The Valley View Voice
A Letter from Michelle
Valley View 7th grader gets a surprise from the first lady.
By Macy M.
7th grader, Shreya Konkimalla has received a letter from none other than the First Lady Michelle Obama.
​
Two weeks ago, Shreya received a reply to a poem she sent to the first lady. She sent this poem back in late March and, “didn’t have any expectations,” she said. Her poem was about child labor. The reply praised her for her work. It opened by saying that Michelle Obama was especially happy to hear from her, and closed by telling her to keep up the good work. Shreya said, “I just wanted to share something that I cared about,” and never expected the reply or the other small gifts she got. She received a signed photo of the first lady and also some cards about Michelle and her dogs.
​
Shreya plans on writing more poems and taking a bigger interest in politics. She wants to help other people around the world who face poverty, but she’s undecided how she will pursue this goal.
Shreya K. with a signed photo of Michelle Obama
Photo by Anil Konkimalla
Dreaming
by Shreya K.
A ray of sunlight trickles through the clouds,
A teardrop of water falls from a leaf.
The sound of singing is not allowed,
And the slight breeze is my only relief.
My dirty bare feet sink into the mud,
Covered in sores and bruised all over.
Some around me have hands caked in dry blood,
But no one dares to look in the eyes of the owner.
Rows and rows of hard working children,
Make the rhythm of hacking go on.
Once had big dreams but now futures are barren,
And now are slaves working every day, every dawn.
The rebels are shot down by angry old pistols,
And warn the rest that there’s no room for misbehaving.
We are all beaten in fistfulls,
To make sure that we are surely behaving.
But we all have hope that one day,
This cruelty will be put to one final last stop.
Maybe the sky will be blue or maybe gray,
And we will be free of tending the crop.
A ray of sunlight trickles through the clouds,
A teardrop of water falls from a leaf.
The sound of singing is not allowed,
But my dreams give me a sense of relief.
​
Photo by Indigo K.