America, A House Divided

2025 7th-8th Grade Poetry Winner

Oh, America, land of the free,
Where whispers of aspirations still linger by the sea
Yet waves crash hard upon the shore,
And voices rise, demanding more.

Once stitched in hope, this grand design,
Now frayed along the fragile line.
We built our towers, we paved our streets,
Yet hunger lingers where wealth repeats.
The streets are loud with angry cries,
A country of truth, yet filled with lies.
We talk of justice, bright and fair,
Yet some still gasp for equal air.

The worker breaks beneath the load,
While fortunes ride the gilded road.
A hand once confident, strong, and proud,
Now shakes beneath a corporate cloud.
The mothers weep, the fathers pray,
For children lost along the way.
To steel and fire, hate and pain,
And still the cycle stays the same,

We promised light, yet dimmed the flame,
Point fingers, but forget to blame.
The past still whispers in our ear,
Yet we refuse the truth we fear.

And yet—beneath this crushing weight,
There still remains a chance for fate.
For voices rise, and hands unite,
And justice trembles into sight.

Oh, America, fractured, scarred,
Still reaching for the distant stars.
Will we repair, will we amend?
Or watch this dream come to an end.