Some people can change their character like their dresses, some can never do so; they remain faithful to the principles born with them: real, genetically true. I am the one . . .
Whose passion is stronger than her mind.
Her priorities must persist even if she can't apply.
She cannot lie and change colors.
She can't bend when things seem unjust.
Dr. Sylva Portoian is the winner of the Carnegie Price for Poetry, 2009