Poems by two seniors selected for publication

Poems by Ojasi Madhekar and Vaishnavi Dabas were selected for publication in the 2025 Ralph Munn Creative Writing Anthology, which is distributed to all public and school libraries throughout Allegheny County.

Vaishnavi’s poem, “Ink of Rebellion,” and Ojasi’s poem, “Ghosts and Gold,” received high praise from author and contest judge Sheila Carter-Jones, who provided personalized feedback to the young writers.

Both students are currently enrolled in the International Baccalaureate English course taught by Dr. Emily Robbibaro. Their poems were originally written as part of a junior-year English assignment in Dr. Robbibaro’s class.

The Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest is held annually and open to Allegheny County students in grades 9–12. Writers may submit original work in poetry or short prose. Entries are accepted through mid-May, with winners announced in mid-August.

Funded by an endowment from former Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Director Ralph Munn, the contest continues to encourage and celebrate young voices across the region.

For more details, visit:https://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids-teens/teenspace/ralphmunn/

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Ghosts and Gold by Ojasi Madhekar

Reaching out- a web of shining silk,

The spider spins, spins, spins,

The golden shimmer spans out in every direction,

Painting an effervescent glow onto the bride,

Her face lights up, generations painted upon her,

Each thread is a word of advice, a warning, a consolation,

Every divot reminds her of her home,

Every flower reminds her of her youth,

Every stitch is who she is,

Every thread is who she will become,

Outside, the crowd roars, ready to send her off,

But she is not yet prepared to leave this all behind,

Generations have spun this thread, countless women saving scraps,

Her mother had entered earlier, carrying stacks of gold,

Her smile glittered with joy, yet her eyes shone with sympathy,

The bride stood still as she was adorned with jewelry,

Each weight stabilizes her, each jewel strengthens her resolve,

She fears the unknown, the world not yet discovered,

But her ancestors are with her and their triumphs are her own,

They prop the bride up and push her out the door,

She sees them surround her, smiling gently,

As the garland is wrapped around her neck, they clap,

As the fire burns, they laugh

As she circles around the flame, their hands reach towards her,

Life touches death- just for a moment,

Until they are worlds apart again,

But, if even for a flash, she sees their faces in her ornaments,

And they are with her once more

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Ink of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Dabas

My great-grandfather,

a warrior not of swords, but of truth.

The path of blood was never his path,

but his words cut through silence like fire in the dark.

Ink was his weapon, paper his battlefield.

His words carried the force of many whispered rebellions.

On each page, a spark for the land.

The British pressed heavily against India,

but he pressed back with something stronger

Written words, a force they could not chain.

From house to house, his whispers grew,

Turning into echoes of defiance,

into sparks of hope.

My family lived on the edge of struggle,

Never having enough to buy food from the pennies earned by ink-stained hands.

Yet fear never touched their heart,

and doubt never stole my great-grandfather's voice.

His words were more than stories,

they were the breath of a movement,

the pulse of resistance.

And now, his legacy lives in me

A reminder that swords may break, but ink endures.