Teens > Summer 2008 Teen Writing Contest
Summer 2008 Teen Writing Contest
Grades 6-8 Poetry Winner: "Alia" by Isabel Riddick
I am Alia
Daughter of Lebanon,
The three-sided country
where the sand laps on one side
water on the opposite
and war on the last
Who bows down five times
to Allah, the one god
who cares for all
Falafels are stuffed with vegetables
and hummus every day
and on special occasions a bite
of baklava from the faraway
islands
My soft dress tickles my ankles
and my headdress covers my hair
as if it will protect me
from the war and strife
War on the first side
Water on the second
Sand on the third
Daughter of Lebanon
I am Alia
