Noami Zadaka is one of seven siblings. She is a senior at Wayzata High School. She enjoys writing, singing, and playing piano ('till my fingers get sore.) Writing seems to run in her family. Dad and Grandma both enjoy writing, and Grandma published a poetry book in Israel. Noami sees writing as a great way to express emotions and feelings on paper in ways you yourself cannot express. Noami won a prize for her poem, “My River” in last year’s Keren Or competition. This year she won prizes in both poetry and prose.
Poetry, Grades 10 - 12: Third Place
I Am -Noami Zadaka
I often have walked down this road
Beneath my big black cloak,
but people wonder who I am
but I still hide beneath my cloak.
I long to go and swim within
the school of silvery fish,
to swerve and flip and fit within
the hundreds of thousands of fish.
But the fish wonder who I really am
to flip and fit within them,
how I can dance so much like them
when my true color is odd and different?
I often have swam through this sea
beneath my big black scales,
but school fish wonder who I am
but I still hide beneath my scales.
Down South in Africa is where I wish to roam
to sprint with hundreds of Antelope,
to skip and prance and jump around
In a sea of black and brown.
But antelope wonder who I really am
to sprint and prance within them,
how I can skip so much like them
when my coat is of different color?
I often have pranced through this continent
beneath my thick black coat
but antelope wonder who I really am,
but I still hide beneath my coat.
I find my kind
but they are very few,
and, like me, hide their true color.
The gold in the river,
diamonds of the earth,
together become
one strong
nation.
I often have walked through this cave
to hide from the things I am,
And I often ask myself who I really am
And I say
I am.
I am.