6th grade | High Meadows School | Georgia
Finalist, Peace and Conflict category
With lines from “In Congo, Embroidery Artist Stitches an Archive of War” by Sophie Neiman and Hugh Kinsella Cunningham, a Pulitzer Center reporting project
Needle grasped in her wrinkled fingers, and tongue between her lips,
Memories fall from her mind,
Through her muscles,
To the needle,
To the cloth.
Ignoring our history will allow it to repeat itself.
For someone must remember—
The history others long to forget.
Men in green march the demolished streets,
The ones filled with the remains of houses,
Pictures, and
Frames.
Civilians flee beneath the spray of gunfire.
She continues to sew.
One, depicting women cowering behind bushes and trees,
Demands an end to sexual violence.
The weaver who wants an end
She will continue to speak again:
We are in a war, so I am making pictures of war.
I'll halt
When men stop marching.
I’ll halt
When weapons stop crashing.
I’ll halt
When hearts stop shattering.
When the war ends, I will make pictures of peace.
The history others long to erase,
The history will not disappear nor be forgotten.
Elliot is a rising seventh grader who loves dance, storytelling, and speaking up for what’s right. She enjoys exploring big ideas through writing, performing on stage, and diving into thoughtful debates. Outside the classroom, she finds joy in ballet and spending time with her family. Inspired by the power of words and movement, Elliot hopes to one day become a human rights attorney, a writer, or maybe even a professional dancer. No matter where life takes her, she plans to keep creating and standing up for others.
Read more winning entries from the 2025 Fighting Words Poetry Contest.