Poetry Friday -- Young Poets

Answer: Over 650 Question: How many poems were submitted to Word Up! – Howard County Library’s youth poetry competition? Wow! Poetry is alive and well in our central Maryland schools and homes. Last week, I spoke at the Word Up! celebration. About a dozen of the winning poets (grade six through age 21), read their poetry. (I did the math -- over 80 entries per grade level.)

The readers were great, performing their poems about nature, relationships, politics, pizza and coping with a bright red stain on a white blouse.

One of the winning poets is Isaiah Du Pree, a 9th grader at one of our public high schools. (In the photo above, he's the one in the suit seated in the front row. That's me at the podium.)

I met Isaiah when I visited his middle school G/T Writers Guild last year. He’s got great stage presence and his poem, “Declaration,” lends itself to performance. Declaration Maybe if we didn’t send such degradation Our world would not suffer all this humiliation We wouldn’t have blacks in trials and tribulations America would try to handle current situations This is our world it’s not an animation It won’t disappear with some prestidigitation Because in this world there is no sanctification What we need is more renunciation Surrender ourselves would be some configuration American is dying we need emancipation Lift ourselves up and gather determination There would be no more. No more limitations No more examinations and weak investigations No more lies. No more false education You were meant to be you are a creation Anyone who told you different used manipulation If we keep this up there will be extermination We must find a way to prevent annihilation This is what I speak this is my citation This is my demand this is my declaration

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