Nowak Poetry

2026 DREAM! Writing Contest Winners:

1st Place. Mychal Thompson
2nd Place. Tazia Rowland
3rd Place. Karla Medine

HM. Monique Grace
HM. Haylee Christyne Kelly
HM. Joshua Keeling

The results are in! 2026 DREAM! Poetry Contest winners will be announced later today. The best and most competitive contest we have ever had. All of the entries were so good this year. It was a very close contest.

First look at a new cancer poem for 2026 Survivor book.

CN2–The Answer

Easy to look at cancer
And think no solution is in sight,
But that cannot be our thinking,
Because it is not right.

Feels like we need an army
For this enemy we face,
But we are ready.
The people are already in place.

We do not need to ask
Where, when or how,
Because it starts with us.
It starts right now.

If we ever wonder
How do we stop cancer,
We just look in a mirror.
We are the answer.

We are the ones
To be the boots on the ground.
We are the ones
To turn it all around.

We are the ones
To bring the fighting spirit,
To stand up to the cancer
And not fear it.

We are the ones
To bring determination into play,
To provide love and support,
To send cancer on its way.

If we ever wonder
How do we stop cancer,
We just look in a mirror.
We are the answer.

Spoke at my first RFL Survivor Dinner in Sumter, SC last night.

For everyone facing cancer…….

Strong Enough

That day when cancer arrives,
It feels like we could break.
Our world comes crumbling down.
It is more than we can take.

We are without the answers
That we really need.
There is no clear route forward,
No clear path to succeed

The journey to the finish line
Seems so very far,
But then we realize
How resilient we truly are.

The fight against cancer
Gets a little rough,
But we are ready.
We are strong enough.

Strong enough to persevere,
To keep hope alive.
Strong enough to come back.
Strong enough to survive.

Strong enough for any obstacles
Cancer is creating.
Strong enough for any difficulties
That might be waiting.

Strong enough to defeat this
And see the victory through.
Strong enough to get past cancer
And put it in the rearview.

The fight against cancer
Gets a little rough,
But we are ready.
We are strong enough.

Remember what truly sets you apart.

Starts with a Heart

It does not begin with where you live,
Not your job or your title.
Not your money or what you own.
Those things are not the most vital.

Being the best you
Is about so much more.
It starts at your center.
It starts at your core.

To live a life
That truly sets you apart,
I promise you this,
It starts with a heart.

A heart for loving.
A heart for caring.
A heart for helping.
A heart for sharing.

A heart filled with passion
That is never going to die,
And filled with determination
For when things go awry.

A heart that dreams big.
A heart that is unwavering.
A heart that pursues memories
Worth savoring.

A heart filled with patience.
A heart filled with joy,
Filled with happiness,
That nothing can destroy.

To live a life
That truly sets you apart,
I promise you this,
It starts with a heart.

It is about love for others. During the 40+ talks I was able to do in Skid Row (Los Angeles), Oceanside, Santa Monica, El Cajon, and San Diego last week, this was a new poem that resonated with many people. Easy to be mad or to be a hater in this world. I told the different groups of people it all changes when we care for one another.

When I Love

It is easy to get angry,
Easy to stay mad,
Easy to yell at others
And to treat them bad.

It is easy to blow up,
When I do not get my way.
Easy to dismiss others
And not care what they have to say.

Easy to dislike and ignore people,
To live in my own little bubble.
But lacking concern for other people
Will surely get me into trouble.

Sure I can hate,
But I will not rise above,
Because life is only better,
When I love.

Everything about me changes for the better
Without a doubt,
When I open up my heart
And allow compassion to come out.

When I take the focus off of me
And put it on those around me,
How easy is is to have an impact
Will actually astound me.

When I care for other people
On a consistent basis,
This world I am living in
Is headed for better places.

Sure I can hate,
But I will not rise above,
Because life is only better,
When I love.