The ELA Honor Society is proud to announce the winners of the Fall Poetry Writing & Performance Creative Challenge: Lia Ganor from Magen David Academy in Panama, Samantha Moreno from Juan Pablo Duarte Jose Julian Marti School in New Jersey, and Benjamin Mizrachi from Magen David Academy in Panama!
The evaluation team was highly impressed with Lia, Samantha, and Benjamin’s poems and performances based on the work of Benjamin Zephaniah, one of the UK’s most significant 20th century writers. He was a writer, dub poet, actor, musician, university professor, and campaigner for social justice in a variety of fields.
The Silent Crowd
by Lia Ganor
Magen David Academy, Panama
In a world where dreams fade away,
where children can’t play, and hope depends on a paycheck,
survival feels like a life-long dream.
Empty pockets and aching bellies walk the streets,
surrounded by the scent of despair.
A worn-out shoe with one sole left shuffles through shadows,
searching for warmth. The sun shines bright, but everything feels cold.
Each day is a battle, especially when you’re only a small ten-year-old.
Mom works late, her hands are sore, trying to stretch every dollar,
but rent is overdue, and there’s not much left to store.
A faded poster hangs on the wall, promising riches that feel out of reach.
Friends share a lunch, just a bite, exchanging stories under a dim streetlight,
dreaming of brighter days, with visions of life filled with stars,
though it hides behind rusty walls.
But what if we could change the game?
Turn struggles into something to claim? Let’s raise our voices, loud and strong,
for every child lost in the silent crowd.
In a world where love can break the chains of pain,
let’s fight for a future where hope reigns again.
Together, we can build a world where every child thrives!
Lia Ganor wrote about the importance of justice for children living in poverty, where survival is a daily challenge. Her poem describes scenes of financial hardship, hunger, and loneliness, with children trying to find hope amidst difficult circumstances. Despite these challenges, the poem calls for action, urging society to break the cycle of despair and build a future where love, hope, and opportunity allow every child to thrive.
Women’s Rights
by Samantha Moreno
Juan Pablo Duarte Jose Julian Marti School, New Jersey
Women can be strong.
It’s not fair that every day we are attacked,
We have rights to be humans just like you.
You can’t stop what happens,
What matters is what you do now.
Rise up and stand for what you think is right.
Nobody deserves the unfair treatment, especially since women are attacked every day.
Every day we try our best to be accepted into society:
Why don’t they accept us? I will tell you why . . .
They think women are weak-minded people, that we can’t fight.
No! That isn’t true at all; we are strong independent people,
We want to be treated the same as you.
Will we ever get that?
Yes, we will, you just need to fight back.
Fighting back is a one way step up to getting our rights,
That by all of us putting our own strengths in we can get our rights,
This isn’t the past, it’s now, our future.
Samantha Moreno wrote about women’s strength and resilience. The poem advocates for equal rights, urging women to rise up and fight for justice. The speaker challenges the stereotype that women are weak and calls for collective action to achieve equality, insisting that change is possible. The poem envisions a future where women’s rights are fully realized.
A Child’s Nightmare
by Benjamin Mizrachi
Magen David Academy, Panama
In factories dark and cold,
A little boy, so young and bold,
Works tirelessly, from morning till night,
His childhood dreams forever lost in plight.
His tiny hands, so small and weak,
Are forced to labor, unable to speak.
No time for play, no chance for school,
Their lives are bound by rigid rule.
He’s beaten, bruised, and left to cry,
His spirit crushed, his hopes run dry.
No love, no care, no gentle touch,
Just endless labor, far too much.
Yet still he strives, with all his might,
To find a way to see the light.
A glimmer of hope, a tiny spark,
To break free from the cruel dark.
Benjamin Mizrachi’s poem depicts a young boy forced to work long hours in harsh factory conditions. He is deprived of education and play. Enduring beatings and a lack of care, his spirit is crushed under endless labor. Despite his suffering, he clings to a faint hope for freedom. The poem reflects the boy’s resilience and desire to escape the cruelty of his life.
Find out more about our upcoming winter Book Bento Creative Challenge and apply between December 9, 2024 and January 13, 2025.
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