Congratulations to Hillside High School student, Shwessi Celorge, whose poem "Embers in the Echo" was selected to be published in the book "American High School Poets - Holiday Special 2025"! This book was produced by the Live Poetry Society of New Jersey, which hosts the National High School Poetry Contest each year. Shwessi is one of a few topical winners for the contest, shout out to her ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, Ms. Melissa Ambrose! You can read Shwessi's poem below:
(American High School Poets-Holiday Special 2025 is available for purchase on Amazon)
"Embers in the Echo
Beneath the bruised breath of broken skies,
My heart hums hymns where hidden havoc lies.
A dolorous dusk drapes dreams in dusky dust,
Each memory murmurs, “must, must, must.”
The ache, a raven roosted in my chest,
Preens feathers of the grief I can’t divest.
Time, a thief with velvet veils and venom,
Steals my steps, yet leaves the phantom’s emblem.
Hope hides in hollows where the heart hesitates,
And courage crawls through cryptic corridors of fates.
My pain is poetry painted in pallid pain,
A tempest tracing tears along my vein.
A tongue-tied tide turns truth into trembling trill,
While sorrow sings in silver streams so still.
The past persists, a prisoner in my plea,
Its chains chant chants no choice can set free.
I march, my mind a maze of muted moans,
Where echoes etch eternity in stones.
Yet in this ache, a fragile flame I find
A lyrical lifeline to a lost mankind."
Amazing work, Shwessi!
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