Ajla, whose parents came to Iowa from Bosnia in the late 90's, is a very unpretentious, self-confident eleven year old young woman who started off her poetry reading by introducing herself as a black belt in Taekwondo, a guitar student, and a gal who loves the Beatles and Bob Dylan. She told the audience that her inspiration for poetry has come from many sources, one being her father's stories of war in Bosnia.
Ajla's story was told in our local newspaper last Wednesday at http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_0e7b6f57-cae6-5ea8-93a7-c9cfc6f7f732.html
Here's one of her poems that received an award in January:
"I See It, Too" by Ajla Dizdarevic
My head held high
I reach for the sky
With my Sisters and Brothers
With my Fathers and Mothers
I feel invincible as I hear this man say
"Why can't there be another way?"
My black skin tingles as I wonder why
The Blacks and Whites don't seem to try
To be friends together, and hold hands, too
I've seen some try, but only a few
They went to jail, but they didn't care
Some people just can't be scared
Like the man in front of me, making a speech
He's trying to say something, trying to teach
He says that we should unite, and all be friends
He says that would rid of the cold, cruel trends
He says we should not be judged by the color of our skin
he says that if these new ways were in effect, everyone would win
Including us
As I watch this man from high above,
I feel the power that he is emitting
He is saying that the ways they're treating us is a crime people
shouldn't be committing
As I hear the Man speak, I am watching from above
As I hear the Man speak, I am thinking about love
I am sitting upon my daddy's shoulder, watching from above
Someday, the Blacks and Whites will run together,
And take the wing
All because of the speech made by the Junior Martin Luther King
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