A young Muslim student has won a national prize for her poem about Anne Frank, beating hundreds of entries.
Maha Salman, a Year 8 student from King Edward VI School for Girls in Birmingham, has won the national Anne Frank Poetry prize, sponsored by the educational charity the Anne Frank Trust UK, for her poem entitled “Hope” (you can read the poem below).
The prize is part of the NASUWT teaching union’s annual Arts and Minds Awards, which are designed to celebrate cultural diversity in Britain’s schools.
On receiving her award she told audiences how Anne Frank had had a huge influence on her life.
Gillian Walnes, vice president of the Anne Frank Trust, said the poem was “an acutely thoughtful and mature reflection of the feelings of those who suffered in the Holocaust”.
She added: “The message of the poem really resonates - the diary Anne left behind is a testament to ‘Hope’, and the structure of the poem allows the reader to fully appreciate the contribution Anne Frank’s diary has made to our understanding of the Holocaust and indeed the current world around us.
“In these times of turmoil and intolerance, the fact that Maha, a young Muslim girl, has spoken so eloquently about a Jewish Holocaust victim, is in itself a wonderful cause for hope.”
"Hope", by Maha Salman
As siren sounds, a life is broken
Eyes glaze with depression
As those who hide in the shadows
Wonder
Wait
Watch
As their hope disintegrates into dust
Day
By
Day
Wondering if their screams will cease to carry
anchors made out of a thousand tears.
Pain
Agonisingly mind numbing pain.
As evil torments each house,
corners unturned by this new found darkness
Eliciting terror
People can only watch in grievous silence
As loved ones are stabbed with sickening poison
Robbed of their purity
Robbed of their dignity.
The hidden people
Only wonder
If their pain and abuse is all for nothing.
Hope’s world used to exist
As oblivious laughter and sweet messages
merged to form a girl
whose world was full of beauty
Beautiful memories -
Father taking her to the sea shore
Feeling the soft waves kiss her feet
With which it made her feel invincible
Whilst eating cream cakes
And dreaming a sweet dream
Hope was a young girl -
Miss Anne Frank
Her mind filled with naivety
Believing deeply
That people are really good at heart.
Despite hiding behind dust
Screaming in terror from her nightmares
She believed that behind misery there was beauty
No man
No solider
No priest
Is used to represent the voice of the Jews
Only a simple little girl represents the Jews
Who showed what life can be through her little checked book
