Michelle Obama School of Technology and the Arts in Park Forest recently held a Poetry Slam that provided a showcase for students’ original poetry.

Recitations of original poems by community members Lillian Robinson, Mike Williams, Donta Gee, Greg Powell and Quianna Overall, health assistant at the school, opened the event. The community members then served as judges for the students’ portion of the Poetry Slam. Students were judged on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding and overall performance. After the judging, the top five student poets were Xosa Cox, first place; Layla Lyone, second place; Autumn Burke, third place; Destini Fields, fourth place; and Kelsey Sydnore, fifth place.

Students also created pictures that reflected inspirational quotations. Winning work Following is the poem written and recited by first-place winner Xosa Cox, an eighth grade student at Michelle Obama School: UN-TITLED What are you? What is me? And watch too much TV Or do the news channels do too much to deceive? Or maybe they try to plagiarize “All Hollow Eve”

But don’t be surprised now when all you see on the screen is: Black man shot twice 30 people shot dead this year by police.

I am still so unsettled by the quick release of a trigger that helps exterminate people off the streets.

But does that help? Does that strengthen you? Or does it make you weak? Is it good to tell lies to people’s faces, by telling others about all stupid races? And “were you on the scene?”

“So how does this accomplish the dream?”

This aching, deceiving, screaming, dreaming, demeaning feeling of non-believing.

Helps the upset screaming demon that feeds on what I’m hearing.

But that’s okay, I’ll come back to you.

Flicker flicker goes the TV, now off to channel 2.