High School Winners

First Place Winner: William Leetch, Medford High School, in Medford

Regardless We Die
We speak in tongues
Of different flavors
We build our societies
On each others labor

We are dark or light
And rich or poor
We worship different gods
And kneel on the floor

We killed our cousins
Because of their skin
We saw that without
And ignore that within

But regardless we sleep
Regardless we cry
Regardless we leap
And regardless we die

Take a less from Death
Treat all the same
Learn from Death
To remain humane


Second Place Winner: Eileen Johnson, Arlington High School

A Nation of One
Black
White
or Asian
we are all human beings
Muslim
Jew
or Hindu
we all have religion
Irish
Italian
or German
we all come from somewhere
Straight
Gay
or
Bisexual
we all have the right to vote
no matter the diversity
we are all a nation of one.


Third Place Winner: Gabriela Colonette, Snowden International High School, in Boston

He is pale as a ghost out on Halloween
She is dark as the chocolate your mother forbids you
to eat
they see each other everyday
their shoulders brush gently against the other
neither of them not knowing exactly what to say
their connect
he smiles
she smiles
their flirts in full effect
He is a heart throb
the American dream
she’s beautiful, flawless
an ebony African queen
blonde tall and dangerously handsome
he is the best of the best
he sees her in his dream
his love for her he must get off his chest
their relationship is hidden, forbidden
the world would object
snow hitting the asphalt
their feelings they can’t reject
“stick with your own kind”
They hear over and over
Only they know the true meaning
love is colorless
love is not prejudice
love is blind