Banner: "Freedom" in blue text with the top of letter "m" seeming to fly away like birds. "3rd Annual Braille Poetry Contest" in blue text.

 

And this year's winners are:

Dena Polston (Adult)

 

Freedom from My Grief

I am drowning in grief

Times like this

Our life on Earth is brief

I need freedom from my grief

The journey is unending

Upon my knees unbending

My broken heart needs mending

I need freedom from my grief

That voice that held

That smile

Together we’ve walked the miles

I thought we had a while

I want freedom from my grief

There have been many ups and downs

My mind’s gone round and round

Peace in this journey I’ve finally found

I now have freedom from my grief


 

Amy Liu (9th-12th Grade)

 

Where My Freedom Lies

 

The undried tears of my brethren

Roll down my cheek.

The unheard voices of my sisters

Ring in my ear.

 

How can we be free

When our brothers and sisters

Are blind to equity

And deaf to opportunity?

 

How can we be free

When those around us

Leave us to the face of injustice

And look away from our suffering?

 

They define us by our disability

Rather than our capability.

They are masked by this belief

That we are less and they are more.

 

Nevertheless,

I row against the current,

And conquer the waters

By myself.

 

The sun rises,

And I push on.

 

Because I know that

There is both

Solace and strength

In my darkness.

 

And that,

That is where my freedom lies.


 

Airel Reyes Mondragon (6th-8th Grade)

 

The Way Out

The world is looking at me and I am trying to figure out a way to be free

Everyone is fighting, crying, dying and hiding

And I am hiding because I see people dying

I cannot lose hope now

I have to find a way out of this mess somehow

I don’t want to join the fight

Yet know it is on a cold bloody night

It is such a horrible sight

Though I want to stand up for what is right

My heart is beating really fast

Trying to forget the past

But know this is happening in reality

And all this fighting is going to the extremity

People are dying and I don’t want to lose my life

In order to find the light, know I thought this is such a horrible sight

So then I ran for it

I did not want to get hit by death and get struck in the pit

I ran as fast as I can, like I thought I would

I may have seen the sign that said Freedom is the Dream to Your Mind

So now I was just free

As free as a flying bird you see

The end


 

Oliver Reyes Mondragon (3rd-5th Grade)

 

Freedom to me is…

Being home

Playing with my chickens, who have a lot of freedom

They get to peck, walk, and run around in my backyard

Safe without animals, they find their own fun

As around they run, hens they are in coops

Feel so so stressed, wishing to be free

When I am at school, I feel the same way

Wishing to be home with the freedom that I know

Chasing my beautiful hens


 

Hayley Thibodeaux (K5-2nd Grade)

 

Freedom of my Heart

For me, freedom represents my heart

Because each day I get to everything that God made me to be

Dancing singing and playing

Makes me content

Overjoyed for the freedom to explain the world with my cane

My hands and my heart


 

Thank you so much to everyone who applied.  It was tough competition this year!

About the annual poetry contest:

This is the 3rd year that we've hosted a braille poetry competition.  All submissions have to be about a specified them, this year the theme is freedom.

All poems also have to be submitted in either hard copy or digital braille.  Our poetry contest committee selects their favorite poem in each of the five Entry Groups and we announce the winners on World Poetry Day. (March 21st)

Each winner receives $100 in prizes, consisting of a $50 National Braille Press Gift Card and a $50 Visa Gift Card.
We also publish winning poems on the contest page and on the Inside NBP Blog throughout the month of April!

Entry Groups:

  • K-2nd grade
  • 3rd grade-5th grade
  • 6th grade-8th grade
  • 9th grade-12th grade
  • Adults

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