broken image

In Justice We Act.

  • Home
  • About
  • News
  • Competition 
    • Results 2025 Spring
    • Competition 2025 Spring
    • Results 2024 Fall
    • Competition 2024 Fall
    • Results 2024 Spring
    • Competition 2024 Spring
    • Results 2023 Fall
    • Competition 2023 Fall
    • Results 2023 Spring
    • Competition 2023 Spring
    • Results 2022 Fall
    • Competition 2022 Fall
    • Results 2022 Spring
    • Competition 2022 Spring
    • Results 2021
    • Competition 2021
  • SIPI 
    • 2025 SIPI
    • 2024 SIPI Results
    • 2024 SIPI
  • Event 
    • 2024 Spring Concert for Peace
    • 2023 Spring Concert for Peace
    • 2022 Spring Forum
  • Voice
  • Interviews
  • Opinion
  • Gallery
  • Watchers
  • …  
    • Home
    • About
    • News
    • Competition 
      • Results 2025 Spring
      • Competition 2025 Spring
      • Results 2024 Fall
      • Competition 2024 Fall
      • Results 2024 Spring
      • Competition 2024 Spring
      • Results 2023 Fall
      • Competition 2023 Fall
      • Results 2023 Spring
      • Competition 2023 Spring
      • Results 2022 Fall
      • Competition 2022 Fall
      • Results 2022 Spring
      • Competition 2022 Spring
      • Results 2021
      • Competition 2021
    • SIPI 
      • 2025 SIPI
      • 2024 SIPI Results
      • 2024 SIPI
    • Event 
      • 2024 Spring Concert for Peace
      • 2023 Spring Concert for Peace
      • 2022 Spring Forum
    • Voice
    • Interviews
    • Opinion
    • Gallery
    • Watchers
broken image

In Justice We Act.

  • Home
  • About
  • News
  • Competition 
    • Results 2025 Spring
    • Competition 2025 Spring
    • Results 2024 Fall
    • Competition 2024 Fall
    • Results 2024 Spring
    • Competition 2024 Spring
    • Results 2023 Fall
    • Competition 2023 Fall
    • Results 2023 Spring
    • Competition 2023 Spring
    • Results 2022 Fall
    • Competition 2022 Fall
    • Results 2022 Spring
    • Competition 2022 Spring
    • Results 2021
    • Competition 2021
  • SIPI 
    • 2025 SIPI
    • 2024 SIPI Results
    • 2024 SIPI
  • Event 
    • 2024 Spring Concert for Peace
    • 2023 Spring Concert for Peace
    • 2022 Spring Forum
  • Voice
  • Interviews
  • Opinion
  • Gallery
  • Watchers
  • …  
    • Home
    • About
    • News
    • Competition 
      • Results 2025 Spring
      • Competition 2025 Spring
      • Results 2024 Fall
      • Competition 2024 Fall
      • Results 2024 Spring
      • Competition 2024 Spring
      • Results 2023 Fall
      • Competition 2023 Fall
      • Results 2023 Spring
      • Competition 2023 Spring
      • Results 2022 Fall
      • Competition 2022 Fall
      • Results 2022 Spring
      • Competition 2022 Spring
      • Results 2021
      • Competition 2021
    • SIPI 
      • 2025 SIPI
      • 2024 SIPI Results
      • 2024 SIPI
    • Event 
      • 2024 Spring Concert for Peace
      • 2023 Spring Concert for Peace
      • 2022 Spring Forum
    • Voice
    • Interviews
    • Opinion
    • Gallery
    • Watchers
broken image

Recite

Hao (Nikita) Ju, Beanstalk International Bilingual School

· Winning Essays

And we: recite: do the labor of hallucinating at dead plants high, high above ground

Words of old, dead men float before us and I

fold sonnets into little square handkerchiefs

Trying to wipe your tears away from:

Walking up and down the mud road to school, escaping

your mom who was trafficked, your dad, a drunkard,

or any other thing.

A yellow sparrow sings, witnessing your trial, crossing

a slow lift from the swamp, a steep slippery steel string.

 

And we: recite: I shall do meaningful things:

Dancing to the silent music

Listening to nonexistent voices faraway, as we proceed into the night

—or to your home, one day,

Our presence as your blessing, asking, introducing:

We have come here to teach you. We, volunteered!

A huge sacrifice. What is a “dream”? You ask

What is the meaning, of, actually, anything?

My mother told me to marry soon, my father told me to quit school.

Hush hush. Some escapism for the both of us:

Listen to some poetry, some art, some literature

a mid-air mirror that will shatter as soon as we leave.

 

And we: recite: that, yes, life is poetic

Why shouldn’t it be?

After many years, or tomorrow, we will know

that this was the worst kind of dystopian novel.

Subscribe
Previous
Unlocking Life’s Boundless Potential: The Transformative...
Next
Migration of Humanity Through Education
 Return to site
Profile picture
Cancel
Cookie Use
We use cookies to improve browsing experience, security, and data collection. By accepting, you agree to the use of cookies for advertising and analytics. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Learn More
Accept all
Settings
Decline All
Cookie Settings
Necessary Cookies
These cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. These cookies can’t be switched off.
Analytics Cookies
These cookies help us better understand how visitors interact with our website and help us discover errors.
Preferences Cookies
These cookies allow the website to remember choices you've made to provide enhanced functionality and personalization.
Save