“Hope”: An epic poem By Finn Boughner

Finn Boughner is a 'grand-nephew' of mine. He doesn't know me, but his grandfather, Tony Afzal, and I have been friends for a very, very long time.

Tony sent me a poem by him and said, "He sat down and wrote this in 45 minutes flat, with NO prompting from his mother, other than the occasional punctuation corrections. He is 11 years old, going on 40, and an extraordinarily gifted child." Here's his 1st Prize winning poem:

HOPE

   (an Epic Poem by Finn Boughner)

The world is now in need.

As if power and control will help.

In this world of ours help comes in one place.

Hope.

Hope, is when a starving Afghani child thinks,

“Maybe tomorrow will be better.”

Hope.

Hope is when in the Chinese Sweatshops,

A worker says “I think I’ll win that lawsuit.”

Hope.

Hope is in Pakistan where the farmer who has his

Crops destroyed knows next year crops will be

Ten-fold, and surplus, enough to feed his family.

Hope.

Hope is when an American, Cancer diagnosed child says,

“They’ll find a cure and I’ll run with the other children.”

Hope.

Together we can make a change with UNICEF and WHO

And UNPO, with kindness and tolerance and all around

Hospitality.

With the world in the hands of our children, we should

Make it better before they take over.

I, as a child, some say shouldn’t have these beliefs.

Dark and depressing as our blackened and saturated

World is,

Hiding it from the community of children and Young adults

Is a grave and perilous mistake.

To let your child believe together we can make a change

Is the right choice of one or of the other.

Hope.

Hope is when we find a cure to HIV/AIDS.

Hope.

Hope is when relief aid will come to all in need, regardless

Of religion, culture, or the color of your skin.

Hope.

Hope is when it’s okay to be

   Muslim in America,

   Christian in North Korea,

   or Jewish in the Middle East.

Hope.

When all world is at peace, when there is no poverty, no

Crime, no judgment, no terrorist assaults, and no Nuclear War threat.

Listen to my words so that one day the world will be in a perfect world …

Together We Can.

Reflections: Literature

Theme: Together We Can

Grade 6, Room 16, Mrs. Lee

Golden Hill Elementary