1

Acknowledgements
"Wecanallbendreality.Wecanturntheeverydayimprobableintotheeverydayordinary."
OptimisticIncisions
bySeanHill

Barrera,Rosbi ThankyouSeanHillforcomingwithyourwordsofmotivationandentertainment.
Beltran,
Stephanie

ThankyouSeanhillwelearnedsomuchfromyouanditwasfunandthankyoufortakingsomeofyour
timetocometoourclass.

Charco,
Gabriella

ThankyouSeanHillfortakingthetimetovisitusinclass.Itsgreatofyoutodothatandgiveusabitofa
morehandsonunderstandinginsteadofjustreadingoutoftextbooks.

Davis,Lyric

Youweresuchaninspiration!!!Thanksfortakingthetimetocomeseeus!Theworldneedsmorepeople
likeSeanHill!

Gonzalez,
Jennifer

ThankyouSeanHillfortalkingtousaboutpoetryandhowwecanexpressitthroughpoetryandnot
lookingatitasboringwhenitactuallyisnot.

Hernandez,
Adrian

ThankyouSeanHillfortakingtimefromyourbusyscheduletojoinourclassandhelpuswithourpoetry.It
wasanhonorbeingtaughtbyyouandonceagainthankyou.

Hernandez,
Maryah

ThankyouSeanHillforyourtime.Yourworkisthebest.Thanksforgivingusachancefortohearyour
poems.Everyinspiringfeelingsanddeepthoughtstopositivedirections.

Lamont,Malik

Thankyousomuchfortakingthetimeoutofyourlifetohelpandsupportuswithoutpoetryclass.Ireally
appreciateit.

Montealegre,
Johan

ThanksSean.EventhoughIdon'tknowyouverywell,Iwastoldyouwereprettypopularandkinda
YouTubefamoussoIguessI'llgettoknowwhoyouarethroughvideosandstuff.Thanksforhelpingus
outandcomingtoteachus.

Roque,Kaylen

ThankyouSeanHillforcomingouttoHawthorneandgivingusadviceonpoetry.YouareacoolmanandI
wishtoseeyousoon.

Tatum,Darious

Thankyouforcomingtoourclass!!Youaresoooawesome.Ifeelhappyjusttypingthis.Anywaythanks
forhelpingusunderstandmoreaboutpoetryandgivingusyourexamples.Theyweresoawesome!!!!

Vasquez,
Esmeralda

Fromallourkind,wethankyouforyourpoemsyouhavesharedwithus.Theyreamazingand
spectacular.Weappreciatethethingsyouhavesaidinyourpoemsandtheimaginationthatyouhave
givenus.WethankyouSeanHill.

Vazquez,
Emelin

Thankyousomuch,SeanHill!Youhaveinspiredmeinsomanyways.You'vetaughtmetostaypositive
intheworsttimes,totakesomethingnegativeandturnitintosomethingpositive.Yourenergyand
happinessmakesmereallyhappyaswell.Thankyouforfreeingyourtimejusttocomeandtalktous!I
reallyappreciateit.

Watkins,Ebin

Youarethebestman.I'mreallygladMrs.Churchgaveustheopportunitytomeetyouandgettoknow
you.Youareanamazingpersonandkeepdoingwhatyou'redoingbecauseyouareabeastatwhatyou
do.Continuetogracetheworldwithyourtalentanddon'tforgetaboutherthirdperiodclass.

ThanksSean!

TableofContents
Acknowledgements
Dedication
IAm
ChapterOne
SpringBreak
ChapterTwo
FoundPoems
ChapterThree
IHaveSomethingtoGetOffMyChest
ChapterFour
Allusions
ChapterFive
Enjambments
ChapterSix
Passions
ChapterSeven
Hatred
ChapterEight
CelebrateEarthDaywithPersonification
ChapterNine
OdetotheClassics
ChapterTen
Naturalism&Imagery
ChapterEleven
Symbolism
ChapterTwelve
StruggleintoStrength
ChapterThirteen
SonnetsforHumanity
ChapterFourteen
Portmanteaus
ChapterFifteen
PoetryIs...
PoetryTimeCapsule
StudentReflections

Dedication
I Am

Thispoetryanthologyisdedicatedtomy10thgrade,VAPA,Englishclassof2015.Usually,foraprojectlikethisone,Iwould
writesomethingmyself.However,therewasachapterthat,afterreading,Idecidedwouldmakethebestdedicationforthis
book.StudentsweretaskedwithwritingIAmpoemslaterintheyearandasIreadthroughthem,Iwasoverwhelmedwith
positiveaffirmationsandpositiveimagesofself(asinhoweachstudentseeshimorherself).Icouldnotwishforanything
greater.Andso,thisanthologyisdedicatedtoyouyourpast,present,andfutureselvesasaffirmedbyyou,andonlyyou.

Keepbeingyouallofyouandeverythingyouweremeanttobe.Youridentityisyoursalonetoshapeandownitisfluidand
foreverevolving.Everysinglepartofyouisimportantandamazing.

Icouldntbeprouder.

Inservice&love,
Mrs.Church
20142015


WhereIbelong
IamHispanic
Iamfromamiddleclassfamily.
IamfromtheUnitedStates.
Iamcreation
Iamgenuine
Barrera,Rosbi Iamproductive
Iamneat
Iambrave
Iamlife
Iamlight
Iamtalented

Beltran,
Stephanie

IamfromMexico.
Iamalsoenergeticandtrytodosomanythings.
Iwannadosomethinginlife.
Iamfrompictureframes
fromDocMartens
Iamfromthecomfortingwarmthofmybed
iamfromgrass,sunflowers,andwater
thecactus,orchid,andcoolbreeze
iamfromoutoftowngetawayswithmylovedones
andtanskin
fromlidiaquiroz
andblascharco

Charco,

andcharco/quiroz

Gabriella

iamfromthehabitofsleepingin
andspeakingspanishinfrontofnonspeakers
frombeingspoiled
andhunguponthedivorceofmyparents
iamfromscienceandreincarnation
iamfromtheunitedstatesandmexico
moleandenchiladas
fromthestruggleofcrossingthebordertogivemeabetterlife
thestruggleofraisingtwokidsonherown
andthesuccessshe'smade

andthedreamsofbeingachefatatoprestaurantcomingtrue
iamfromthewalloftheentranceofmyhouse,thetimescapturedintothememoryofmycameraroll,the
loveofmyparentsandtheirpartners,thedrawingsinmynotebook,andthesupportofthoseilove.

Iambeautifullyabnormal
Iwonderifstarwarshappenedinpresenttimeorinprehistoricearth
Ihearorchestrainstrumentswarmup
Iseeflashinglightsinthedark
Iwanttheinhabitantsofthisplanettosavemotherearthbeforewealldie
Iamthenextgeneration'slasthope

Ipretendjusttoholdoffreality
Ifeelevilisanotherwordformisunderstood
Davis,Lyric

Itouchtheheartsoftheweakandweary
Iworryforotherssanity
Icryforthelostsouls
Iamoverlysentimental

Iunderstandthatnoteveryoneunderstandsme
Isaytheweirdestthingstomakeyousmile
Idreamforthosewhoonlyhavenightmares
Itryforthosewhodon't
Ihopeforthehopeless
IamLyricDestinyDavis

Iamfromtheroomfrommybed
isleepon.Thatgoesoutandwaste
timehavingfun.YesIamagirlatomboy

Gonzalez,
Jennifer

thatwatchesanimeonNetflixandCrunchyroll
andhangsoutaroundboys.Iamabandgeek,
thefourthmusicianinthefamily.Makingitloudandproud
makingmyparentshappy.Iloveeatingburgers,pizza,and
chocolatecake.IamhalfMexican/Guatemalan/American.IgrewupinLennox,HawthorneandInglewood
thatissimplyeverything
aboutme.

Iamfromfood,
FromDoritos,
6

Hernandez,

AndHotpockets.

Adrian

IamfromthehillsofHawthorne.
Iamfromthesoccerfield,
Thegreengrass,
IamfromeveryholidayandDancers.
FromHernandez,
FromPelayo,
IamfromFamily.

Hernandez,
Maryah

Iamfromasmallcity.Manypeoplegrewupwithnothingirealizethateverythingispossibleifyouputa
littleeffortintoit.IwantbestformyselfandmyfamilyamIfromasmallplacecalledmotherearth.Inlife
nothingisgivenforfree.Itseitheryougooutanddowhat'spossibleorlivefortheworst.
Iamfrommicrosofttechnology,frommysterybooks,andactioncomedies.IamfromtheSanPedro
sugarshackbehindgrandma'shouse.Iamfromtheburgundyrosesliningtheapartments,thebrown
grassintheghettoparks.IamfromPalmDeserteverysummer,andannoyinglaughsfromXavierand

Lamont,Malik Julian,andalloftheLamonts.Iamfromlyingwheninapanic,andaddictiontosunflowerseeds.From
sneakingkrispykreme,andtieingbunnyears.IamfromspiritualCalifornia.LittlecompanyofMary.From
pizzaandfriedchicken.Fromtheendlessparties.Iamfromgettingspoiledeveryweekend.Frombeards
thatdon'tgrowalltheway.Fromlongshoreman.Iamfromproudblackpeople
Iamfromcarneasadasandbeer.
Fromdrivingbythepier.
Fromghettoversionsofthings.
Togettingoverbugstings.
Fromworkoutdoors.Tocheapstores.
Fromtripstothehood.Togetsomefood.
Fromgettingcalledasian.
Montealegre,
Johan

Toracialprofiling.
Iamme.
I'llbewhatiwanttobe.
I'llchangefornoone.
I'lldothingsforfun.
Sowhatificancelebratehalloween.
Orhaveparentsthatcanbemean.
I'lldomyownthings
Becauseiamme
Andthatshowitsgonnabe.

Iamfrommakeup

fromInstagram
7

andfromInglewoodave.

Iamfromthestreetacrossmyschool.

Iamfromtheflower,violet

thecenterwhereit'sbright.

IamfromeatingatChili'sonourbirthdays

Roque,Kaylen andclearskin
frommymom,Jasmine
andmyoldersister,Val
andmylittlesister,Johana.
Iamfromlaziness
andbeinglateontherent
frommonkeysee,monkeydo
andbrushyourteethbeforeyousleep.
IamfromthechristianchurchonVermontAve.
IamfromManagua,Nicaragua
platanosandGalloPinto
fromthestoriesofbeingasinglemother
thetimesmymomstruggledwithfindingaplacetoliveat
andfrommysisterwakingupat5amtocatchthebustoschool
IamfromHawthorne,CaliforniawheremyfamilyandIknowthecitybyheart.

IamfromHawthorne
Iamfromwatermelon
IamfromSheliaandCharles
Iamfromlife
Iamfromchickenandpizza
Iamfromtechnology
Tatum,Darious

Iamfromcellphones
Iamfrompower
Iamfrom1999
IamfromEarth
Iamfromdinosaurs
Iamfromwater
Iamfrompie
Iamfromme

IamfromCaliforniaraisedinlennox
Igrewupseeingpeoplegethurtoreitherdie

Vasquez,

Iamachicana,gonnabe17

Esmeralda

MybirthdayisinOctober10wasbornin1998
Iam5'2justtryingtofindyou
Ilivenearfeltonwhereiseegangbangerssnitching
Iamyoungbutknoweverything
Iseeguystwitchingandsipping
That'snotgood
ButIknowwhat'sgood,justnottryingtogetcaughtupintheircrew
Ihaveexperiencemanythings,youmightnotknow
IkeepmylifelowkeybecauseIdontwanttoshow
Iamsweet,funny,chillandI'lldoanythingtomakeonepersonsmile
Iamyoungbutnotthatdumb
Iamagirlwholovestocook,andlistentopeoplewhenthey'renotinagoodmood
Butjustknowwhatiwilldo
GuysareafraidofmeIdon'tknowwhy...
Oh!Wait...becausetheycomeintomylifeandrealizedIamdifferentandwantnoguy
Iamagirlwhohasalotoffearsbutfindawaytogetthemnear
Ilovetofindawaytofightthemandmakethemmystrength
IamEsmeraldaVasquezagirlwhoistryingtotakemymomoutofthissavageplace
Iamproudofmylifeknowingmymommaisheretosupportme
Ihavefourbrothersandtwosisters
Gottasayilovethem
Iamagirlwholoveslisteningtomusic,IliketosingbutIsuck
Iaminnocentlikeeveryoneelse
Peoplesayrumorsaboutmenotknowingthetruth
Yeatheyjustwantattentionbydoingthat
IamagirlwhoalsodoesnotcarewhattheysaybecauseIknowthetruth
Iamsomeonewhogoestoschooljustforeducation,Idon'tgotoimpressandgetattentionIjustneedmy
ticketformyfuture
Iamagirlwhoisalreadyplanningtohaveafamily,towaisteverythingonmykidsbutIknowIamyoung
andshouldn'tthinkthatbynow
Iamjustsomebodythathasfeelingstoo,IgethurtbypeopleIlove
Mymommaalwaystoldme"Donttrustnoonebecausetheirarenofriendsmijajustrealizethatandhave
aneyeonthepeopleyoutalkto"Idon'tlistentoheruntiltheybackstabme,Iopenedmyeyesandfornow
onIlistentoeverythingshetellsme
Iamalsoapersonwhoiswaitingtogetmarriedwiththeloveofmylife,Ijustcantwait.
Iamagirlwhoisachievinghergoalandtakemymomoutofthismiseryworld.

Iamfromaplace
Theycall"theghetto".
IgrewupinInglewoodandHawthorne.
ImovedtoTorrancewhereitwaspeaceful.
Vazquez,

IamaproudLatinawoman

Emelin

Whoconsiderseveryonefamily.
Iamastrong16yearoldwho'sbeenthroughhell.
Butthat'sbecauseI'mfromInglewoodandHawthorne.
IamproudofwhoIam,
BecauseIamjustme.
Iamfromthewomb
IamfromLA
Iamfromtwostrongpeople
Mymotherandfather

Watkins,Ebin

IamgoingtobethebestIcanbe
Iamaheadstrongindividual
Iamsomeonewhodoesn'tconformtosociety'sstandards
Iammeandonlyme
Iamfromlove

10

Chapter One
Spring Break

11

Theskyisblueliketheocean
Thekeysaresilverlikemetals
Barrera

Thepictureisshinylikekeys

Rosbi

Thepictureisdetailedliketheearth
Thechocolateissweetlikemyparents

Beltran

FunwithfamilyatVegasthebeautyinnatureatphoenixthetriptotalkwithfamilyorlookat

Stephanie

surroundings.
Myloveisdrawntoyoulikemagnets
Insecuritythatoncetoreatmyflesh
becomesnomore
Indarkerdaysangerandfrustration
crawledupmyskinleavingscars

Davis
Lyric

Butyoubroughtpeacelikesunshineafterrain
Withoutyouthefearofbeingalone
comesovermelikeadarkshadow
Thefreedomyoubringmeismorethanthat
ofacrispsummerbreeze
Youhavemademeseeandfeelmorebeautiful
thingswithanimage
thatisus
Havingfuninajumper,
drinkinghotwarmcoffeeandbread
likeifitwasMexicoalready.

Gonzalez

Theparklookssolovelyandalivebythebeauty

Jennifer

ofnature.
Wesailawayweretheoceancurrenttakesus
too.Thecolorofsharpnailsscarsmeinfear
likeifi'mseeingcats.

Istayedinbedallday,

lookingforsomethingtodotoday,

Ihavenofriends,

nowwithwhodoIplay?

Hernandez

Ilookforsomethingtodo,

Adrian

Butwhatpossiblyistheretodo?

12

I'mtiredofalwayswatchingScoobyDoo.
Mymomtoldmetogogetsomefood,
butIdidn'thavemoneytopayforit.
Iwassoscrewed.
Hernandez
Maryah

Wenttobabyshower
Thenextdaywentwithmyfriends
Andwenttowork
Theinteriorofmyuggbootsarealmostassoftasthecloudsinthesky.Thesesocksaremy
personality.MyXboxcontrollerisspeakingtome,tellingmetoplaywithitinsteadofdoing
homework.TheRiceKrispyTreatsmelledlikemeltedmarshmallows,stickingtomyfingers
asIunwrappeditfromthepackage.WhenIateit,therewasanexplosionofsweetnessthat

Lamont

envelopedmytastebuds.IcouldhearthecracklingnoisewitheverychewthatItook.Iwas

Malik

inadarkcave,whenIsawalargebeasthittingthewallwithitssharptail.Itsearswerethe
sizeofmypalms.Fourhornsgrewoutofitshumongoushead.Iwastalkingtomycousin
abouttheoldgamesweusedtoplayonhiswii,andIrememberedonecalledCrashofthe
Titans.Ididntknowthen,butnowIrealizethatthenameisanallusiontothefilmClashof
theTitans.Isleptallweek,evenoneaster.
Whatidid
Ilaid
Inmybed
Checkingmysocialmedia
Expectinga
Notificationofsomesort

Montealegre

Somethingtogetmeoffthebed

Johan

Butinsteadiwaited
Iwatchedspongebob
Isatonthecouchlikeablob
Ididabsolutelynothing
Thoughireallywantedtodosomething
Springbreakwasn'tallthatitwascrackeduptobe
Thenschoolpoppedupandangeredme
HermosabeachwasascrowdedasifPaulMcCartneywastherehimself
TheAmaloajewelrystoreisawhiterectangularboxonPierAve.

Roque

Mynewcarnabyshoescameinthemailtodayandtheycutmyankleswithinanhourof

Kaylen

walkinginthem
Myfriendswereachinginpainfromthepinchingandpokingfromthestickandpokesthey
weregetting
13

Videogamesgraphicshaveenhanced!IswearIcouldhavebeenonMarsfightinginthe
BlackGarden.
Wetendtotraveltoplaceswayfasterwhenwearen'twalking,obviously
Istayedhometoday,inbedallday.Withsuchaneventfulweek,Sundaysaremydaytorelax
Springbreak
Iwasneverawake
Islepteachday
Tatum

Eachdayaway

Darius

Irelaxedandchilled
AndIwasthrilled
Tosleepandchill
Torelaxextrastill
Springbreakstarteditwasfriday,igotpickedupbecauseIdidn'twanttowalkhome,soI
arrivedhome
Iwenttoseatdownonthecouchandputamovieon,mybrotherwasnexttomewewere
talkingaswell.
SaturdaymorningIwokeup,myoldersistercameandvisit.

Vasquez
Esmeralda

IhadtogetreadybecausemyfamilyandIweregoingtomyauntshouse,weleftat4n
helpedheroutwithherdecorationsitwasamazing.
Sundaywasboringdidn'tdomuchjustwatchmovies.
ThursdayIgotmyphonebackandmeandmycrushplannedmeetingupinthatday,we
wenttotheparknjusttalkedhefinallymadethefirstmoveandaskedmeout.Iwastaken
andhappy
FridaymyfamilymadeaBBQfornoreasonsjustforfun,Icouldn'tsleepatallandstayedup
Myspringbreakwassurprisingandfun.
Vacation,allIeverwanted.
Sittingonthewarmsandnexttothehotfireissorelaxing.

Vazquez
Emelin

Dogsarethemostloyalanimalsanyonecouldeverhave.
MyfriendshipbetweenmybestfriendandIisSpongeBobandPatrick,lovingandsilly.
ThoughI'mturning16,Ifeellikeanoldwomanalready.
Everyflowerhastheirownbeauty.
Lifeisacycleofcraziness,butmainlyhappiness.
Spring

Watkins
Ebin

Canyousmelltheflowers
It'stimetogooutsiderunintheflowerfields
Playwiththebutterflies
Andrunfromthebees
14

Smellthecrisparomaoftheflowers
Carveinthetrees
Playintheleaves
Havingagoodtime
Thisisspring

15

Chapter Two
Found Poems

16


Stopsurrender
stopandthink
Barrera,Rosbi stopandpause
stopandReflect
stopandbepositive
Openyoureyes
tothebeautyaroundyou,
openyourmind
Beltran,

tothewondersoflife,

Stephanie

openyourheart
tothosewholoveyou,
andalways
betruetoyourself.
istayed
iwanted
ispent

Charco,
Gabriella

iwent
istayed
iwanted
ispent
iwent

likealitcandle
hellisallIsee

Davis,Lyric

abigkidgotupset
atnothing
lookingforanother
toaddtothenotchesinhisbelt
Dadwent,starving,
employeelettoDenny's.

Gonzalez,

AndVanNuyswithfriendsto

Jennifer

playmusicdroppedto
KoreaTown.Comeshome
at4A.M.inthemorning.

Hernandez,

Iwasdrowning,

Adrian

Capturingmyfinalmoments,
17

Tillsaved.
Thenprayedandcriedallday.
Istartedtowatch.
Iwatched.
Lamont,Malik

ThenIstartedtobreak.
Iknowitsbad.Igottired.
Ididntwantto.
Ididntwanttobemyself.
Doyouknow
Thereaknownknowns
Areyousureyouknowwhatyouknow.

Therearethingwedon'tknow.

Montealegre,

Theunknown.

Johan

So
Weknowthereareunknowns

Therearethingswedon'tknowabouttheunknown
Sodoweknow
Wedon'tknow
I
writeabout
flowers
amid

Roque,Kaylen inyourhand
Iwonderif
I
laytheredreamin
beneath
Dayone
Islept
Tatum,Darious Islept
Islept
Onthefirstday
Vasquez,

Deathishorrible

Esmeralda

Notthatscaryit'sjustdarkcolors

18

It'ssomethingweshouldn'tmesswith
Causeithasplentymarkers
Itcanaffectourhealthandimagination
Italsocangiveuspersonalstrugglesthatwecan'tstand
Onlyifweachieveit
Ourstrengthcanprovidealotthanyouthink
Itaffectsstuffthatyoucouldn'tprovidetohappen
Deathdevelopsalotbutcan'ttouchitunlesswehavefear.
Vazquez,
Emelin

Irememberwhichbestfriendthatgavemeacrappytrip.
Wintercanbe

Watkins,Ebin

Forsnowboarding
Andskiing
Inthesnow

19

Chapter Three
I Have Something to Get Off My Chest

20


Ifeelcuredwithpoetry
Barrera,Rosbi

feelaremedyfrompoetry
Ifeelpeacewithmysoul
Ifeelgreatnessinmyexterior
Peacefullikethecalmingwavesattheocean

Beltran,
Stephanie

Tiredlikeananimalinhibernation
Hungrylikeatigerlookingforfood
Birdnoisescallingforotherbirdsissoothing
Thedaylightmakesbeauty
theysayscarsmakeyoustronger
butthat'salie
becausewhentheyareshowingicanfeeltheireyes
watching,judgingandpityingme
ican'tstandit
andiwanttohide

mymomasksmewhy

Charco,
Gabriella

itssohardformetogetoutofbed
itellheri'mtired
butinrealitythere'ssomethingweighingmedown

mydadasksmehowi'mdoing
igoforcasualandsaygood,
andyou?
butsometimesifeellike
takinganapandneverwakingup
wouldn'tbetheworstthingever

Teenageyearspassby,
quicklyrealizinghowfastImightdie
fromthehungertoliveandbefree,

Davis,Lyric

butyouwontletme
beme.

Whycantyouloosenthereigns
youveplaceduponmycollar

21

adogstucktoachain
dreamingtobefree
again

Ifonlyyoudsee
thatIcanbemeandyou..
canbeyou
Beautiful.Remarkablyunprecedented.
You.
Nowisjustthemakingsofabeingsoextraordinary
eventheunimaginablewillseehowincredible
weasindividualsare.

Forthehopeoftheworldanditsnextgeneration
Weneedtoseeeachotherforwhoweare
notforwhatwehaveordonthave
whatwehavebeenthroughorwhatwehavent.
Iseeyouforyou.
Cantyoudothesame?

Todayisanotherdaythat
Idontlikeseeing
Teenagersorchildrengetting
Bulliedbyothersbeing
Gonzalez,
Jennifer

Criticized.Eachandeveryday
Likegetalifewontyouordo
Somethingproductive.Goingto
Restaurantsmessingupyourorder
Whenyoutoldthemwhatyouspecifically
Ordered.Itsirritatingandsodumblikedoitrightman.
Gohomeandloosenupalittle
Andshakeitoff.
AmIinLove?

Hernandez,
Adrian

WhatisLove?
IsitwhatImfeeling?
TheWorldStopsmoving,
MyHeartstartsbeating.

22

IsthisLovethatImfeeling?
SheiswhoILove,
AllIseeIsher,
ImbreathlessandshockedinherBeauty,
Sheisalwaysonmymind,
SheisallIcareabout,
AllIwantisforhertobehappy,
AndIwonderifthislovewillbetemporary.

Hernandez,
Maryah

Ihavesomethingtogetoffmychestcanbeagoodorbadfeeling.Canchangethewayapersonsees
thingseitherinagoodorbadway.Itsbestifyoucangetthingsoffyourchestthenthink"whatdoIdo
next."Athoughtcanchangeapersoninsomanywaysanddifferentpointsofviews.Itsbestifyouget
thingsoffyourmindthensitandhopeforasolution.
Ifeelsick
sickof

Idon'tevenknowwhatImsickof.
Ifeeltired,
tiredofthesickness
tiredofpeople.

Lamont,Malik

Whitethingscankillyou.
Theyareveryunhealthy.
WhiteBread,WhiteSugar,
WhiteMeat,WhitePeople,
Starch,Cocaine.
Inthedictionary,
blackisassociatedwithevil,
butitsreversed.
Letmegodrinkmypeachtea
Myheadhurts
Thethinkingstarts
WhydidItry

Montealegre,

Trytofly

Johan

Walkrightintosomething
Thatwouldhurtleaving
Itmakesnosense
Butnooffence
23

Itwasamistake
Itwasfake
Butitshouldhaveneverhurtme
Butitdidasyoucansee
Ishould'venevertried
Myheartisfried
Itwasamistake
Itwasfake
Iguessitwasforthebest
Forthistocomeoffmychest
Myhandsaredirty,
Myhandsarecutup,
Mynailsarechewedon,
Mynailsareugly,
Myshoesareold,
Myshoesareripped,
Roque,Kaylen

Myheadhurts,
Icomplaintoomuchaboutmyself,butIcan
washmyhands,
putbandaidsonmycuts,
clipmynails,
paintmynails,
buynewshoes,
andtakeanadvil.
Ihavelotsofproblemsonmymind
Theyalwayskeepmeinabind
Lifeishardandlivingistough
Itshardtostaystandingwhenlifegetsrough
WheneverI'mupI'mspunaround
Pusheduntilihittheground

Tatum,Darious Itfeelsliketroublewillalwaysfindme
Whenwillieverbeabletobefree
Idon'thaveiteasybutsomehaveitworse
Liketheirwholefamily'sunderacurse
Butstrugglesmakeyoustronger
Helpyoulivelonger
Itcansaveyourlife

24

Ifyoucanhandleyourstrife
Butit'ssometimeshardtolive
Whenlifetakesmorethanitgives
Butintheendit'sok
Itwasmeanttobethatway
Becausethelessonthatyoulearn
Isthatyougetjustwhatyouearn
Whenwillibefree?
Idon'thavetobe
Whatsgoingonrightnow?...
Imeanit'snothingbadorgood.Ibeenupsetforawhilebecauseofmypartner...He'slike,hesthebest,
differentfromotherguysbuthestooserious.Ihavenotseenhimsincethenibeenemptyfrominside
Notknowingwhattothinkordo,especiallyfeel
Imkindalosingfeelings
Toberealidon'twantthatbecausehemeanssomethingtome
Ifeelalone,ineedhisattentionbutit'shardtogetitfromhimbecausehe'seitherbusyorinsoccer
Vasquez,

practiceorfamily

Esmeralda

That'sjustnothing...
Otherpeopletellmestuffabouthim,ijustignoreitbecausethat'salllies,thereiguesstryingtotakeus
apartandi'mbeingstrongenoughtoignorethemandwalkaway
Yeaithurtsme,butican'tdonothingaboutit
Itshardbeingme
Ican'teventakeitnomore
Isometimescryandpraytomakeallthisgoawaysoicanbehappyforonce
I'mjustfallingapartnoteventryingnomore...
Everysingleday
Sincetheincidenthappened,
Iamverygrateful
Tostillbealivetoday.
AlthoughIamstuck

Vazquez,

Withahuge,uglyscaronmychest,

Emelin

Feelingmorehideous.
Igetdisgustedlookingatit,
Igetdisgustedlookingat
Otherpeoples'clearchest.

Ialwayswonderwhy,

25

Whyme?WhydidI
HavetogothrougheverythingIdid.
WhydidIhavetosuffer.
IfeellikeIneverdeservedtogetstabbed.
Iwasonlyaninnocent13yearold.

Ihavebeenscarredforlife.
Ihatethefactthat
Inowhaveanxiety.
Ihatethefactthat
Ican'thandleit.
Therapyneverworkedforme.
Itwasabigimpactonmylifestyle.
EverywhereIgoIfeelthatI'mgoingto
getstabbedagainorshot.
Orevenworse.

NowwhenIgoshopping,
Igetdisgustedlookingat
Lowcutshirts/dressesbecause
Iknowit'dlookgrossonmewithmyscar.
I'vegainedsomuchweightthepastyearsbecause
Igetlightheadedeasilyandcan'texercise
ThewayIusedto.

Ihavethosedays
WhereIjustbreakdown
Rememberingthehorror.
Onthebrightsidethough,
Myfriendsalwaystellmethat
Myscariswhatmakesme
Astrongyoungwoman.
Ibelievethatitwasamiracle
ThatIhadsurvived4stabbings.
Especiallysincehalfwerenearmyheart.
Thankfullymyheartfullyhealedacouplemonthsago.

Ialwaystrytoforgetiteverhappened.
26

Butitisthehardesttodo
Sinceeveryonestaresandevenasksaboutit.
I'musedtoitthough,
I'mjustnotusedtoitbeingalright.

IhateGalleriaMall.
Ihopethatoneday,justoneday,
Theyfinallyfindandprisontheman
WhodidthistomyfriendandI.
AndIhopeherotsinhell.:)
I'mangry
I'mtiredoflabels
Watkins,Ebin

I'mtiredofalwaysbeinglabeled
Whycan'twealljustbehumans
Peoplethesedaysaresoblind
Peopleneedtolivetheirlivesandnotjudgeanyonebecausenoonewantstobejudged

27

Chapter Four
Allusions

28


Onedayaboywilllookatthe
Skyandfollowthestarthat
Thewisemenfollowedtofind
BabyJesushefollowsthestarinorder
tofindhope.Everyonefindslovewere
There'speaceandserenitylike
WhatMartinLutherSaid
Thereshouldbepeace,calmness
Andjusticeforall.
Barrera,Rosbi

Peacestopbeingslaves
Andimprisonedbyviolence
Thereisfreedom

Everyoneshouldhaveintegrity
Butfirstyoushouldloveyourself.
Manyheroesdiedfora
CausenowIt'sourTurn
Tostepintothestage
Inordertoperformand
todoyourpart
Adventureislikeexploring.
Goingaroundtheworldlearningnewthings.
Londoneyeistostay.
Thewateratnightpeaceful.
"Youhaven'tseennothingyet".
ParistheEiffeltower.
Thecityoflove.

Beltran,
Stephanie

Thewholeworld.
1000to1
Whenyoutryyourhardestyousucceed.
Don'tletanythingbringyoudown.
Whenyouhaveadreamtryyourbesttosucceed.
Whenyouapplyyourselfitwillhappen.
Inspirational.
Makesuswanttodobetter.
Succeed.
Keepgoing.
29

There'smorepeopleinlifethathaveittough.
Thereismoreneed.
Whenpassionateaboutsomethingyouhavetosucceed.
hesatthehighofhislife
he'smarried,twokidsandawife
he'swalkingonwater
hastheperfectdaughter

highlikeastar
he'sadmiredbyalltheotherguys
thewonderful,trophyhusbandprize

butsomething'swrong
becausehisshineisgone
Charco,
Gabriella

andthere'sacrash
andit'sallgonetotrash

hislovelydaughterfoundouthe'sondrugs
hiswiferejectsall,includinghugs
he'sdrowning
andwe'reallcounting
downuntilthingsgetbetter

buttheydont
andtheywon't
becauseinhishandliesagun
andthetriggerspulledbecauseitstoppedbeingfun

Thenameisknowntomany,
howevertheydontknowMYname
stuckintime,
agelesstomylastmoments

Davis,Lyric

nofamily,nofriends
theyveremovedthemselves
fromtheequationnoonecansolve.

Why?Who?When?theyask,theysearch

30

butnothingiseverfound

Theonlyonewhoknowsofmeisme
buticannotspeak,
norkicknorscream
me...foreveravegetable
butnolifesupport.

Ifapluggedcouldbepulledtoshowmyexistence
itwouldcausearippleinthepooloflife
forIammanynotone.
Idominatemyownnationfortherearemore
ofwhatotherscallundesirables
.
NowdoyouknowwhoIam?

Itellstorieswithoutmakingasound
butifyoulistencarefullyyoucanhearmespeak
mynamewasunknowntomanywhonowbecomethefewfor
MyNameIsJaneDoe.

Iwentawayinthedark
Eveningonthelawn,
Turnhisbackonus,
Bigwidefamily,friends
Thoughtwereoursbutjust
Gonzalez,
Jennifer

Simplylostanddrifting
Intime.Ohcaptaingiveus
Ourhourglasseachdaylose
Dreamsatnightaredistant
Memoriesyouhaveonceeverymorning.Thereis
Alightthatvanishesandgoesoutthe
Joyisgoingdownbeneaththeoceanwaves.
Sendmysorrowsontoflowcherishedeachsecondand
Timeenjoyeachandeverymomentyouhave.

TodayIwokeuplonely,
Justlikealonglostfriend.

31

Hernandez,

Wesatandtalkedawhile

Adrian

Iaskedhowyoubeen?
Hesaidthathesbeensearching,
Foralovetocallhisown,
Butnowhesdecidedhesmeanttobealone.
Inoticedtheresnowherehecanturn,
Noplaceheneedstobe.
ThatswhenItoldhimthathecouldstaywithme.
Ihateitwhenhecries.EverytimehecriesIfindmyselfsoakedwithtears.That'swhatmakesmesad,to

Hernandez,

seehimtear,whenhecriesItendtostayhomeand

Maryah

thinksad.SometimesIwanthimtoknowthatwhenhecriesIcry.OnethingyoushouldknowisthatI'm
hereforyou.EverytimetheskycriesIfeelthesamewaytoo
Blues,Reds,Yellows,
Purples,Greens,
andAnnoyingOranges.
CyanWolveseat
MacncheeseandCaterpillars
whileMagentaplayswithPeriwinkle
Olivesrolloverthe

Lamont,Malik

PurpleMountainsMajesty,
RedOranges,
OrangeYellows,
YellowGreens,
GreenBlues.
BlueSky.
VioletSky.
Sunset.
Midnight.
Hewantstofight
IthinkImight

Montealegre,
Johan

CalledmedarkerthanCocacola
Myfistisscreaminghola
Hewantstofight
Soimight
Saidmygameis
Likethelakerslosingtheirfame
Hereallywannafight
32

Imight
Hecalledmedumb
Oldnewscuz'he'snumb
Samestores,differentprices
Theboardwalkisneverending
Halfdressedpeople
Shirts,hennas,sunglasses,anddrinksaresold
Peopleareonfeetorbikesorboards
Thewaterisnear
Sandisinmyshoes

Westopforasnack
Therearesomanyoptions
Roque,Kaylen

Ichooseacone
Mymomchoosesacup
Andsodoesmyfriend
We'vebeenwalkingforhours
Andit'smeltingonmyhands

Whataday
Theridebackislongandsilent
AlsoI'mtired
IgothroughmyphotosI'vetaken
Ilistentomusic
Isleeptherestofthewayback
Theshimmeringballoflight
Thatlightsupournight
Leadsournewtrail
Inwhichweshallprevail
Wewillgoinwithourflagswaved

Tatum,

Thinkingofthosewewillhavesaved

Darious

Whenwegowewillcharge
Ourforcesarelarge
Wewillwin
Wewillnevergivein
Becausewearethebest
Fromtheeasttothewest

33

Wesimplyfightharder
Harderthantherest
Wearewarriors
Mydream,mybigdream
Istobecomefamousoneday.
Knownfortheawesomemovies
ThatIwillstarin.
ThatIalsohopetoachieve
Laterinthefuture.

Mostlikelysuspense
Wouldbemykindofgenre.
IwanttobetheFBIagent
Whotakesaction
Vazquez,

Inthecraziestcrimescenes

Emelin

Andistheherointheend.

Lovestories
Arethemostbeautiful.
Iwanttobethewoman
Whofindsherchildhoodsweetheart
Afteryearsandyears.
Thenfallsinloveagain
Justlikeitwasfromthestart

Iwanttobetheactress
Whoiseveryone.

Watkins,Ebin Thesunreflectsonastillbedofwater...

34

Chapter Five
Enjambments

35


Strugglepassesandgoes
Likeastormpassesandgoes
Firstwemustlearn
Fromitinorderto
Moveon,lessonscan
Belearnedstubborn
Peoplestrugglecomes
Fromweaknessfrom
Strengthtounderstand.
Barrera,Rosbi

It'saroadtocomprehend
It'sdestinyroadofstruggle
There'sslownessandbitterness
Aheadevery
Pathyoutake
Ittakesyouimpossibleways
Hottowarm
Peacetodanger
Struggleistemporary

ienteredthisworld
aloneandunknowing
iwastaughthowtowalk
howtotalk
andhowtothink
ivebeenonthisworldforfifteenyears

Charco,Gabriella can'tevenrememberhld
buti'veseen
somecan'ttalk
somecantwalk
anditmakessensenowbutbefore
iwasnevertaught
thatnotallarethesame
Nooneeverseemstonoticethatkidinthecorner
Davis,Lyric

theonewhosetsthemselvesapartfromeveryoneelse
Youseethethembutyoudontseethem

36


Theyreneverheardeventhoughtheyscreamatthetopoftheirlungs
youandyourharshwordsdrowntheirmindstheirbodies
andsoulsuntiltheysuffocatefromtheignorance

Theignoranceyoucallblissistheirhell
theirnightmaresnevertobepeacefuldreams
youcutthemskindeepleavingscarsasfarastheeyecansee
butyouareblind

blindtothefactthatjustlikeyou
theywanttobelovedshowedtheattentiontheydon'thave
butnoinsteadyouchoosetopickonthemuntilthere'snothingleftbut
thehangernocoat
askybutnostarsahumanbeingalienatedbecomingnothing
butdusttobewhiskedawayintoaskyofstars
shiningsobrightyouwillneversee
foryouwillneverbeamongthem
thoseyouhavehurtfinallyfreefornowtheysee
andyou...willnot
nomatterhowdesperatelyyoureach
foryouareinthedark
buttheyarethelight
PeoplesayImtiredof
Wakingupearly,Imtiredofgoing
Toschoolseeingtheteacher
Idislikeonadailybasis,Imtiredof
Eatingthenastycafeteriafood,Im
Gonzalez,

Tiredofpeoplemakingdrama

Jennifer

Overdumbnonsensestuff,and
Howtheywanttochangebut
Theydonteventrydoingit,
Itseemstobeajoketothem
AllfunandgamesbutwhoamItospeak
AboutothersIdontknow.

WithoutherIamnoone,
Iamapieceoftrash,

37

Hernandez,

Driftingthroughthewind,

Adrian

Withnomeaningoflife,
Sheiswhatmakesmehappy,
SheistheoneIwant,
Sheistheonemissing,
Sheistheonebreakingmyheart.
Manythingsinlifehaveameaning,thoughtorsaying.Likelive,love,andhatearesomeaningful

Hernandez,

emotionalfeelings.Loveislikeanaddiction,aprescriptionandsomanymanyemotionsemotionsare

Maryah

likesideeffectitcanbegoodorbad.Lovedoesn'tnothavearightorwronganswercauseyoucanlove
thepersonforthebestorworst.Itsbesttolovewithnoregrets.
Youneedmetolive
Iamthemost.
Livingwithinyou
Icallyoumyhost.
Whencold,Ibecomehot

Lamont,Malik

andwhenhot,Ibecomecold
fairlynew,butveryold
Asrareasoxygen
yetmorevaluablethangold
withoutme
theoceancannotbeasea
yousee?
Shehas
Acutesmile.
Shehas
Chocolatebrowneyes.
Shehas
Perfectcurls.

Montealegre,
Johan

Shehas
Sass.
Shehas
Aloveforcars.
Shehas
Friendsthataren'tdramatic.
Shehas
Interestinsomeonelikeme.
Shehas
38

Perfection.
PleaseknowIdosee
howhardyouwork.
PleaseknowIdoreally
appreciateyou.
Roque,Kaylen

Iloveyousomuchandyes
weconstantlybuttheadsandyes
wekeepdisagreeing,but
Iwillalwaysstandbyyourside.
AndIhopeyoudon'thatemebecause
Idon'thateyou.
Theskywasbecoming
adarkblue.Thedaywas
ending.People
hadjustgottenready
fordinner.The
daywasgoodand
thedaywasfun.

Tatum,Darious

Wecouldn'twaitfor
tomorrow.Tomorrow
wouldbringnewthings.
Fortonightwesitand
listentothecrickets
thetoadsand
frogs.Andjust
relaxaway.
MyheartleapsupwhenIbehold
Mytruelovejusthadtorespectme
NothingcaneverchangewhatIfeelforhim
It'slikearainbowinmystomach

Vasquez,
Esmeralda

KnowingIcuffedhimimokay
Ijustneedtolumpitalltheway
Andgetsometimebymyselftothink
Icouldwishmydaystobe
Lovingsomebodythatlovesmebackisamazing
Ijustwanttokeephimforever
Myheartdropsdead
39

Knowinghewillleaveme
Iturnweak,
He'snotherenomore
Ohbaby!Wherecanyoube?
Standingrightinfront
Ofanaudience,
Isthemost
Terrifyingthingtoknow.
Thatmaybe100eyeballs
Vazquez,Emelin

Arejuststaringdirectlyatyou.
Oncethemusicbeginstoplay,
Youloseyourself
Intothedancemovements.
Asifnoone
Isorevenwas
Watchingyouonstageperforming.
Thebabywasbornonasummerdaygrewupandplayedwithclay
Hadthebiggestsmileever
Butwasafraidoffeathers
Ashegrewoldhisparentsgotill

Watkins,Ebin

HesaidgodpleasesendmeawifenamedJill.
HisprayerwasansweredandJillcameintohislife
AndonthatSundayshebecamehiswife
Fromthatdayforwardhewashappy.
Thenthefollowingsummerhebecameadaddy

40

Chapter Six
Passions

41

Loveispassions
Humilityisbeingmerciful
Generositygoeswithbeingmerciful.
Positivitygoeswithpassions
Passionsgowithbeinghumble
Humbleisbeingnicehelpful
Gotogetherforone
Reasonbringspassion
Tolifeaswellpassion
Desiresthatgoto
Barrera,Rosbi

Theinnersoulin
OrderTosacrificeyour
Selfforothersgive
Yourselftoothers
Toshowtothemyoulove.
Passionshumilitylove
Passion'sdesirefromyou
Serviceforothers
Passionsmakeothers
Passionsmakeyouabetter
Personinothersmake

Family
Wanttokeepthemtogether
Wanttoaccomplishmanythingswithfamily.
Wanttosticktogetherthrougheverything.
Wanttobeabletofindpeoplethereforyou.
Adventure.

Beltran,

Traveltheworld.

Stephanie

GotoplacesI'vealwayswantedtosee.
Rollercoastersthefuninamusementparks.
Exploringdifferentplaceswewedidn'tevenknowabout.
Dancing
DancewasalwayssomethingIdiduntilmykneehurt.
WanttokeepgoinganddowhatIlike.
Won'tletmykneeswin.
42

Goingtotrymyhardesttobeabletodancewithnoproblem.
Besomething.
IwanttodosomethinginlifethatIlike.
Wanttobearolemodel.
Wanttodosomethingbetterthanmymomanddad.
Wanttoprovemyselftomefamily.
Kids.
Theydon'tmakemebored
Loveplayingwiththemorany.
Iwouldlovetohelpkidsoneday.
Happiness.
alternatemusicismyfavorite
ilovetoreadbooksthatmakemecry
Charco,
Gabriella

greysanatomyismyfavoriteshow
imstillonseasonfive
ilovart
watchingandcreating
thoughimaynotbegoodatthatlastpart
Mypassionisadance
withmovementsgracefullyacross
thedanceflooroflifeeveryexpression
showsafamiliarfacelikethatoffamily
andafriendalwaystherewhenyouneedthem

Theartofmypassionisthatofpicasso
differentbutbeautiful
colorsthatneverfade

Davis,Lyric

stayingvibrantlikemysoul
withsoftstrokesrunningacrossmyheart

Thesoundofmypassioncanbeheardthrougheverytownbreakingthebarrier
bringingsweetmusicechoingthrough
mountainsofsnowavalanchingdown
untilitcoverseveryoneinsight

Mypassionisafamily
lovingwitheverychoiceyoumakegoodorbad

43

showingyouthelightindarktimes

Mypassionsaremorethanapassion
theyareme
andIamit.

Musicisanescapefromalltheproblems
Youhaveinlife.Itcalmsandrelaxesyou
Andpumpsyouuptotakethechallenge.Theflow
Andtoneofthepitchhighorlowloudorsofttoodeep.
Themotivationtokeepongoinginwhatyoudo.Probably
Gonzalez,

Isdifferentfromothers.Ivegrownuphearing

Jennifer

Musicbecausemydadisamusician.Thereisnt
Adaynothearingmusicits
Everywherewhereyougo.Mostlyjusthearing
InstrumentalMusicisquitegoodtohearanime
SongstransmitittoPianosoundsso
Beautifulseeingtheirhandsmovements
Playinghappyandverypassionateinthemselves.

WhenISteponthefield
ItswhereIminControl.
Irunonthepitch
Youhearwavesofcheers.
Nothingelsemattersnow
Allmyproblemsgoaway.
Iamreadytobattle

Hernandez,

LikeifitwastheCivilWar.

Adrian

Theopponentteamshould
Beprayinginfear.
PeoplesayIt'sjustagame
Buttomeit'smorethanjustagame.
Itssomethingwelivefor,
Itssomethingweenjoy.
Idontplaythisforthetrophies
IplaythisfortheloveoftheSport.
Winningisnottheimportantthing

44

Buttojusthavefun.
Frombarefoottocleats,
Peopleplayallaroundtheworld.
Idontcarewhatothersthink
Thisisthebestsportintheworld.
Passionforcommitment.
Hernandez,
Maryah

Passionisdedication
Onlyonecangive
Loveandcommunication
Ispassionasin
Californiamelts
intheheatofthebeat
fromthepartynextdoor,
bumpingPARTYNEXTDOOR.
JaguarspullupinJaguars,
bothroar

Lamont,Malik

bothdance
bothsing.
Zebraseatmilkduds
whilelisteningtoCollieBudz
dancinginadancehall,
todancehall,
JustDance.
WhenIwantIpickupmybass.
withnotesandlyricsinmyface.
Wheniwantigrabmypencil.
Anddrawwithoutastencil.
Wheniwantigrabsometools.
Textsomefools.

Montealegre,

Wheniwantiwriteastory.

Johan

WithamaincharacternamedCory.
Wheniwantigetbehindthewheel.
Ipushthepetalswithmyheel.
Wheniwantijoininfamilyfun.
Getoutintothesun.
WheniwantitravelCalifornia.
Don'texpectagiftforyah.
45

Wheniwantitraveltheworld.
Atafestivaligottwirled.
Wheniwantistarttocook.
Justlookingatabook
Wheniwantiwatchnetflix.
Withmybrandnewmoviemix.
Wheniwantilivemylifetothefullest.
Ifeltlikethecoolest.
Nowimgoingtobehonest.
BecauseI'lldowhatiwant.
Wheniwant
Idrawsimpleor
complexthings.
IwritewhenIamfeelingdownor
feelinghappy.
Itakepicturesofdumbor
coolthings.
Icanrecreateor
createdrawings.
Icanwriteshortor
ongoingparagraphs.
Icantakepicturesoftheskyor
ofmytornupshoes.
Roque,Kaylen

IdrawwhatIlikeor
whatIfeel.
IwritewhatIfeelor
whatIsee.
ItakepicturesofwhatIseeor
whatIlike.
Drawingisrelaxingtome.
DrawingismywayofrecreatinganimageIadmire.
Writinghelpsmeexpressmyself.
WritinghelpsmesaywhatIwanttosay.
Picturescapturethebeautyofsomething.
Picturescapturemoments
Icanneverrelive.

Greenasafreshbedofgrass

46

Redasacrispcandyapple

Assweetasbeehivehoney

Tatum,Darious

Safeinsideitsgreenshell
Bornfromseeds
Raisedinvines
Allaroundround
Bigorsmall
Bestservedinslices
Orinchunkswithotherfruits
Startsasanoval
Thencutinhalf
Thencutmore
Untilitiseaten,thenthereisnomore
Unlesstheseedsarereleasedtotheground
Plantedandwateredsafeandsound
Becomingsproutsthenvines
Themelonsareyoursandmines
Perfectforasummer'sday
Themelonstakethethirstaway
Causedonasunnysummerday
Anodetowatermelon
Thebestfruitever
Iwillloveyou
Alwaysandforever
Mypassionislove,iloveeverybodyimeannoteverybodybutthepeopleicarefor.Loveissomething
strongtosay,itmakespeoplefeelsometypeofway.Lovingpeoplethatlovesyoubackissomething
thatgivesyouhappiness,power,andenergy.It'sactuallyraretoo,becausesomepeoplesayitbutdo
notmeanit,peoplehearitbutwon'tsayitwithameaning.

Vasquez,
Esmeralda

Somepeoplealsosayitbutdonotknowwhatlovereallymeans.Othersareafraidofthatwordandwill
neveruseit.Theyalsomightbescaredoffallinginlovebecauselovecanmakeyoudoanything,thatis
howpowerfulloveis.Iknowwhatitfeelsbecauseibeeninlovebeforeandthisfeelingsarerare.Loveis
apassionofforever,untilwedie.Lovemakesyoudostuffthatyouhaveneverdonebefore,ittakesyou
toanotherwholedifferentworld.Somyintentionstosay,isthatimlikethat,i"love"everyonethat"loves"
meback,I'llalwaysbetherenomatterwhat,andiactuallydobelieveinlove,itwillnevergetoutofmy
chest.

Vazquez,Emelin

Mypassionisacting.
Iabsolutelylovethat

47

Icanbesomeone
Whoisn'tme.
Ijustlovegettingintocharacter.

Icouldbeawarrior
Whoisfrom600B.C.
IcouldbeanFBIagent
Whoinvestigatescrimes.
Icouldbetheevilvillain
Whodiesbythehandsomehero.
Icouldbeateenager
Whofindslove.
Icouldbeanyone,
Icanbeeveryone.

NowthatI'molder,
I'vegottenbetterandseriousaboutthis.
WhenI"cry"
PeopleactuallybelieveI'mcrying.
WhenI'm"angry"oranythingelse,
Theythinkit'sreal.
Andhearingitfromthem
That'sitwasgreat,
Makesmeproud.

Asalittlegirl,
Ihavedreamtofbecoming
Asuccessfulactressand/orsinger
Eventothisday,
I'mstilldreamingaboutit.
Musicismypassion
Musicislife
Musicisaformoftherapy
Watkins,Ebin

Idon'tknowwhereIwouldbewithoutmusic
Musicislikemedicinewhenyou'resick
Musicislikeadrugthatgetsyouhigh
Musicisliketheyingtomyyang

48

Musicismypassion

49

Chapter Seven
Hatred

50

Greedispureenvy
Violenceispurepain
PornstealstheGiftofSex
Cursewordsbringbadinfluencesfromourselves.
Stealingfromothersbringsguilt.
Lustbringsfantasiesthatarefalseaboutyourself.
Hypocrisybringstruthsturnsintolies.
Barrera,Rosbi

Witchcraftingbringspainandmiseryactionsdon'twanttodo.
Vandalismispuredestructionofsomeelse'spropertyandbringspain.
Inferioritybringssuperiority
Racismbringsinsults
Hatebringshatetoyourself
Discriminationisdestroyinghumandignity.
Breakingpromisesisbreakingtruths
Dishonestyismisleadingourselves
Hatecansometimesbringpainaswell
Familyfights
Sadness
Emotional
Actions
Peoplechoosingsides
Boring
Noadventure
Nothingtodo
Peoplejustsitting

Beltran,

Nothinghappening

Stephanie

Kneeproblems
Difficulttodance
Pain
Cantmove
Needhelp
Notdoinganythinginlife
Needtobesomething
Wanttobeinspirational
Beproud
Happy

51

theytellmetostandupforwhatibelievein
torespecttoberespected
tobemyselfinsteadoftheordinary
yettheycontrolmethemosttheycan
theymakemekeepmymouthshut
becausewhatiwanttostandupfor
doesnotagreewiththem
becauseclearlyihavenovoice
notasayounggirl,butperhapsifiwasastraightwhiteman
thenidbealittlemorerespected
orifiwasolder
becauseitoomustbestuckinthesametimeperiod
withthesame,closedmind
Charco,
Gabriella

withthesamecold,hardjudgementandbeliefs
becauseohno
mybeliefsarewrongtoo
howisitthatidon'tbelieveinapowerfulman
thatispraisedforscarifyinghimself
andusingitagainsthisfollowers?
itsnotthatimjudging
irespectyourbeliefs
buti'mtiredofhearingitallthedamntimeisayi'magainstreligion
theytellustorespecttoberespected
tobeourselvesinsteadoftheordinary
yettheycontrolandmanipulateusthemosttheycan
theymakeuskeepourmouthsshut
becausewearetheecursedyouth,
themessedupgeneration.

Attitudeinnegativeformscomes
twicedailyinthearticlesofmymind
inthesectionknownashatredmylack

Davis,Lyric

forpositiveoutcomesresultsintheoptimistic
viewsofmynegativity

Alongwiththemanycomethesounds
cometheirritationshangingon

52

throughtheskinsoftheirteethgraspingforattention
nomatterwhereIgotheyalwayscomeback

Theinsecuritybroadcastsystem
knownasbullyingcomestomindas
onethatirksthesoulincludingmine
intheriverthatneverrunsdryuntilithitsthedoor

leadingtomyheart,
wherehatredasexpectedwouldturnintocompassion
butthepriceisntalwaysright
nobodywilleverbeperfectandhateinduetime
willturntolove.

Peoplehatehow
Theyact,howtheyare
Andwhattheydo.My
SisterhateshowIkickheroffthe
XboxtowatchTV.WhatIhateishow
Theyactandcomplainingand,make
Gonzalez,
Jennifer

Othersmadorfurious.Whenthere
Havingagoodday,alsoIhatewhen
Theytakeawaymyfood.Running
Themomentyouwatchtvoroccupied
Insomethingyoureally
Lovedoing.Alllovelydreams
Comesintoanightmarewere
Youinablackpitchhole,remembering
Allthenegativitythathappen
Inyourlife.
Ihatethem,

Hernandez,
Adrian

Ihatethem,
Ihatethemall!
Theyaredisgusting.
IabsolutelyhateVegetables!

Hatredisastrongfeeling
Unspokenwords
53

Hernandez,

Veryopenthoughts

Maryah

Hatredshouldbeleftalone,
Towhomhavenoheart
Imnotacatperson.
Imnottoofondofdogseither.
Pettingadogislikedrivingatuner,
ortakingacruise,
orlisteningtoIggy,
ortryingtokillaspider,
ortakingoutthetrash,
orwatchingthekardashians,
orwalkinginadarkalley,
oreatingtruffles,

Lamont,Malik

ordust,
orRacist,Sexist,Ignorantindividuals,
orcoldsadness,
orsadcoldness,
orweirdhandshakes,
orstoppeduptoilets,
orliars,
orvaselinelips,
ormakeupfaces,
orinterruptions,
orpigeons.
Ihatepigeons
Whyallcelebritiesgottahavetheirownshowsabouttheirlife.
Whyallpopularkidsthinktheydangerouswithabutterknife.
Whyistherestupidshowsthatmakenosensetakingthetimeslotsofgoodshows.

Montealegre,

Whyallpickyeatersgottahavetheirfoodthewaytheirboatflows.

Johan

WhyallTaylorSwiftmusicgottabeaboutbreakups.
WhyallfakeracersI.E.Ricersthinktheyhotstuffwithasticker.
Whydavincisciencehighschoolsoprejudicejustcuz'youatetheysnickerbar.
Whyistherethisstuffintheworldanywayit'sannoying

Ihatehowsomethingsbecome

socrappy

Itcanbegreatoneday

thenhorriblethenext
54

Roque,Kaylen

Itmakesmebelievenogoodthingslast
Itmakesmebelieveallgoodthingsaretemporary
Ihatetemporary
butI'mnotsureifIwantallthingstonotbetemporary.

Imakenosense
Ihatethat
IhatehowI'msoindecisive
IhatehowImessupsomuch
IhatehowmuchIslackoff
IhatehowinsecureIam
Ican'tstopstressingoverthesmallthings
andIhateit.

I'mluckytohavearoofovermyhead
Ifeelsoungratefulsometimes
Idon'twanttoseeothersmiserablelives
tolearntoappreciatemines
IhatehowIfeel
IhatehowIcan'thelppeople
Ihatethis
Ihatealotofthings
Ihateandit'snotokay.
Ihatenothing.
Nothingatall.
Iloveall.
Alwayshappy
Neversad.
Alwayshappy

Tatum,Darious

Alwaysglad.
Happygoluckyismylife.
Anditsawesome.
Itworksforme.
WhatIhate,
ishateitself.
Astainonmyhappiness.
Hatehate.

55

That'sallihate.
Hatredisastrongword
Knowingitcanmakepeopledothingsneverheard
Tryingtohatepeopleissomethingsoobserve
Youdon'tdonothingnorlearn
It'sbetterofbackingawaysfromthepeoplethatgiveyounegatively
Becausealltheywanttodoismakeyoufallbackandhateyouself
Vasquez,

Hateyourselfistheworstfeeling

Esmeralda

Hatesomeonefornoreasonisjustsorevealing
Andhatingpeoplethathurtyou...
Wellwhatcanisayit'snotworthitneither
Hatredisjustawaist
Notevenalifethere
Hateischildishit'sjustjealousy
Theyshouldjustgrowupandstopwiththeirstuff.
Idon'thavemuchhatred.
I'mahappyperson
Whocanhavesomedislikeshereandthere.

AlthoughIdohateGalleriaMallverymuch.
Itisthesmallest,
Itistheleastfun,
Itistheworst.

Ihatethefactthat

Vazquez,Emelin Inowhaveanxiety
Comingfromthatmall.
Mylifehaschanged,
Justfromonenightgoingthere.

Idonotunderstandwhy
Therearenotmanysecurityguards
Roamingaroundeverything
Toseeifeverythingisfine.
Ibelieveit'sunacceptable.
I'mgladtheygotsued.

Ihatebeingliedto
56

Watkins,Ebin

Ihatefakefriends
Ihatehavingtoexpressmyselfincertainsituations
IhatethatIcaresomuch
Iwishudidn'tcare
IwishIcouldjustnotgiveadamnaboutpeopleandcertainthings
IhatethatIcan'tturkeybewhoIwanttobe
IhatethatIdon'thate

57

Chapter Eight
Celebrate Earth Day with Personification

58


Earthsoberswhileit'ssuffering.
TheinhabitantsintheEarth.
Havefunwhileit
Suffers,theinhabitantsare
Notfriendlywiththeirprecious
Earth,theinhabitantstoy
Barrera,Rosbi

Aroundlikeit'snotreal.
Likemotherearthwon'thave
PainItfeelspainwhileitsinhabitantsarenotresponsible
Theadvicetheearthgivesus
Istorecycletobe
Obedient,whatmotherearthtellsustodo
orelsedeathwillbebroughttotheland

Futuregeneration
Earthissuffering
Waterisrunningout
Ourplaceisturninglikeadesert
Weallhavegottosavewater
Weneedmorerain

Beltran,
Stephanie

Lawsgoingaroundtosaveourwater
Droughts
Canmaybedieofthirst
Poolswouldgodry,animalscoulddie
Treeswilldryout
Needlessshowers
Moresaving
Peoplereusingwater
Peopletryingtofindsolutions
earthislandandsea
natureislifeanddeath
itsthedifferencebetween

Charco,Gabriella durableandinsufferable
itsthedroughtamongus
causedbyus
ithasn'trainedproperlyinyears

59

therearestillpeople
takinghourlongshowers
havingwaterballoonfights
slipandsides
carwashesathome
wateringthegrasseveryday
wastingourresources
andwhenthetimecomes
wherethereisnofreshwater
andthethirstisinsufferable
we'llhaveregrets
andneedhope
fornaturetobringlifeback
Asigetolderwithagecrumblingfromtheinsideout
Irealizethatmytimeisrunningout
thedoornevertoreturn

MychildrenIbearchoosetousethegifts
igavethemasprofitsforthemselvesinsteadofgivingback
theyburneddestroyedandkilledneverthinking
fortheirlacktoimprove
onwhattheycoulddotohelpmegetbackupwhenIhadfallen
nowtheholeistoodeep

Davis,Lyric

myoceansrisebeyondtheirlimits
formylostonesIcriedmyice
capsmeltedforthelongingtocallupononesoul.
whowouldtakeastandtorescueme?

Icriedoutwaitingforsomeonetohear
unfortunatelyforyouthelastofmywombyouwillnever
receivetheloveandbeautyIwantedtosharebecauseyourbrothers
andsistersnevercaredenoughtoseethatonedayyou
couldhavesetmefreesowitheverystepyoutakethinkofme
neverforgetthebeautyIdseenmychildyouaretheonlygiftIcouldbring
tothispartyofnone
youarewhat'sleftofme

60


Earthishomewithoutitthereisnt
Life.Likewalkinginthestreetitsfullwithlitter.
Noonedarestocleanitup.
Litterinthestreetsseeingpollutioninthe
Airwebreatheeveryday.Eachofus
Gonzalez,
Jennifer

Cankeepriverscleanandsavinganimals.
Nottakingtheirhomesaway.Learnaboutthe
Problemswefacewithearth.Thisearth
Thathasbeenhereforalongtimeneed
Ourhelptostopcuttingandlittering
Causinganimalsandouroxygentodieslowly.
Lateronwewonthaveaplacetocallhomesweethome.
Appreciatewhatwehavebeforeoneday
Theearthwillbegone.
Earthwasabeautifulplace,
Tillhumansdestroyedit.
Fromchoppingtreestowastingwater.
Ourworldiscrumbling.
Peoplethrowingtrashonthestreet

Hernandez,

Washedouttoouroceans,

Adrian

Killingourfish,
Affectingournature.
Thisworldcanbesocruel.
Theyhavetheviewingsofearthsomisunderstood.
Theydontseewhattheyaredoing.
Ruiningthisearth.
MotherEarthisround

Hernandez,
Maryah

MotherEarthisfullofsurprises
Redrosesandbigsmiles
MotherEarthisfullofsurprises
Unexpectedloveandredroses
earthismybestfriend
sheissensitive

Lamont,Malik

hurtingherdoesnogood.
ifyouhurther,
you'rehurtingyourself
61

sheisfragile
breakingherdoesnogood
ifyoubreakher,
you'rebreakingyourself
sheisimportant
killingherdoesnogood.
ifyoukillher
youdietoo.
Quitkillingme.
I'mprettythirsty.
What'sthatsmell.
Fossilfuel.
Allyoudoiskillme.
Juststop.
Stopnow,allyoupeoplewalking.
Montealegre,

You'regoingtohavekidsandthosekidsaregoingtohavekids.

Johan

Iwanttogivethemtreesthesameonesfrombillionsofyearsago.
Iwannagivethemwaterthesameonesthedinosdrank.
Sostoppeopleplease.
You'rekillingmeithurts.
Soifyouwannalive,keepmegreen.
don'twastemywateroroil.
PeopleonmyfaceI'llsayonething
Youbeststopkillingme.
Wefearedyouwoulddestroyus
butwehavedestroyedyou

Nowthatsomeofusareawareofwhat'shappening
Wecandosomethingtostopit
TodayisEarthday

Roque,Kaylen

Adayjustforyou
Wewilltakecareforyou

Hereweare
Theoneswho'llhelp
Nottheoneswhoaredestroyingyou
Buttheoneswhocanfixyou

62

Somehow
Someway
Wewill
MotherEarth,weareyourgoodkids
DearestEarthI'vegotyourback
Iseeyourskiesareturningblack
Becauseofourpollution
Butthere'snosubstitution
Forwhatyouprovide
Youfuelusinside
Butinreturnwekillyourtrees
Bringyourforeststotheirknees
Butstillyougive
Tatum,Darious

Sowecanlive
Withoilspillswekillyourfish
Ialmostalwayswish
Wecouldgobackintime
Fixwhatyoubuilt
Butallihaveistheguilt
Becauseyouaredying
ButI'llneverquittrying
Tomakeeverythingbetter
Becausewe'reinthistogether
Theearthissomethingweneedtoappreciate,adore,itandnotletitfallapart.Weneedtotryourbest
togetitbackinplace,takecareofit,notcutthetreesforuselessreasons.Earthissomethingwewere

Vasquez,
Esmeralda

bornin,itgaveusalotinourlikeweneverstarvedtodeathbecauseitgrewfoodforus.Itgaveuswater
sowewon'tbedriedoutandsowecansurvive,earthisourlifewithoutit,itwouldn'tbethesamewe
wouldn'texistorknownothingaboutthethingsweknownow.Iappreciateearthbecauseitgaveusall
weneed,thebeautifulnature,thewonderfulairthatwebreathandmore.Theearthisabeautifulthing
forusandweneedtodothebesttomakeitbetter.
Iamsorry,sorryfor
Makingmoneyseemmore
Importantthanusandtrees.

Vazquez,Emelin Igetthatmoneyhelpsus
Provideourresourcesandsuch,
Buttreeshelpuslivelonger.
Sowhy,

63

Whydestroywhatweneedtosurvivewith?

DearFutureGeneration,
Ihopethatourgovernment
Realizesthatwewerewrong.
Wrongtocutdownourtrees.

Weneedtostandup,
Protectourtreesandsavewater.
Orelsewe'llbeingseeingtheend
ToEarthsomeday,
Andbecomeextinct.
Earthcanyouhearme
Iwanttospeaktoyoudirectly
Iknowwecauseyousomuchpain
Tosomelifeisjustagame
Yousupplyuswitheverythingweneed
Iwanttothankyouforsupportingourfamilies
Peopleteardowntheoxygenwebreath
Watkins,Ebin

Justsotheycanhavemoney
Yougaveusfood,water,andair
Butsomepeopleseemnottocare
You'vegivenusattractionsandsceneries
Fromskyshowstogreenery
Andthoughsomepeopledon'tappreciateit
Othersareverythankfulforit
Iknowyou'regettingtired
Butpleasedon'tgiveupIdon'twanttoliveinfire

64

Chapter Nine
Ode to the Classics

65

MonaLisaishascurious
MonaLisaisstaringatsomeone
Mightbeyoushemightbelookingat.
MonaLisahasdifferentcolors
MonaLisamighthaveacuriosity.
MonaLisawasmadeforapurpose.
Barrera,Rosbi

MonaLisastopsandlooks
Atwhoevershelookingat.
MonaLisamightbemiddleaged
Womanwhoknows
MonaLisawasmadetobeobserved
MonaLisaisapaintingofthepainter'swife?
Wifeofwhowemightask?WhythenameMonaLisa?

Beltran,
Stephanie

Shakespearecanteachalotofthingsinlifemakesyouseedifferentthingsinanotherpointofview
blackandwhite
movingpictures
withahintofslapstick
CharlieChaplin
everyonesgetawayfromreality

sweetsoundsohthatgood
olbrasssaxophone

Davis,Lyric

mamadancininthekitchen
spatulainhandwithher
fluffypinkslippers
singingtoLouisArmstrongs
"WhataWonderfulWorld

Classicsthatnevergrowold
theyliveonforever
foroldtosharewiththeyoung
andtheyoungtoenjoywiththeold

66

Imakeanodetothekidsof
The1990sthatknowwhatwas
Playingoutsidereallywas.Yeah!
Whatitreallymeanttoplaywithyour
Toysandhadsomuchexcitementin
Gonzalez,

Beingwithyourfriends.Writing

Jennifer

Letterstoeachotherinsteadofbeingon
Cellphonesandonthecomputers,andreading
Booksthanbeingingangsorbadinfluences.
Alwayswantedtobeasuccessfulinlife
Thinkaboutbigdreamsatyoungages,trying
Tobesomeoneinlife.
Idontseeyou,

Hernandez,

YetIbelieveandfearyouthemost.

Adrian

Yourexistinginmybeing,
Makemewishforimpossiblethings!
Peoplesaytheysawgreatness
Othersforgiveandforget
Someoverheard
Thepassionotherstouchedandfelt
Theysmelledtheweakness
Theytastedthevictory

Hernandez,

Overwhelmedbyloveandpassion

Maryah

Everytunnelhasalighttotakeushome
Inspirationbythegreatness
Liveforhope
Changeandvote
Forabettertomorrow
Butfortherightnow
Wesleepwhilehewatchesthestreets
Iloveme
Ilovemyself
Ilovetobe

Lamont,Malik

thebestIcan
pastthemistakes
pastthefee
intothelock
67

Iusethekey
toleavethecage
nowifeelfree
learningnewthings
Igrowlikeatree
Ilovemyself
iloveme
Loudstylishshinynewpolish.
Drivingdownthecoastshinycleanwater.
Sosmoothyoucaneatoffadish.
Don'tmakeamessit'smyfather's.
Muscleandclassics.
Makesmeecstatic.
Montealegre,
Johan

Yourterriblemileage.
Andyourcrazyfanbase.
Instagramshowsyouoff.
Whileyousipcoffeewithalittlebroth.
Iloveclassics.
Ilovemuscle.
Drivingtosonics.
Withoutabrokenaxle.
Reliabletrustyclassics
You'vedonemanythingsforme
Protectingme
Feedingme
Comfortingme
Lovingme
Feedingme

Roque,Kaylen

Understandingme
Caringforme
Disagreementsarebeingdealtbetweenus
Yetputtingthemaside,Iloveyousomuch
Ignoreother'scommentonyourparenting
Youarespecial,great,anddifferent
Youareloved
Youaremuchmorethanamother

68

Heatnessoffifteensummersthatstillart.Itshot,everyonehasfunandetc.Theygoshopping,every
storeislikeadevil,becausetheywastealltheirmoneyinthere.Everyonesheartissofullofhardihood.
Vasquez,

Seekingtohideinfriendlywisetoothers.Otherpeoplefallinloveinsummernights.Givebacktheheart

Esmeralda

youstolefromme,becauseidon'twanttobebroken.Onthisyourcaptivefromlovesea,holdingthis
miseryforgain,makingpleasureoftheirpainandlove.Alsothere'sotherstuffforsummertoo,notsofar
offacebutfarmorepitifulthanyou,peopleareafraidofthingsbutarenotafraidofgivingthetruth.
Myfavoritelovemovie
WillalwaysbeTheNotebook.
Ilovehowtherichgirl
Fellforthepoorguy.

Vazquez,Emelin It'sbeautifulbecausethey
Grewinloveasteenagers,
Butseparatedfor7years,
Thentheymeetagain
Andenduptogetherforever.
Tochaseadream
Likescatteringinsectstryingtosurviveandreachtheirgoal
Watkins,Ebin

Thedrivewehaveislikenoother
Wehavetogetwhatwewant,keepstrivingandmakethebestoflife
Itdoesn'tmatterhowlongittakes
Whatmattersisthatwegetthere

69

Chapter Ten
Naturalism & Imagery

70


Summerisaroundthecorner
IntheCorneritmaybeclose
Barrera,Rosbi

Secondsandthenthedaypasses
Itfliesbylikethewind
Summerisjustamoment
Ilookaroundandsee
taggedbuildingsdirtystreets
singlemomsworkingtheirbuttsofffor
theirbabiesathomewithgrandma
whiletheirsocalled"father"sellsdrugsforaliving

Policeofficersinsteadofprotectingtheinnocent
theyshoottheunarmed
brutalizeunnecessarily
killingoffonebyone

Davis,Lyric

theblackmalepopulation

Ifsomeonedoesn'tdiethisweekhawthornewouldbreakarecord
Everydaynewbloodonthecurb
moreproblemsunsolved
moregunshotsaimedattheaccused

Kidsatthewrongplaceatthewrongtime
killedbecausetheylooklikesomeone
afoolthoughttheyknew
Leavingacryingmotherwithnobaby
justabrokenheartandanemptyhome
Ispinleft
Ispinright
Justspinningeverywhere

Gonzalez,
Jennifer

igo
tocomeunexpectedly
onthefloorwithscars
andbruisesbutnotlettingthat
ruinyourday.Thereismorehappydays
thansadornotinthemood.

71

Youcanseethelionsfighting,
lookingforsurvival,
Hernandez,
Adrian

killingwhattheyhaveto,
doingwhatevertosurvive,
providingfoodfortheirfamily,
notwantingthemtodie,
Untilsomeonebiggercomesandbecomesthenewleader.

Hernandez,
Maryah

Imageryissomethingweallsee.Imagination'sweallhavebutdon'trealizethatsomewerentmeantto
be.Sometimesitstoogoodtobetrue.
Actionsspeaklouderthanwords.Sometimeswordscanbemeaninglesstomanypeoplethathavebeen
brokendown
almostlikeasnake
yetnotevenslimy.
Rough.
Tough.
Skinharderthanprecalculus.
Hardasobsidian.
Hardasdiamond.
Agrayunicorn.

Lamont,Malik

Ahippowithhorns
tearsacrosstheplains
withheavysteps.
funnyhownobody
knowsthesounditmakes,
suchalargebeast
awonderofnature
theyareendangered
thelostdinosaur.
WhatamIthinkingabout.
Whoknowsbutme.
Couldbethinkingaboutatrout.

Montealegre,
Johan

ormaybeabee.
Possiblyaboutaboutagirl.
Howshefeels.
Sendmyselfinawhirl.
AfterI'llthinkabouttouchinganeel.
MaybehowIplantopass.
72

I'vebeencalledstupid.
SoIplantobethebest.
Gotshotbycupid.
Itannoysmetothinkaboutthepast.
Butthrillsmetothinkofthefuture.
Timegoesbysofast.
Justsawanewcreature.
I'lldoallthesethings
Getacurlystachegetajob.
Getacar.
Andgoveryfar.
Mydogscratchesthedoorbehindme
Thewarmwaterpressingdownonmyheadwakesmeup
Roque,Kaylen

Ieatmysweetandyummyoatmeal
Ispraymyhoneysuckleperfume
Icheckthetimeandit's8.Dangit!I'mlateagain.
Nature
Nature
Eversogreen
Nature
Nature
Thegreenesteverseen
Thegreencoveredland

Tatum,Darious

Beautifulflowersandtreessogrand
Arainbowinthesky
Abirdflyingby
Abusybuzzingbee
Ahiveinatree
Theawesomecoloryellow
Theskypainteddeepblue
Thisisouroldworldknownbyfew
Itwasagreymorning
Nothingtoworryabout

Vasquez,

Iwasgettingreadyforschool

Esmeralda

Until...Isawsomethinginbackoftheshedmove
Iwaspetrifieddidn'twanttogooutside
Iopenthedoorandwalkedforward
73

Slowlymoved,Isteppedonoldleavesitmadealoudnoise
Ijuststoppedandlookedforwardtoseeifsomethingwasgoingtohappen...
Butnothing...
Itwasgettingcloudy,andtheairwasgettingstronger
Iwalkedforwardagain,gotclosertotheshed
Iopenedit...
Sawslowly...Itwasbabykittens
Ijustbroughttheminsideinthewarmandtookcareofthem
Icanalreadyseethebeautifulbeach.
Icanalreadysmellthesaltywater.
Vazquez,Emelin Icanalreadyhearthepelicansscreaming.
Icanalreadyfeelthewarmsandinmytoes.
Icanalreadytastetheoceanwaterfromafar.
Poetry
Watkins,Ebin

Whenwespeakpoetrywecantasteit
Thewordsrollingfromouryoungestontoourlipsistrulythebestfeelingintheworld

74

Chapter Eleven
Symbolism

75


Violenceisliketwoanimals
Inthemiddleeast
Thereisabeast
Withintheexteriorofthehumanlikeadesirablefeast
Thathasbeencorruptedas
Itattacksandroars
Attackstheirownkind.
Theydon'twanttobeunited
Peoplearebeingseparatedofargumentsandnosilence.
Justforpointlessviolence.
Barrera,Rosbi

Peopledon'twanttobe
Curedwithlove
Theywanttobekept
Withaviruscalledhate,
Andit'sbateisignorance
Thehatecankeepgrowing.
Untilitexplodesandthere
Isnostoptoit
Violencestopwithlove
Notlovetoviolence.

Cruelty,bythosethatsaytheywillhelp
Cruelthewaytheytrytoarrest

Beltran,

Cruelthewaytheyhurtourpeople

Stephanie

Thewaythatwecan'ttrustpolicetohelp
Thewaythattheycanhurtuswithouttrouble
Thewaytheycangetawaywithanything
MyskintonedoesnotdefinewhoIam
Itswhat'sinsidethatcounts
butforthosewhodon'tknowhowto

Davis,Lyric

letmebethefirsttotellyou

I'macoloredafricanamerican
withahintofcherokeeblackfoot
andadashofwhiteandfilipino

76

Notblack.Blackisacolornotanethnicity.
Mybloodtypeis100%independent.

I'mmyowntypeyoudon'tdefineme
ThereisnotypeA,BorOtome
Youareyourownperson
andyouseemtohavemicroscopesforeyes
whenitcomestootherpeople
sowhydon'tyoutakeaglance
inthelookingglassatyourself
What'swrongdon'tlikewhatyousee?

Itisn'tfairhowthepolice
officerharmwithoutapurpose.
Sayingtheirthevictimwhenthey'renotjust
Gonzalez,

throwingliesandnotmaking

Jennifer

thecommunityabetterplace.Whattheydid
wasn'taregularthingitwasviolence
withinnocentpeopleonlyinhow
theydress.Theyjudgewithoutknowing
thepersonit'sidioticandjustplaininsane.
RiotingthrewthestreetsofBaltimore,
Thepeopledontwanttoseethisanymore.
Anotherbrotherdyingfornoreason,
TheOriolesarentgoingtohaveanymorefansfortherestoftheseason.
Thesecopsarekillingwithoutpurpose,

Hernandez,
Adrian

KidslookingattheCamerasallnervous.
Peoplearespeakingbutthevoicesremainunknown,
Thepeoplesvoiceshavebecomeoverthrown.
Lookingfortheirfinalpeace,
Theywilldoanythingevenbegontheirknees.
Butragestillripsthroughthepeople,
Theyarelostinfear,
Wonderingwhentheyllbeordinarypeople.

Hernandez,
Maryah

Symbolismtomeislove.Adrugnoneedforprescriptionsit'sadrunkydorkylovelyfeelingyouhave
whenyouarewiththatoneperson.Thatonepersonwhomakesyousmile,giggles,makesyoubeyou
andwon'tchangenotonethingaboutyoucausethatpersonwillloveyouforwhoyouare.
77

Idontlikezebras.
Theyaresougly.
Yea,horsesarecool,
butIdontlikezebras.
Idontlikemoths.
Whycanttheybeas
beautifulasbutterflies?
Mothsaredull
andboring.
Lamont,Malik

Theworldshouldberidof
allmoths.
Idontlikepanthers.
Leopardsarecool,but
Idontlikepanthers.
Whydonttheyhavepatterns?
Whyaretheysodifferent?
Imgladthatpeoplehuntthem.
Theresnoplaceforthem
hereonearth.
Weareatwar
Ifeartherewillbemore
Deathratesincreasewitheverybullet
Wearefightingthosewhodisplayknifesinskulls
Withaforcethatlookslikebulls
Manystudyinfearoftheirlives
Manydiedwithouthusbandsandwives
Orchildrentomakethefuturewhattheymakeofit

Montealegre,

Shapeitouttoseefit

Johan

Weareatwar
Evenatthecore
Oursocalledheros
Brutallykillingcivilians
Thenfindingexcuses
Tocoverfortheirabuseofpower
Weareatwar
Icanonlyfear
Shedtearsforweareatwar

78

Thestreetshavevoices
Theyaren'tcomplaining
Theyarearguingfortherights
Fortherightstohaverights
Theywon'tleave
Theywon'tgiveup
Notuntilit'sover
Notuntilit'sfair
Thereisnoneedfordiscriminationbecauseofcolor
Colorshouldn'tbecategorizedonwhetherwehaverightsornot
"Allmenareequal"asitsaysintheDeclarationofIndependence
HastheDeclarationofIndependencebeenconsignedtooblivion?
Roque,Kaylen

Thereisanabuseofgovernmentpower
Thisabuseismuchsimilartototalitarian
Notsocontrolling,butenoughtomakeanimpact,notagoodone.
Wethepeoplearefightingandstandingupforthebetter
Forthebetterinindividualrights.
Forachancetobeprovennotguilty.
Thegovernmentcanbegood
Butalsocanbebad.
Badenoughtoblamecitizensontheirmistakes
Thesecitizenshavefamilies,friends,pets
Thesecitizensaremuchmorethanjustprotestersoutsideofbuildings
Thesearepeoplefightingforacause
Thesearepeoplefightingforachange

Agoldenkingdom
Withgoldengates
Withbeingsinwhiterobes
Abeautifulland
Agreatleaderincharge

Tatum,Darious

Controllingalllife
Fromhighinthesky
Abigballoflight
Separatingdayandnight
Beingabletosleep
Andknowallisright

79

Thisplaceisfun
Andthefunhasjustbegun
Thepoliceisdangerforeveryone
Theydon'tcareiftheyhurtyouwhilecuffyou
Policekilltheinnocentsnotthebad
Vasquez,

Thygotnohearttoadmittheydidalack

Esmeralda

Arresting,callingpeopleoutthat'salltheydoeverytimetogotoworkout
Sayingtheirthelawlikeyouaintnobodyyoujustthepigs
Nevertrustacop,nevergivethemyoureye
Theyallwanttodoittaketheirangerontheinnocentsortryitout.
Therearedyingroses
WhereinBaltimore.
It'snotfairtothepeople.
Especiallytothose
Whohavedonenothing.

Hundredsofthoseroses
Arenothingtothepolice.
Thereshouldn'tbeaneed
Tostartariot.
ThisEarthjustneedspeaceforonce.

Vazquez,Emelin
Pullingthetrigger
Onthosewhorebel.
Pullingthetrigger
Onthosewhoareinnocent.
Police'smostpowerfulweapon,agun.

ItfeelsasifI
Amalreadyinacemetery.
Surroundedbythedeadbodies
MakesmefeellikeI'mnext.
Thispolicebrutalityneedstocease.
Truthandlies
Watkins,Ebin

Theydon'tlast
Blackorcolored
It'sallinthepast
80

Chapter Twelve
Struggle into Strength

81


Likeastormpassesandgoes
Firstwemustlearnfromthestruggle
inorderto
Moveon,lessonscan
Belearnedandcanbeshared
Peoplestrugglecome
Fromweaknessandbecomes
Strengthtounderstand.
Barrera,Rosbi

It'saroadthatcanbecomprehended
It'sdestiny'sroadofstruggle
There'sslownessandbitterness
Aheadevery
Pathyoutake
Ittakesyouimpossibleways
fromcomfortabletouncomfortable
FromPeacetodanger
Struggleistemporary
ButStruggletransformsintomuscle

Beltran,

Whenyouhaveseenyourowndadcomefromasadplacemakesyourealizeyou

Stephanie

needtodosomethingbetterthananythingtheyhavedoneandthatmakesyoustronger
astruggleisaforcefuleffort
togetoutofarestraintorconstriction
itcanbephysical
oritcanbeemotional
someofushavehadboth
othersoneortheother

Charco,

strengthisbeingstrong

Gabriella

sometimesthatshardtodo
butslowly,wegetstrong
andthenstronger
andthenoutstruggleisgone

andit'sthenwhenwehaveourstruggle
asourstrength
tomotivateus

82

andreminduswemadeit
Tostruggleistogothroughpaincontinuously
untilyoubecomenumbtotheconstantbackstabbing
thefrustrationandtheheartachelikemorphine
youfeelnothing
lifeitselfisastruggletheysayholdonyoullmakeit
untilyourfingersfinallyslipandyoufall
breakingbonesandmakingscars
butasyoutravelontheystarttofade
allfearsanddoubtspushedaside
nolongerablockadeyourun
untilyoucantrunanymore
yourheartheavilyguardedyourmind
Davis,Lyric

moreopenthanabook
ayoungpadawanwithnoneedforitssensi
independentwithnoboundaries
pasttroublesseemtoblurasyouturnback
alwaysrememberinghowyougottowhereyouarenow
humbleyoustaywhilethearroganceofothers
suffocatestheminthisgameofsurvivalofthefittest
wherethemightyhavefallenandweakgrowstronger
asyoulookacrossthepathyouseeitstarttochange
drydesertsbecomelushvalleysofgreen
asfarastheeyecansee
andatthatmomentyourealize
Imadeit
Inlifetherewillbestruggles
Andyouhavetosurpassthem.
Everybodyhasastruggleaquestions
Everywherelifeislikeapuzzle.These

Gonzalez,
Jennifer

Pastmonths,day,hours,orseconds
Peoplehaveproblems.Everyonefeels
Painthatdoesntwanttoexplain,sothey
Turnthepage.Tocontinueonandforget
Abouttheforgotten.Yourpersonalstruggle
Canmakeyougainconfidenceintoyourself.
Alwaysbelieveinyourselfandachieveit

83

Iseemtonotwanttosucceedinlife,
ButthenInoticehowbrightmyfuturecanbe.
Hernandez,

Ipushmyhardesttopursuemydream,

Adrian

Butthevoicesaroundmedontseemtoletmeachieve.
Dreamsarecrushedwithwordsfromthepeoplearoundyou,
Butyouignorethemandgoafteryourdream.
Astruggleintostrengthisapowerthatsomeonehasthattheycantakefromwhattheyhavebeen

Hernandez,

throughandturnitintosomethingsobeautifulandmakeitmeaningful.Withoutafallthroughastruggle

Maryah

you'llneverknowwhat'sthefeelingbeinginastruggle.Astruggledetermineswhetheryouareastrong
orweakperson.Astrengthwithoutastruggleismeaningless.
Whenyoutryit,
youcantdoit.
Whenyoucantdoit,
itsastruggle.

Lamont,Malik

Whenitsastruggle
youkeeptrying.
Whenyoukeeptrying,
youdoit.
Whenyoudoit,
itsastrength.
Thingdon'tgoasplanned
Peoplewon'tunderstand.
Peoplebetrayyou
Afterallthethingsyoubeenthrough.
Thegovernmenttakesyourprotection
Andexpectsaffection.
Istruggle

Montealegre,
Johan

Westruggle
Butwithmistakes
Wecantelltherealfromthefakes.
Wecangetup
Getupuseyourstruggleasstrength.
Deepdowninsideyoucan
Youcanbuildyourminecraftcity
Finishyourstudies
Doanythingyouwant
Evenifyousayyoucan't
84

Ucan'thavestrength
Withoutstruggle
Andstrengthwithoutstruggle.
Iamnotsure
onhowtochangestruggleintostrength
Orofhowstrugglecanchangeintostrength
Roque,Kaylen

Istrugglewithmanythings
Daily
AndohgodIwishtoknowhowtochangestrugglestoastrengthratherthanhavingitasakeychainof
struggles
Struggles
Makeusstronger
Struggles
Makeuslivelonger
Whenweconquerthem
Theyhavenopower

Tatum,Darious

Wegaintheirstrength
Whentheytriedtodevour
Ours
Buttheyfail
Yougottabestrong
Andprovethemwrong
Becausetheyaren'tstrong,they'reweak
Andweareallawesome
Mystrugglesaresomethingnoonewillsee
Ikeepmystruggleslowkeyjustdon'twantnobodytosee
Butsomethingilearnedisthatstruggleswentlowrankandbecamemyhigheststrength

Vasquez,

Ifoundawaytomakethemmystrengthandenjoyitbecauseidon'tgetstressedlikeiusedto

Esmeralda

Mystrugglesarelikedust
Youcandustitouteasilyandgrowstrength
Peoplegrowstrugglesfromtheirjob,schoolandotherpeople
Butiseetheygrowupandgetthrewit,theyachievethemandthat'stheirstrength
Personalstruggle
Canbeabadrumble.

Vazquez,Emelin Tothosewhojust
Cannotanymore,
Willnotanymore.
85


Personalstruggle
Canbearealhustle.
Thoughsomepeople
Willnotgiveup,
Andthatbecomes
Apersonalstrength.

Personalstruggle
Canchangerealquick
Topersonalstrength.
Somepeoplewill
Keepgoingatit.
Andwillnotstop
Untiltheyachieveit.

Personalstruggle
Canreallyaffectpeople.
Itcanbetemporary.
Itcanbeforever.
Butitwillaffectpeopledeeply.
Ifyoujustkeepstruggling
Andnotdoanythingaboutit,
Youwon'tgoanywhereinlife
Ifyoudon'tstrengthenyourstruggle.
Istruggledwithconformity
Iusetobethekidwhoconformedtofitin
OnedayIwokeupandrealizedthatIwaswrong
Watkins,Ebin

IwokeupandtoldmyselfIdon'tneedanyone'sacceptancebutmines
I'veturnedthatstruggleintomystrengthandIcouldn'tbehappier.
ToknowthatIhaveovercamebeinglikeeveryoneelseforapprovalisadreamcometrue
NowIrealizethatI'matmybestwhenI'mmyself
There'sonlyonecopyofmeandit'smyjobtomakethebestifit

86

Chapter Thirteen
Sonnets for Humanity

87


Humanityisindanger
Humanitycreatesmistakesonpurpose
Weneedaranger
Weneedtothinkwe'rethankful

Lifeisworthwhiletobepartofhumanity.
Ifit'sbeinggratefulforwhatyouhave
Barrera,Rosbi

Maybeyouhavetoornottohumanity
Youdon'thavetobragabouthumility
Humanityhasitsupsanddowns
Maybewehavetostopdoubtingourself's
Wehaveasecondround
Orathirdroundforourselves
Whoknowsifhumanityhasa
ChanceknowsIfwehavea
Chancetodance
Humanslivedaybyday
Lifegoesonlikeifitwastheirlast

Beltran,

Doingwhatyourlifeissupposedtobedoing

Stephanie

Troublehappeninganyday
Don'tletbadthingsstoptheway
Justkeepgoinglikeanyday
thehumanrace
hastheneedforreason
tokeepasmileontheirface
itsourformoflogiclikegenderandwhat'sinseason

whenthereisnoanswertoaquestion

Charco,

theymakesomethingup

Gabriella

whydoyouthinktheresreligion
andifyou'renotinonyougetquestionedcloseup

itswhythingslikegenderexist
sohumanitycanidentify
unnecessarybutsomethingtheyinsist
theywon'tgiveupontrying

88


humanityhasanitch
wecan'tliveinpeace
thethoughtofbeingmeaninglessmakesustwitch
somightaswellgoalongbeforeourskinstartstocrease
Humanitygoneastray
whatcantheydowhileitfades
nevergivenaleeway
onesolditssoulasatrade
nowallhopeislostforwe
morethananythingafraid
Davis,Lyric

consumedbythedarktobe
fornotalldebtscanbepaid
butforthosewhocanshowus
canguideustotherightpath
justtobeambiguous
becausetheyknowforafact
tobeinconspicuous
perhapswellcleanupouract
Humanityisan
Affecttothesociety
Intheworldwelivein,being
Negativeonothersnot
Knowingtheyhurtthere

Gonzalez,
Jennifer

Feelings,deep,deep,
Downyoudonteven
Knowthemto
Beginwith.Just
Knowthepeopleyou
Hangoutwithwould
Bewithyouforever,
Somewelllowchancesthough.
Beinghumanisnteasy,

Hernandez,
Adrian

Peoplearealwaysjudging,
Andneverseemtoworry,
Withaconsentthatsalwayssogrudging,
Idontlikebeinghuman,
89

SometimesIfeellikedying,
Feelingpressuredbyafewmen,
Isthereanotherwayofgoingupwithoutflying?
WhywasIbroughttothisplanet?
Wasthereanymeaning?
Bullyingisbad
Destroysapersonandmakesthemsad
Throughlongnights
Hernandez,
Maryah

Cryingandwideawake
Depressionisthebestfriendoflackofcommunication
Isolatingthemselvesfromothers
Causetheydon'twanttoheardefiantwordsfromothers
Butattheendoftheday
Theysitinsilence
donotuseyourmoneyontheworthless
donothelpunlessinneedofhelping
anddonotuseyourheartontheheartless
orinresulttheywillendupyelping.

differentfeelings,thiswayorthatway
boredyetsatisfiedinmynormallife
Ifeellikethisalmosteveryday

Lamont,Malik

likemybrainisasdullasanoldknife

helpthechildrenandalsofeedthemtoo
givethemfullhappinessanddailybread
ifwedon'tdoitthentheresnoonewho
willcareandnurtureuntiltheyaredead

thentherewillbenomorefutureforus
butyoudon'tcarenow,sowhatsthefuss?
Ohwhatabeautifulday.
Thesunisshiningthebirdssinging.

Montealegre,

AdaythatlandedinthemiddleofMay.

Johan

Butyourphoneisringing.
Anothernotification.
ForamovieonTV.
90

Explainsyourlackofparticipation.
Wealllovephonesevenme.
Butweareobsessed.
Withthelatesttechnology.
Andwearedepressed.
Inallhonesty.
Thatwecouldn'tenjoythisbeautifulday.
InthemiddleofMay.
Itshouldn'tmatterifyou'restraightorgay
Youshouldn'tbejudgedforwhatyouwear
Youshouldn'tcareofwhatpeoplesay
Youshouldn'tcareifpeoplestare
Thereisnoneedtodiscriminate
Noneedtojudgeormocksomeone
Roque,Kaylen

Thereisnoneedtohate
Beingoffensivetooneisnofun
Hurtfulrudecommentscanaffectonebadly
Itmayleadonetothoughtsofsuicide
Thismayseemtobetheonlyoptionforthem,sadly
Andwedon'twantnoonetodie
Sobeniceandkind
Anduseyourmind
Peoplepeoplelistentome
Don'tmakeafire,saveatree
Weneedtheirleaves
Sowecanbreathe

Tatum,Darious

Sowecanlive
Keepournation
Soitcanlastanothergeneration
Sosaveatree
Tosavehumanity
Andme
Humansarepeoplethathaveabrain

Vasquez,
Esmeralda

Theyalsousetheirintelligence
Theygooutsidetherain
Buttheygotnotypefornogame
Showingeveryonetheirstrength
91

Andshowingthemtheirway
Peoplecomeandgo
Butwillneverletothersknow
Wegottwohands
Weusethemtobuild/makestuff
Itmightbeinventedornot
Butushumansareactuallysmartnomatterwhat.
Thisgenerationhascometo
Photosfromthephotoalbum
GettakenfromiPhones.
Childrengettingeducated
Fromtheirtablet.
Teenagersgettingdistracted
Fromsocialmedia.
Homophobicgettingjudged
Forbeingdifferent.
Icouldgoonandon.
Vazquez,Emelin
Somepeoplearebeginningtolose
Faithinhumanity.
Buteachindividual
Areuniquehumanbeings.
Weareboth
Anangelandadevil.
Forwehavethegoodside.
Andforwehavethebadside.
Butthatiswhatmakes
Humanity.
Arewegoodenough
Willweeverbegoodenough
Arewetomean
Arewetonegative
Watkins,Ebin

Orarewenotnegativeenough
Aretherethingswearenotdoingrightashumans
OrareweDoingtomuch
Wewillneverknowbutthat'sok
Wejusthavetomakethebestofwhatwehave

92

Chapter Fourteen
Portmanteaus

93


Purryiscleartohumanity
PurryislikeLowe's
Purryislikethesunlike
Purryislikereliktantingyourfamily
Barrera,Rosbi

PurryisYouth
Purryislikewhater
Purryislikeareflection
Purryislikemotherture
Purryisaserough

Beltran,
Stephanie

Thejazziglegoingdownthestreetzigzagging
Themonchilaclimbingonthetree
Grigertryingtohunt
beaneaththegrownd
livealltheoddities
thebreyesthatwatch

Charco,
Gabriella

thesprilandthatcrawel
thecratthatmeowandfly
itsdiffernt
butthatsokay
becausetheyreallriends
andnoonenjudges
quick!run!hide!
Itssuaetnamtrop!
hemessesupeverything
turninganythingbackwards

Davis,Lyric

onelookathimand
youllfindyourfacelookingatyourbum
dontlethimcatchyou!
ifhedoes
offwithyourhead!!
Thesuaetnamtropstrikesagain!!!
Onceuponatimelefo

Gonzalez,
Jennifer

andlittleMiniMorwereplaying
music.Oloandthenskiarounon
flowersdancing.Gubrawasposing
withbalcanthenrunningaway.Jumping
94

tocloudandcloustoNebgalupon
space.Hoppingoffandlaumcheding
downundsewheretheirslotsofsand.
Littlepeoplearenibeauandhappyto
bewithstradanandgettingknowthembetter
ThisinnowayspeaksofhowIfeeltoward
Hernandez,

mostwomen,

Adrian

Ijustseeafewouttherethat
Meetmostofthesequalifications.
Summer+fun=fummer
Hot+pool=hool
Chips+soda=choda
Movie+nights=novie

Hernandez,

Shoes+clothes=shothes

Maryah

School+work=schork
Home+work=wome
Money+love=loney
Park+time=tark
Phone+life=phofe
Thisisataleofthe
Drappycorn.
Nowwhenthiscreature
wasborn
ithasbeenjoyedand

Lamont,Malik

sincethenIhavesworn
tokeepitalive
exceptforoneday

Ittripped
andfellonathorn
nowImourn.
Workinglatenight

Montealegre,
Johan

Listening,despite
Thesoundof
Thehashslingingslasher
Hecutoffhishand

95

Anditlandedinthesand
Hecried
Andthendied
NoweveryTuesday
Hecomestoslay
everyfrycook
Inthebook
Dragokkaneversleeps
Dragokkawatchesovercloudity
rarelyanytroubleoccurswithintrubbers
onawarmnoonanintrubberwonderedaroundtheDragokka'smountair
theintrubberwondersofftoofarandisnevertoobeseen
thedragokkahasneverbeenseenbutit'sshadowhas
Roque,Kaylen

clouditybriltsinhalfthehumangelsbegintopanic
oneofthehumangelscruinstotheDragokka'smountair
itwasthefirsttoseeaDragokka
theDragokkafeathurswasgoldbrownredandbleen
theDragokkaflewoutandwentbeneathcloudity
clouditywasbacktogether
thedragokkawasneverseenagain

TheShagonwasmighty
TheShagonwasstrong
Tothinkitwasinvincible
Wouldbetotallywrong
DwellingintheCanills
WasaSwimond

Tatum,Darious

Theswordofdiamond
Amanhadfoundit
InaFirill
SototheShagon
Hewenttokill
ButtheShagonwaswise
HetooktotheBlies
Andnevercamebackagain

Vasquez,

AfamilywasontheirwaytoSanJacinto

Esmeralda

Theywereonthecarthewholetime
96

Thelittlekidwaslookingouthiswindow
Hewassurprisedbylookingatabeefalo
Ashadow,hesaw
Itwasaliger
Hewasconfusedbutalsoexcited
"Mommamomma"hesaid"lookattheanimals"
Shedidn'tseeanything,onlyhecan
Hestartedseeingotheranimalshewashappy
Thwirwasazedonkeating,hewasconfusedbecauseheneverseenananimallikethat,hesawa
sheepletoo...
Hewokedupnwaslost
Itwasalladream,buthewasstillexcited
Helookedoutsidehiswindowandsawasheepleandjustgiggled.
Ohno!It'sCoudog!
Hewillhogandhog
Allthecorndogs
Untilthereisnomore!
Vazquez,Emelin

Hewillnotstop
Untilheflops
Downthestairs
Intheair
Outthedoor.
ButCoudogwillreturnformore.
Onceuponatime
Inalandwayuphigh
Therelivedagrumpyoldmaninapalacesodry

Watkins,Ebin

Hewantedwatersobadsoeverydayhewassad
Thenageniecamealong
Andtoldhimifhewasnicehiswishwouldbegranted
Sohegavebacktopeopleandmadesureeveryonewasok
Sothatdayhiswishwasgranted

97

Chapter Fifteen
Poetry Is...

98


Poemsareemotions
Poemsarebeingdescriptive
Poemsrelievethenegativethoughts
Barrera,Rosbi

Poemsareastressreleasingmedicine
Poemisasoulreleaser
Poemisawaytosolveyour
Problems,poetrybringsserenity
topeople'sheart
Poetrytomeiswritingwithemotions.
Whatthepersonisfeeling.Itswhenyoutalkthroughyourwriting.
Itswhereyouwriteallyourthoughts,sayings,opinionseverythingbasedonemotion.

Beltran,

Itswhereyoucansayeverythingbasedonemotion.

Stephanie

Itswhereyoucansayeverythingwithoutbeingjudged.
Itswhereyoucanconnectwithalotofpeoplegoingthroughthesamething.
Itswhereyoucanbeyourselfwithoutanyoneknowing.
Itswhereyoucanbeprivateandnobodyelsecanseethemeaning.
Poetryisliterarywork
wherethereisintensity
withintheexpressionof
feelingsandideas,
perspectiveandexperiences.

Poetryis
viewsonlike
viewsondeath

Charco,

andofthecontroversal

Gabriella

Poetryis
aformofart
becauseofitsbeauty
becauseofitselegance.

Poetryis
morethanjustwords
morethanjustlines
poetryismoving

99

likeariver,itcanbeclearandcalm
orrapidandmessy.
Lifebeautifullyspoken,
wordsperfectlyheard,
everyimperfectionshownclearlyinthemirror
butfadesawayastheheartopensup.

Youscreamjumpandshout
butyou'reneverheard
Davis,Lyric

untilyousaythewords
thatmakestheirstomach'scurd

Thentheyrealizewhattheyhadntbefore,
theresmoreinstore.
Forlonelyheartslikeours,

Oursouldefinedbywhat'sours.

Describingyouremotions,and
Otherpeoplesfeelings.Poetryisan

Gonzalez,
Jennifer

Escapefromyouremotionsnotthe
ExpressionofPersonality.
Butofcoursewantingto
Escapefromeverythingthatishappening.
Nottokeeppainandletitallout.Itsbetter
Writingitthandoingotherdumbstuff.
PoetryisaworkofArt,
Itletspeopleexpresswhatcantbeexpressed,
Itisshownbythewordspeoplesayeveryday.
PoetryisaworkofArt,

Hernandez,
Adrian

Thereispoetrywheretheredoesnthavetohaveterminalpunctuation,
Soitcontinuestoflowwithrhythm,
Soallusionscouldbringpoetrytogether.
PoetryisaworkofArt,
Peopleexpress,
Peoplefeel,
Peopleknow,
100

Andothersjustwrite.
PoetryisaworkofArt.
Poetryis
Poetryiswordsthatexpressfeelingsonthepage.Poetryisatypeofwritingthatexpressesdifferent
Hernandez,

feelings.Poetrycanbeaboutanyexperienceyou'vehad.Poetrydoesn'thavetobelongorshort.It

Maryah

doesn'thavetorhyme.Everyproblemhasastorytotellorhasafeelingtoexplain.Somepeopleuse
poetryasanescapeofcruelmoments.Poetrycanbesentimentalorrough,whatevertypeofemotionit
is,it'sstillconsiderpoetry
Poetryislife
Expressingemotions
withinarhythmofwords
Allthoughtswrittenonpaper.
Poetryismusic.
Itshearingwithyoureyes,
whileseeingwithyourears.
Artwithinourminds.

Lamont,Malik

Whenpeoplespeak,
itspoetry.
Whenpeoplewrite,
itspoetry.
Whenpeoplesing,
itspoetry.
Poetryis
surgicallyremovingthefeelings
fromourbrain,
andgluingittopaper.
Poetryis
Anythingyouwantittobe.
Poetryis
Thebeautyofnature.

Montealegre,
Johan

It's
Creativitylikethemindofanartist.
It's
Workmanshipofapoormanfeedinghisfamily.
It's
Emotionalconnectionswithothers.
It's
101

Happinesslikeachildatplay.
It's
Sadnesslikemourningafallenfamilymember.
Poetryis.
It's.
Areleaseofstress,anythinginsideyou.
It'slovebetweenforbiddenlovers.
It'sasimplestreetrap.
Poetryis
Whateveryoumakeofit.

Poetryisthewordsandemotions
wecan'tseemtosayoutloud.
Butweareabletowritethosewordsandemotionsdownusingimagery,
enjambments,
personifications,
similes,
Roque,Kaylen

metaphors,
realism,
naturalism,
repetition,
rhythm,
rhyme,
sensorydetails
andsomuchmore.
Poetryismorethanwordsonapage
Poetryismorethanrandomrhymes
Poetryismorethanmetersandfoot
Poetryisaboutlife
Poetryisaboutliving

Tatum,Darious

Poetryisaboutus
Poetryisaboutourminds
Poetryisaboutourhearts
Whatwefeel
Whatwedo
Poetryisourexperiences
Poetryisinspiration

102

Poetryisliterature
Poetryisfeelings
Poetryislife
Poetryissomethingdifferentthanstories
Theygotdifferentkindofmeanings
Let'ssay,ithasmoreinformationandfeelings
Itexpressesalotofunderstanding
Vasquez,
Esmeralda

Poetrycanrhythmorsometimesitdoesnothaveto
Itcanbelongorshortdon'tmatteratall
Poetryisabeautifulthingthattheiris
Itrhythms,useswordswehavenotheardorusedbefore
I/wecanlearnalotaboutlifensentimentalstuff
Likehowtodealthem
Itmightbedifferenttounderstandbutyoujusthavetoreadittounderstandit
Poetryisthebeautyinwords.
Poetryisthedeepmeaningofanything,
Whetherit'sgoodorbad.
Emotionscouldcomethrough
Andcreatestrongmeaningwith
Thecorrectwording.

Evenrapispoetry.

Vazquez,Emelin

Rappersintendtohavea
Backstorythatshowsastowhy
Theywritewhattheywrite.
Evendirtysongsarepoetry,
Theyexpresstheirfeelings.

Inordertoactuallyunderstandpoetry,
Youhavetovisualizeorfeel
Thepoet'semotion(s)andor
Whatisgoingon.
Whatispoetry.Ispoetryreallyawayforustoexpresshowwefeel.Orisitjustawayforustosaywhat
wereallywanttooutloud.

Watkins,Ebin

Ispoetryreallyahealingprocessorisitjustaconstantreminderofallthebullshitwegothrough.Does
writingpoetryreallymakeyoufeellikeyouhaveovercomeallofyourstruggles.
103


Sohowdowereallyknowthedefinitionofpoetryisreallywhattheytellus.Orisitjustaprediction.
Predictionsarenotfinalanswers.

104

Poetry Time Capsule

Student Reflections

WhatIenjoyedthemostofthisunitwasthatwehadthechancetocreateourownpoetry.
Thewritingimprovedorisimproving.
ienjoyedmostgoingovertoday'sproblematictopics.slampoetrywillstaywithmeforever.
Poetryislife.Lifeispoetry.Everythingispoetry.Thisunitwillhelpmewillfuturecriticalthinkingproblemsthatcomemy
way.
Theonlypoemienjoyeddoingwasstruggleintostrengthandthatwasaboutit.
Ienjoyedtheoverallconceptoftheme.Poetryisaveryentertainingtopicwhichyoulearnalotfrom.Ithinkpoetryhas
helpedmeinmanysuchwaysandinrecognizingthedifferentsymbolsofpoetry.
WhatIenjoyedaboutthisunitwasthatIlearneddifferentandnewthings.Whatwillstayformeforeverwillbethatpoem
isn'tjustemotionalpouredontoapieceofpaperandsaidtobutitswhenyouexplainandletpeopleknowwhatyoufeel
becausetheyhaveonceexperiencethesamesituationyoumighthavebeengoingthrough.Itwillnotaffectmylearningor
studyingitwilljustmakemeintoabigger,brighterperson.
Ilikepoetry.Poetryisfun.
TheunitwasdifferentitwashardandthenitwaseasyitwassomethingelsebutoverallitwasprettyinterestingandI
wouldliketocontinueifican
Writingpoetryismyfavoriteunitoverall,butIwouldsayIenjoyedcreatingfoundpoems.Ibelievefirstdiscovering
enjambmentswillstaywithmeforever.Idon'tbelieveIwouldchangeanythingabouttheunitbecauseIbelievethiswasa
wellputunitandlearningallthesedifferenttypesofpoetrywasinterestingtome.Thisunitexpandedmyknowledgeof
somekeytermsandconceptsofpoetry.
Thethingienjoyedmostinthisunitwaslearningaboutdifferenttypesofpoetry.Ithinkthedifferentmeaningsofpoems
willstaywithmeforever.Iwouldn'tchangeanythingaboutthisunit.Yougaveustheinstructionswehadtofollowandstill
leftroomforustobecreativeandexpressourselves.Ilearnedtoactuallyparticipateinsomethinginschoolandlearn
aboutitbeforeijudgeit.
Ienjoyedthisunitbecauseihavelearnedalotaboutpoetryandthedifferenceandsimilarities.Whatwillstaywithme
foreveristhatiopeneduptomyselfandwrotemyfeelingsandotherstuffintopoemsandiamproudofmyselffortrying
anddoingmybest.Whatwillichangeinthisunit?Nothingiwouldn'tchangeabsolutelynothing,everythingwasperfect.I
believethisunitwillaffectmylearningbecauseitmademerealizediamstrongwhomiamandicanletmyangerand
problemsoutonwritingapoemanditcanaffectmyfuturebecauseicanusepoetryonputtingeverythingidoinitand
makingalotofpoemsthenithinkiwill.

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IenjoyedlisteningtopoemsandwatchingtheYouTubevideostoit.Ithinksomevideoswillbestuckwithmeforever,none
specific.ThiswillaffecthowIwritepoetrylaterinthefutureclasses.
WhatIenjoyedaboutthisunitwasthatwecouldexpressourselvesandweweren'tjudgedandnoneofouranswerswere
wrong.ThethingthatwillstaywithmeforeveristhatIwastaughtbyoneofthebestteachersatmyschool.AndIwill
neverforgetwhatshetaughtusanditwillstickwithmeforeverinlife.Iwouldreallychangenothingaboutthisunit.Ijust
wishitstartedearlier.

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