Perspectives on Politics

2018 7th & 8th Grade Poetry Winner

Immigrants should be deported
So don’t try to tell me
They helped make our country what it is today
The truth is
They take our jobs or live on welfare
As much as some politicians try to convince you
Immigrants should be welcome here
Foreigners are destroying our country
It is wrong to insist
We need them
In reality
Immigrants bring crime; they kill and rape
We need to ban the idea that
Open doors make our country strong

And then there is this:

Women are using #MeToo speak out
Many challenge this idea because they see that
If you’ve got money and leverage
You can do anything
Powerful men say
It is intolerable that
Women are pushing back
There’s a price you have to pay for influence!
Men in charge say
Feminists will remain silent
It would be foolish to think that
Women will risk all they have earned to be heard

There is a third issue:

The world knows
Our climate is changing
But this is wrong, even though believers can’t see it
Climate change is a hoax
Donald Trump stated “We could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming,” and
Some tweet that
Scientists manipulate climate change data
Still, there are those who insist
We’ve had our fifteen hottest years since 2000
No matter what others believe
We’re sure that
Clean coal
Is a better idea than
A tax that makes companies pay for their carbon

Because we understand this, we also realize that

The world we have known is lost to us
We refuse to believe that
Global poverty is declining
While
Education world-wide is improving
You must agree that
Populism is the new way forward, yet
People will try to tell you that
Young people will tackle gun control
And it is evident that
Marches represent grassroots resistance
These are lies and here is the truth:
The U.S. is a laughing stock
And
The President says we must “Make America Great Again”
Turn away when
Citizens promise 2018 will be a year of change and progress

Now read it from the bottom up...