Last month, fourth grader Mirabelle Soufer was selected as one of just 16 poets to participate in the Poetry Pathway Democracy Speaks Civic Poetry Trail. The contest was a joint effort of the City of Chattanooga, the State of Tennessee America 250 program, Rhyme n Chatt and the Chattanooga Poetry Pathway.

Entrants of all ages submitted a poem along with a video of themselves reciting it. Only 16 poets were chosen, and each received a $500 honorarium. Mirabelle was the youngest poet selected. Only one other participant is under 18; the remaining poets are adults.

When asked why she wanted to participate, Mirabelle said, “At hard times when everything is so sad, when you read a good, heartfelt piece of poetry, it’s a fresh start.”

Mirabelle keeps a notebook where she writes down ideas that often come to her “when I wake up early.”

As part of the program, each poet will now write a new poem focused on a Democracy Speaks topic of their choice. Mirabelle selected “Women and the Vote,” a topic she first learned about during the fourth grade field trip to Nashville earlier this school year. The poets will take part in a series of workshops where they can share their work, receive feedback and refine their pieces. Mirabelle says attending the workshops will feel like having a job “because you have important deadlines.”

Her finished poem will be featured on the Poetry Pathway in Chattanooga, currently located in Renaissance Park.

The poem she submitted, called The Greater Good, is below.
*Copyright Mirabelle Soufer 2025
 

You must fly...
you must stretch your wings
and fly.
For
you must be free
because freedom is priceless.
For you my darling
you have been lost.
Lost in the nightmare
the nightmare of the deepest sleep.
For you my darling
you have been drowned.
Drowned in the darkest river
of bitterness and poison.
For you my darling
you have been enclosed.
Enclosed in the endless void
the endless void of the world’s fears
and sadness
and dark.
For you my darling
you have defied the evil.
You have climbed
climbed the unclimbable mountain
and reached
reached the unreachable star.
But now
you must fly
You must stretch your wings
and fly.
For
you must be free!
Because freedom is priceless.
For you my darling
you are my greater good.
Now
go
go show the world
show the world
what the greater good can do.