Popoff USA Contest

Poets for Human Rights announces the 2007 Alexander Popoff Youth Award poetry contest  USA Winners

The Alexander Popoff Youth Award is the legacy of a young man who believed in the goodness of the human spirit. The first contest drew so many submissions from foreign countries that the contest founder, Georgia Popoff, decided to hold two contests this year, one for young poets from the US and one international contest. This year's judge for both contests was Ryfkah Horwitz, of La Mirada, California. Ryfkah is a teacher, poet and member of Womansong poetry performance ensemble advocating anti-abuse and celebration of life. Congratulations to each of the poets whose works were honored by the contest judges. And thank you to all the poets who submitted poems to the contests.

3rd place went to Michael Evan Goodman of New York, NY. Michael is 17.

Man You Make a Lily

Man you make a Lily and you take her for a Rose
Man you make a Lily and you take her for a Rose
Speak it, Shinto! Sing it, Shinto!
Bomb it, Buddha!
Mao it, Taoist!
These girls ain't easy anyhow
Man this girl's so easy she got egg yolk in her eyes
Man this girl's so easy she got egg yolk in her eyes
Confused, Confucius?
Cause my mama Japan's a man
And she's making your girls Lilies and pullin' up Roses
And it ain't an uphill fight tonight
No Pyrrhic victory for me
Cause, man, this Lily is free
It ain't no autonomy
Rip your roses, call your daughter
Lotus wrote us an elegy
We'll make your Yangtze anxious
We ain't your eunuchs, you know
You put the epic in your epicanthic fold
You put the epic in your epicanthic fold
Ni hao, brown cow, but you can't drink milk, now can you?
We won't but our brothers break it fine
Mama's a man and her name is Japan
And her fold ain't old, not as old as you is, papa
But she's birthed us and our mirth shows
We sing it Shinto and Zen cause
When can Confucius be trusted?
Rusted swords, rustic hordes
We'll thick and we'll stick you like you never saw yin yang
We'll thick and we'll stick you like you never saw yin yang
Dang! You make a Lily and you take it for a Rose
Man you make a Lily and you take it for a Rose
We twist it tempura
We shout it sashimi
We'll pillage your millet and fill it with mortar
We'll pummel your pestles and fire the shell
And
BOOM!
Man you should'a thunk before we sunk outta
China.
We took your gunpowder and POW, it's a hit
But you knew that,
You knew that!
You know we share rice and spice and
Secondhand lice
But your women are wanton
And we want in.
So we will continue to contain
And pain is principle
So simple so sweet
And when we meet
Let us make your morsels so Shinto so Buddha
Are you confused, Confucius?
Man you make a Lily and you take her for a Rose
Man you make a Lily and you take
her
for
a
rose.

2nd Place winner was Jennifer Hu, age 15, Hummelstown, Pennsylvania
 

kisses and wishes

today the sky should be blue with white cotton clouds
and flowers should be bright and beautiful and bold
and laughter should echo and footprints never disappear

but…
today

a father kisses his daughter through a window
reaches for her tiny fingers struggling against hard plastic
gazes into her innocent glazed eyes

i miss you he whispers to his family
but they can't hear him
can only catch his lips mouthing the words
breath steaming into the air

the wife turns away to wipe a tear from her eye
smiling bravely the father stretches his palm to the plastic
trying to console her
she reaches out two fingers
he closes his eyes
believes he can almost almost feel her touch

their daughter stands underneath the awning
its begun to rain and she leans closer to her mother
peering at the stranger who seems to be a good family friend
she smiles at this strange tall man
timidly timidly but still a smile

the father feels his heart breaking
he could burst
he grins back – the grin that his wife loved so much
the daughter blinks
surprised
and scampers quickly away as her mother
suddenly hunches her shoulders and sobs

today a father should be flying kites with his daughter
under a brilliant blue sky

instead

the faint outlines of lips are still etched against the window
misty
fading away

a father traces them until they disappear
wishing that they like his daughter
would not be so
elusive

1st Prize also went to Jennifer Hu!

In defiance

my eyes are greedy
for words
books with painted pictures
and gold lettering and
curling black script
"why can't I go to school mama"
I want to learn too

"my child
you must learn our women's work
you are to be married soon"
I sigh
needlework is not for
my clumsy fingers
cooking tries my patience
I have not even met the groom
"ai your husband will not be very happy
with you try
try again"
the needle is back in my hand

every morning
ahmad goes to school
with his books tucked under one arm
I want to follow him
but mama pulls me back inside
"you must learn girl"
I can hear his laughter
echoing down the dusty street
my fists tighten with envy

"yes mama
I will learn"
words shall be written on my heart
poetry as familiar as the back of my hand
at night
I will steal ahmad's books
and try to learn until my eyes blur
I will make you proud mama
I refuse to become like you