Where We End Up: From Being Hungry Comes Being Full

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Lunchtime Poems Written by 826michigan Students in Spring & Summer 2020

Where We End Up From Being Hungry Comes Being Full

Lunchtime Poems Written by 826michigan Students in Spring & Summer 2020

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From Being Hungry Comes Being Full end

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Lunchtime Poems Written by 826michigan Students in Spring & Summer 2020

826michigan Staff Dr. Naimah Wade, Executive Director Catherine Calabro Cavin, Education Director Frances Martin, Operations Director Courtney Wise Randolph, Communications & Development Manager Megan Gilson, Program Manager David Hutcheson, Program Engagement Specialist Christina Chang, Student Engagement Associate Ariel Kaplowitz-Hahn, Volunteer Engagement Associate Josi Ezinga, Development Associate

Copyright © 2020 by 826michigan and Blotch Books.

All rights reserved by 826michigan, the many whims of Drs. T & G Blotch, the illustrators, and the authors.

The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826michigan. We believe in the power of youth voice and are thrilled that you picked up this book. No part of this book may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher, except for small excerpts for the purposes of review or scholarly study.

Designed by: Amelia Rista Illustrations Inspired by: Anna Kövecses By purchasing this book, you are helping 826michigan continue to offer free student programs. For more information, please visit: 826michigan.org

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Also Published by 826michigan Young Authors Book Project: Because No One Else Could Do It In Our Defense In the Clouds Over Ypsilanti A Moment to Remember Rare Air / Aire raro A Lantern of Fireflies Tell Me How It Was Where Is It Coming From?

Enjoy! Recipes for Building Community All I Could Do Was Look Up: Anatomy of a Middle School What to Call the Place I Call Home: Voices of 26 Ypsilanti Middle School Students The Moons Were Jealous 2020: Visions of the [Near] Future Don’t Stay Up So Late How to Rise Or, I Put My Heart into the Close Tall Tales & True Stories Suddenly My Heart Stopped for Just a Small Portion of Time: Defining Moments

OMNIBUS: 826michigan OMNIBUS I 826michigan OMNIBUS II 826michigan OMNIBUS III 826michigan OMNIBUS IV 826michigan OMNIBUS V 826michigan OMNIBUS VI

826michigan OMNIBUS VII 826michigan OMNIBUS VIII 826michigan OMNIBUS IX 826michigan OMNIBUS X 826michigan OMNIBUS 11

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Acknowledgements Tremendous thanks to the incredible volunteers who collaborated with us as part of our Lunch Poems community this spring and summer:

Connie Powers Pat Gold Melissa Brooks-Yip Jun McDonald Ntombi Honablue Christina Chang

A special thank you to Intern Lauren Rudewicz for creating and leading such beautiful curriculum and connection.

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Table of Contents 3 Riding in the

4 Playing Games with You

5 Eating Ice Cream

6 On My Shelf

with You Mona Spiteri

7 Playing Basketball

8 Writing with You

9 Softball

11 Closet

Mona Spiteri

x

Neighborhood with You Sizwe Honablue

with You Laila Crawley

Aliya Crawley

Ella Yip

Sizwe Honablue

Vivien Norton

12 Drawing

Mona Spiteri

13 From Sushi

Ella Yip

14 Baking

Laila Crawley

15 Sounds of Home

Tore Teig

16 The Beach

Eleonore Cras

18 The Band

Matthieu Cras

826MICHIGAN

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19 About My Dad

Max Turner

20 Bandroom

Lucas Tosi

21 Nature

Lucas Tosi

22 The Kitchen

Oscar Shelton

23 Fear

Josiah Atkinson

25 In the She-Hive

Sydney Wade

26 The Unicorn

Hanako McDonald

27 As I Smell a Flower Out in the Yard

Hanako McDonald

28 The Sunshine Beams

Hanako McDonald

29 I Will Reach for a Peach

Jarai Strawder

30 You Can’t Force Poetry Out of Your System

Miriam Stidd

31 Fracturing and Fragmentation

Miriam Stidd

32 Autumn

Hanako McDonald

33 The Piano Room

Ella Yip

34 The Pineapple and the Orange

Hanako McDonald

35 Sticky and Sweet Bread Made with Honey

Miriam Stidd

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Introduction Students of Lunch Poems engaged with 826michigan staff and volunteers around the delicious sounds and smells and tastes of and in poetry. The Lunch Poem project was inspired by poet Frank O’Hara’s series of everyday poems that can be composed (and celebrated!) on a lunch break. A lunch poem, unlike the heavier dinner poem, has a lightness and frivolity to it. It’s a short break that’s precious in its shortness. It reminds you to take a breath, to look around you. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s delightful. It’s great with friends! It’s more about getting together than the eating of the poem itself. It isn’t a pain to prepare; it isn’t steak. It’s low stakes, but it does wonders for your afternoon!

This program was created during a time of great transition this spring due to the COVID-19 crisis. As we quickly had to reimagine all our programs and move them into the virtual space, we wanted to hear from students and families what kind of writing and connecting they were hungry for. Lunch Poems was launched as a pilot program in response to what we heard from our community and has quickly become a pantry staple here at 826michigan. We hope you savor and enjoy the delicious writings our students have cooked up!

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WHERE WE END UP

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Sizwe Honablue AGE 13

Riding in the Neighborhood with You is more fun than hopping in a cold swimming pool in Phoenix, Arizona, more fun than jumping on a trampoline and going one thousand feet in the air— partly because of your bright red color, partly because of the way your pedals and handlebars feel on my hands and feet, partly because of your love for going super fast nonstop.

It is hard to believe that when I am with you, I go faster than some birds in the air.

Even when we fall we keep going.

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Ella Yip AGE 12

Playing Games with You is even more fun than going to the beach or being in a pool on a hot day, partly because of your competitiveness, partly because of your love for victory over me, partly because of the triumph at the end of the game, partly because of the challenge to beat you.

It is hard to believe that when I am with you there can be anything as still as tension itself.

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Mona Spiteri AGE 11

Eating Ice Cream with You is more fun than floating from the sky with an umbrella or going to a waterpark, partly because you love to laugh partly because of your love for ice cream.

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Sizwe Honablue AGE 13

On My Shelf

And so, I see a Batman action figure, I see my comic books, I see Legos, I see the Chronicles of Narnia books, I see the OMNIBUS Eleven. And then, when I look at the OMNIBUS Eleven, I remember the day that I received the OMNIBUS 11, and I read a story that I wrote in front of a bunch of people from 826.

And you were there! You were there. You were on the podium.

And I remember when we were driving home my mom wouldn’t stop about how proud she was of me for that— it wasn’t a big deal but it was to her, I guess.

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Laila Crawley AGE 15

Playing Basketball with You

inn ing .

gam e,

he

partly be

cause

of t he t

hr ill of w

ov ef or t

you rl

cause of

partly be

partly be

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all th ep lac

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ee,

is even more fun than buying new shoes or being the star in my own movie, partly because of all the places we see, partly because of your love for the game, partly because of the thrill of winning.

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Vivien Norton AGE 12

Writing with You

is even more fun than a perfect beach, partly because I love you, Jack, partly because of your love for Minecraft, partly because of the madness inside you, partly because you love everybody and everything around you.

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Aliya Crawley AGE 14

Softball

From softball come the players, a group of girls with a goal.

This is a game of many layers— it is a journey to get back home making stops along the way— with nine positions, all needing someone to play.

Comes the familiar crack of a ball meeting a bat— watch it soar high and far followed by a sprint to someplace safe.

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Scarves

and ha t and coat hook

— of the Coats emories m warm

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cold

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Mona Spiteri AGE 11

Closet

Coats—warm memories of the cold Forgotten boxes, a printer that’s up there for some reason Scarves and hat and coat hook

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Mona Spiteri AGE 11

Drawing

From the pencil come ideas of endless imagination From the land where thought moves like birds From imagination to paper From ideas to reality

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Ella Yip AGE 12

From Sushi

From sushi comes deliciousness— this roll of rice, seaweed, and more— we eat from one roll to the next at the speed of light.

Where we end up— from being hungry from birthday celebrations— comes being full, comes excitement, comes the fulfillment of going to get sushi.

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Laila Crawley AGE 15

Baking

From ingredients comes the cake we waited hours to bake— at the store we gathered (all the factors were scattered) from the green sugar cane plant

( all

th e

w er e

14

factors

scat d tere )

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Tore Teig AGE 7

Sounds of Home

Clinking of pans.

Radio in the kitchen.

The birds outside.

The clinking when my brother builds things.

I hear quiet, peace, pencils against paper.

I feel happy, safe, bored— I know where everything is.

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Eleonore Cras AGE 6

The Beach

At the beach I hear the sound of waves and the sound of water . . .

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Matthieu Cras AGE 9

The Band

The drum behind me is beating like an elephant stomping its hardest The piano is soft and peaceful like the woods and only animals are there The guitar is there like the rough sea storming on The strings and woodwinds are like the worst storms possible The band is in perfect sync not a single second late or early The band is perfect

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Max Turner AGE 6

About My Dad

My dad likes to wear funny hats.

He likes to read Spider Man comics.

He likes to lay on pillows, and he loves, he likes books.

And sometimes I call him the TV Guy because he loves to watch stuff on TV.

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Lucas Tosi AGE 11

Bandroom

In the bandroom, yes, inside here— the loud saxophone banging in my ear!

Before I was mad, but now I am glad to finally hear the ringing in my ear once again.

Someone once said I’d outgrown the trombone, and they threw it out, but now I think that they’re getting the feeling of doubt.

This very same year I saw them pout about throwing that big ole trombone out.

The clarinet, my instrument, I feel joyous I didn’t abandon it.

All this year I wasn’t happy but it turns out I was just being snappy, and now I’m amazed that I still have it— I’m just very super delighted.

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Lucas Tosi AGE 11

,

Nature

be fre e

e a tre to se

ver ne

hat will et

Nature is Earth’s beauty, but people are snooty, endangering Nature’s duty of being filled with beauty.

In every forest there’s a tree that is being cut down by thee— not one nor two nor three— many many more you see.

ne it

her will he?

The person who cut down the tree has a smirk on their face with glee, but are they really truly happy to see a tree that will never be free, considering that neither will he?

c on

t sidering

t ha

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Oscar Shelton AGE 10

The Kitchen

As I look in the kitchen, I look past the pots and pans— I see the glass fruit never being used at all.

I see the popcorn machine that reminds me of the technology that surrounds me.

The tall glasses and cups aren’t in here much.

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Josiah Atkinson AGE 12

Fear

Cooped up inside.

They know what’s happening.

Everyone does.

Their room is silent.

You can only hear the steady increase of notifications on their phone, Slowly, slowly but surely a bud rises from their room.

The bud copies itself, and moves to the next room.

It keeps going until the entire city knows every detail of the buds.

It doesn’t matter which one, it happens to all of them eventually.

The buds grow.

They bloom.

Suddenly, thousands of crows shoot from the flowers.

They fly up.

Then they dive.

They swarm the city.

And leave nothing but the flowers.

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WHERE WE END UP

she

also has

beautiful pictures

on her

wall.

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Sydney Wade AGE 9

In the She-Hive

Inspiring posters everywhere Like on the door and on the wall.

She also has beautiful pictures on her wall.

She also has a chaise— a chaise is a kind of furniture.

She also has a whiteboard that she keeps her notes for work on, and she has beautiful flowers—but they are pretend—on her shelf.

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Hanako McDonald AGE 10

The Unicorn

The shining horn The flapping wings The rainbow hair The rainbow tail The diamond eyes With one touch of that horn You’ll give me my wish You’ll give me a dress You’ll give me a sparkle wink You’ll give me a ride up to the place where we can be together In a rainbow valley with other unicorns.

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Hanako McDonald AGE 10

As I Smell a Flower Out in the Yard As I smell a flower out in the yard I can hear a bee pollinating the beautiful flowers I can feel the soft and gentle petals I want the cool air to make the flowers dance I can see the flowers smiling softly at me I can taste the sweet flower smell in my mouth I feel protected by all of these flowers guarding me by my side

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Hanako McDonald AGE 10

The Sunshine Beams

The sunshine beams into the bright sky where the sun hits into my mom’s garden.

The squash turn green, the strawberries turn red, the grapes turn purple, and the blueberries turn blue.

First they were small, and now they are big.

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Jarai Strawder AGE 10

I Will Reach for a Peach

'm wI o n

d on e

I will reach for a peach.

I like plums, they give me the yums.

I had fun, but now I’m done.

I’m in bed, so ask Ted.

I had fun, bu t

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Miriam Stidd AGE 15

You Can’t Force Poetry Out of Your System You can’t force poetry out of your system, Even if it’s corroding your insides.

It won’t come out until it’s ready, My creativity is blocked and my brain is fried.

You can’t force art out of your head, You don’t know how hard I’ve tried.

There’s a lack of a grip to hold onto, As I’m dangling over the side.

I want to ooze ideas out of my fingers, But the wells of my inspiration have dried.

So I’ll compose this instead As I wait for this phase to subside.

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Miriam Stidd AGE 15

Fracturing and Fragmentation Marbles roll down a castle’s stairs and fracture as they fall, creating divisions in the glass that are impossible to fix.

Strawberries grow in my garden but only the plant because the fruits did not grow because the echinacea out-competed them for light.

My best friend in middle school one day started ignoring me in favor of another girl who always tried to take my food at lunch.

The archers still run through the woods, chasing fantastic creatures and wearing leather pants.

A Studio Ghibli movie is playing as I read Harry Potter in my friend’s living room before J.K. Rowling ruined my affinity toward the books.

Fracturing and fragmentation.

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Hanako McDonald AGE 10

the autu

mn

Autumn

The autumn leaves falling down The leaves that fall from the trees will make you jump into a pile of autumn leaves The cold breeze that makes a chill down your spine The chilly breeze will make you want to wear a sweater The time of the year when you pick the pumpkins Then go inside to have some pumpkin pie!

es leav

falling

wn do

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Ella Yip AGE 12

The Piano Room

The keyboard—I remember playing my lessons and the feeling of forgetting to practice and panicking Music sheets—learning to read music Books and bookshelves—the excitement of reading a new book Office—office supplies, pens, sticky notes Fruit

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Hanako McDonald AGE 10

The Pineapple and the Orange The sour-y tender of the pineapple: It’s energetic and it’s going crazy all over.

The orange has the feeling to make you bright as orange, And can feel all the emotions falling apart.

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Miriam Stidd AGE 15

Sticky and Sweet Bread Made with Honey Sticky and sweet bread made with honey Would ruin your white blouse if it spills, With a lavender garnish that draws her in.

Being something or chasing something, How am I not enough, or How are you?

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About 826michigan 826michigan inspires school-aged students to write with skill and confidence in collaboration with adult volunteers in their communities.

Our writing and tutoring programs uphold a culture of creativity and imagination and support students in establishing strong habits of mind. Through publication and community engagement, we provide students with an authentic and enthusiastic audience for their writing.

Our programs provide an energizing creative outlet for students and meaningful volunteer opportunities for community members. We believe that with one-on-one attention from caring adults, students improve their academic performance, develop a sense of belonging, and discover the unique value of their voices.

We also believe that the more fun a student has, and the more directly we speak to a student’s interests, the more we can help students find the fun in learning. That’s why our programs are more than just extra homework. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in their individual voice.

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ONLINE LEARNING LAB In the spring of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly transitioned all of our programs online.

Our priority is to ensure the safety of our community, while continuing to offer engaging, high-quality opportunities to students. Each of our main programs—Schoolwork Support, Workshops, Field Trips, and In-school Projects—has been reimagined for the virtual space as part of our new Online Learning Lab.. For the 2020-21 school year, our programs will remain virtual. When is it safe to return to our in-person programs, we plan to continue to offer virtual program opportunities as well!

SCHOOLWORK SUPPORT The program formerly-known as tutoring has been given an updated name, but the same great foundations remain. We organize trained volunteer tutors to work with students one-on-one with their homework after school. Schoolwork Support is available for all subjects, for students ages 8-18. Generally, we offer this program at three locations: at our Liberty Street Lab in Ann Arbor, at the Michigan Avenue Branch of the Ypsilanti District Library, and at our Winder Street Lab in Detroit’s Eastern Market, though in-person programs are on pause this year.

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We have added a Virtual Schoolwork Support program. Students are paired with two tutors to work on assignments for school and writing projects of their choosing.

WORKSHOPS We offer a number of free workshops taught by professional artists, writers, and our talented volunteers. From comic books to screenplays, bookmaking to radio, our wide variety of workshops are perfect for writers of all ages and interests. One of the most popular workshops we offer is our weekly Wee-bots program for elementary-aged writers.

IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS Our trained volunteers go into local public schools every day to support teachers with their classroom writing assignments. Based on the teacher’s curriculum, assignments range from writing tales to crafting college essays to exploring poetry. In addition, we hold regular Writers Clubs, in which small groups of students are able to work on a writing project over the course of a semester, culminating in a publication. We also partner with schools to hold Family Writing Labs: laughter-filled events in which families to come together and participate in an evening of engaging writing activities and community connection.

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FIELD TRIPS Always full of surprises and theatrics (and usually a visit from our crotchety editor, Dr. Blotch), our Field Trip program is an experiential writing extravaganza. We welcome teachers to bring their classes in for field trips during the school day. Students join a group of volunteers, interns, and staff to help solve a problem through writing—whether that is Dr. Blotch’s insomnia, our looming story deadline, a mystery in need of solving, or one of the many others we encounter. Our field trips always end in a finished publication of original writing that students take home. Often the field trip writing is connected to a second leg of the students’ journey, whether a trip to a museum, library, or local record label, thanks to our many incredible community partners.

OUR STORES Our Robot Supply Co. stores are one-stop shops for robots, robot owners, and enthusiasts alike. They are designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness of our programs to the community. When it is safe to do so again, come visit the Ann Arbor Robot Supply Co. at 115 East Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor and the Detroit Robot Supply Co. at 1351 Winder Street in Eastern Market in Detroit. In the meantime, please visit the Robot Supply Co. at onwardrobots. com. All proceeds from our stores directly fund our free student programming. Onward robots!

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WRITING IS

A way to figure things out by ourselves

We create a safe place to be ourselves and try new things We support the ways that writers work (like thinking, sketching, talking)

A way to help us connect to our world

We study the writing we want to do so we can try it We learn how to change our writing for genre, audience, and purpose

A way to help us learn who we are and who we will become

We work with a group of writers who help and support each other

A way for us to use our power to make changes and build a better world

www.826michigan.org

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826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities.

We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards.

Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization.

We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It's our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands.

As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability.

The 826 National network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start.

And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.

by Gerald Richards, CEO

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