
My hands are not brown.
Do not judge me
On the color of my hands.
Color does not tell
What kind of person I am.
Decide to be my friend or not
On what my hands do.
For then my hands
Are not any color at all.
Second Place: Sanji Suresh - "Hope"
It’s been a year
We still ain’t free
All the brave souls
Fightin’ for you and me
Sneakin’ out of Slave houses
In the dead of night
Followin’ those stars
Doin’ what’s right
Going to different restaurants
All segregated and such
Signs put up everywhere
It’s just become too much
Marchin’, marchin’, marchin’
Through this nation
Civil Disobedience
Through the duration
One day we’ll get ‘em
We’ll be free
I know that day’ll come
How happy I’ll be
Third Place: Halie Firl - "A Shooting Star"
a shooting star
a faithful glow
among the midnight sky
is one’s own hope
a symbol of freedom
to go and do
to stand strong and still
in one’s own will
a seamless wonder
to change the world
to shed some light
in this faint parcel of time
shooting far and wide
to enlighten it’s companions
on its unyielding journey
in hopes of illuminating
this dimmed creation
as it takes
its one last push
it coasts down
from it’s memorable saunter
thereafter the others started to glow
for the effort of one
instilled something in them all
for its light had spread through the multitude of the sky
Honorable Mention: Lily Grebe - "I Hear Loneliness, But Don't Forget Hope"
The sky looks always gray,
Couples look always happy,
Sadness looks always hungry.
As many things are painful then, they look much worse now.
When friends want you then, they hate you now.
There's no feeling in your heart,
Your body,
Your mind.
When you're hearing lonely,
Creeping up behind.
But when you're alone, there's still one person to help.
This person will make you fight,
To believe,
To love again.
When you're feeling left out and alone,
Hope can get you through,
Can help you find the righs you need
And the respect you want.
Hope will help you win the battle against all that should stand in your way.
Choose the weapons of words and love,
But most of all,
Beat lonely to the ground.
Honorable Mention: Kierra Walske - "The Dream is Happening"
Martin had a dream one day,
He wanted to come true,
For all the children in the world,
Just like me and you.
So he said, “I have a dream…”
For children everywhere
People should be equal
He knew that we’d get there.
Just look on people’s insides
To tell just who they are.
Even though we’re not there yet,
We really have come far.
It used to be a nightmare,
People judged by skin.
Now the dream is happening
Now we look within.
Just look at my great family
Martin’s dream is real
Our skin is different but
That doesn’t change the way we feel.
The world is getting better,
Believe me when I say,
Martin’s dream is coming true
I see love every day.
Honorable Mention: Ellen Emrich - "Martin Luther King"
Black and white, with or without sight
Woman or man, with or without a plan
He knew we were all the same
All players in the world's game
Searching for love and happiness, trying to ace the test
Lookinf for the meaning, and our inner being
For he had a dream, he had a scheme,
That would save us all from our dreadful fall
But some didn't understand, some didn't like what he planned
So they shot him dead, without thinking ahead
Of what would become of everyone
Without love or bravery, without joy or favory
We would all be separated by who we are, living in a bell jar.
Honorable Mention: Chris Brakke - "Freedom"
Freedom is my ice cream
Rights is my chocolate syrup
And human rights is my sprinkles!
Put them together and I have a big bowl of delicious justice!
Grade 9 - 12
First Place: Taylor Kuramoto - "Identify, Testify, Rectify"
Women, children, Men of every color,
Each just searching for a way to earn just a few more dollars,
Hear the hollers from all blue collars,
Calling for restitution,
A new solution, a revolution, an evolution, for their retribution,
And resurrection from their cold hard chains
The puppet master that control their strings,
Will no one help them gain?
And the ring leaders that snap their whips,
Will no one help them obtain?
Some one answer the call,
Gather a protest,
Meet at City Hall!
Oppress Tammany Hall,
Give rest to corruption,
End the eruption,
Finalize the injustice
And give equality to those who seek
The freedom lands,
The mountain top,
The clear blue skies,
of opportunity.
Second Place: Karolyn Wood - "The Grey House"
There was a time,
When the colors were divided,
By a stiff, solid line,
Black became victims and subsided,
White rose high and suppressed,
Hope flickered and victims ascended,
Black strove to be fairly assessed,
And now, black is done dreaming,
There is no longer The White House,
Now, The Gray House is gleaming.
Third Place: Amanda Moreno - "Mr. Waiter"
Yous can think I’se too ugly,
But
that cant stop you.
Yous can think I’se too tall or too short,
But I’se
still be here.
Yous can tease me,
But
that aint gunna make me go away.
Yous can think my hairs is the wrong color,
But I wont
care.
Yous can think that my skin is too dark or too light,
But yous
cant do anything.
Yous can call me nasty names,
But
I’se still human.
Yous dont have ta like me, yous dont even have ta look at me,
But I’se
still goin’ ta walk in this restaurant and
enjoy
my meal.
Yous can hate me,
But
yous cant discriminate against me,
Martin Luther King Jr. gave me and you the right to walk
Proudly where ever we go,
I’se proud of where I came from,
I’se proud of my skin color,
I’se proud of my education and,
I’se proud ta be an American,
Yous can hate me,
But
yous cant discriminate against me
Honorable Mention: Brett Vanderwiel - "Power by Example"
On January 15, 1929 this dignified man was born.
He would never know that over his death so many would morn.
Alberta and family raised him strong with justice,
And on top of the human rights hill no one could touch this.
With leading the protests on the Montgomery Bus Boycott a young man starts
his career.
The accomplishments of this civil rights activist made people cheer,
With an image of hope and freedom no one could fear.
Although his enemies made it known that they were near,
He became known as one of the greatest orators and held superior.
With the 1963 peace march on Washington he made his efforts even more clear.
Because on this day he delivered the famous and unforgettable speech “I
Have a Dream”,
Under the Washington monument you could hear nothing but freedom scream.
He was the youngest person to receive the Noble Peace Prize,
For his determination to end the racial segregation pleas and cries.
Then like an overwhelming heart attack it happened in Memphis,
Where we lost this honored and respected man that everyone will miss.
It was an evil assassination by Ray, Jowers, and Pepper,
Leaving Coretta behind in her dismay, God please help her.
His efforts in civil rights was not a mistake,
Because under these ideas everyone would soon undertake.
He also had a mentor by the name; Benjamin Mays,
And in 1986 he became one of the U.S. national holidays.
In protecting people’s physical integrities,
He made it clear that you had individual liberties.
The life of this warrior gave him fame,
But he never abused it or was put to blame.
The struggle on equality and civil liberty in America was his game,
And Martin Luther King Jr. is his name.
