One Pen 2021: beauty beneath the surface by The Bronx Academy of Letters Writers in Residence Program

BRONX ACADEMY OF LETTERS

beauty beneath the surface

ONE PEN 2021

Bronx Academy of Letters WRITER IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

For over 15 years, Bronx Academy of Letters has hosted a vibrant Writer in Residence Program, underscoring the importance of literacy and writing. The Writer in Residence Program leverages the expertise of working writers to bring an authentic contemporary writing experience to students. Through elective classes, students sparked by writing dive deep into the art forms of poetry and nonfiction. They publish One Pen, our literary journal, and The Raven, our magazine. Students meet with special guests, attend field trips and submit to contests to connect to the writing world beyond school. The Writer in Residence Program hosts school-wide performances featuring some of the most revered performance poets in the field.

O N E P E N S TA F F 2 0 2 0 - 2 0 2 1 Writer in Residence/ Editor-in-Chief: Karla Robinson Designer: Christina Kiel Student Editor: Chelsea Gomez Visual Artists: Marangelic Glasthal T’Kai Harvey Devaun Longley Marielis Rivera Ayeesha Suarez

Acknowledgements Special thanks to

Bronx Letters Foundation and Ms. Schless for their continued support. Ms. Resnick for sharing her students’ beautiful visual artwork. Mr. Montgomery for always making time to celebrate BAL poets. BAL Alumni: Guillermo Ovalle and Elena Bernardez (class of 2020) for crafting a poetic tribute to Ms. Garry that will live in the BAL archive forever. Leidy Marquez (class of 2019) and Lourdes Lluisupa (class of 2020) for taking time out of your busy college lives to nurture and share your poetic selves.

MUCH LOVE AND GRATITUDE TO THE POETS AND VISUAL ARTISTS FEATURED IN THIS BOOK.

Thank you for your courage and vision. Keep expressinG yourself. our fractured world desperately needs your voice.

Table of Contents Letter from the Editor, Karla Robinson

Turning Loss into Gains, Rosana Tavarez

Mirror, Mirror, Melissa Marte

Live Life at Your Own Pace, Elsie Herrera

What Happens to a Piece of Unwanted Cardboard? Hephzibah Appiah

Two New Stars Collide, Giomary Rodriguez

Soft Place to Land, Edwin Galindo

Life Lessons of 2020, Shaleis Bracero

Holding On, Giomary Rodriguez

Anticipated Vision, Kujegy Kamara

Waiting, Shaleis Bracero

Early Morning, Lourdes Lluisupa

May the Silence Come Apart, Melissa Marte

You Make Your Own Game, Genesis Hernandez

So Close but So Far, Jessica Montelongo

Light of Courage, Jonathan Cortes Carmona

Watch Your Mouth, Tariah Scott

NYC, Edwin Galindo

Within Our Gates, Ivelisse Lopez

Shattered But Beautiful, Kaitlyn Alvarez

Achlys, Kujegy Kamara

The Many Manifestations of Freedom, Tyler Roberts

Cruel World, Jonathan Cortes Carmona

Under the Same Sky, Yisbely Made

Be Strong, Genesis Hernandez

Dreams Written Within, Elsie Herrera

Dear Ms. Garry, Collaborative Poem

Christmas in June, Miguel Juarez

Unbreakable, Melissa Marte

Behind The Cracked Glass, Hephzibah Appiah

Freedom? Rosana Tavarez

A Sin Too Much Sinned, Tyler Roberts

El Barrio, Starlin Terrero

Wake Up, It’s Coming, Chelsea Gomez

When in Doubt, Let Your Body Help You Out, Ivelisse Lopez

Somewhere an Artist, Collaborative Poem

Relight My Spark, Ashley Hernandez

Hope’s Home, Ivelisse Lopez

Beauty from a Distance, Jessica Montelongo

I Miss You, Lourdes Lluisupa

El Tiempo, Leidy Marquez

Speak Your Truth, Elsie Herrera

101

Darkness is Dawn, Not Yet Born, Chelsea Gomez

103

We People of Color Are Warriors, Jonathan Cortes Carmona

105

At Long Last, Collaborative Poem

108

Choose Your Path, Kaitlyn Alvarez

110

Moving On, Miguel Juarez

111

WELCOME TO ONE PEN 2021:

BeAuty bEneath tHe Surface As I sit here writing this, my students and I just finished a Beloved Community Check-in. We pause and come together for Beloved Community Check-ins when living in the United States overwhelms us. Sadly, this week we needed two. Today, we discussed why it’s historic for a US

court of law to convict Derek Chauvin, a police officer for murdering a Black man. Poets asked why it took so long when we all saw George Floyd’s murder on video and questioned if “justice was served.” We talked about Ma’Khia Bryant, the 16 year-old whose life was taken by the hands of the police, eerily around the same time Chauvin was convicted. We spoke about the grieving families of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo, 2 more young people who were recently stolen from us. We reflected on how heartbreaking it is to live through the COVID-19 pandemic while our country is plagued with the bone-chilling brutality white supremacy breeds. In the midst of this tragic time, we crafted a book full of honesty and hope without ever sitting in the same room. Each poet featured in this anthology had the courage to share heartfelt, complicated truths. From new poets who

insisted they’d never write a word, to returning poets who were challenged to fill their artistic wells outside of our classroom, to alumni, out in the world, who still send poems home; BAL poets showed up ready to reflect and write our world. On behalf of the One Pen Poets, I’m honored to share One Pen 2021 with you! Every time we read these poems, we help cement their calls for justice, love, equality and change. I hope this book brings you a morsel of sweetness, a sip of hope, a taste for liberation. May these poems remind each of us that a better world is ours, if we have the courage to craft it. May these poems help us to find the courage together.

With love & poetry,

Ms Karla 10

FOR ERIN GARRY, WHOSE LOVE IS WOVEN INTO THESE PAGES. AND ALL THE PEOPLE WE HAVE LOST

WE MISS YOU

THE

POETS

YISBELY MADE

KAITLYN ALVAREZ

ROSANA JUAREZ

TARIAH SCOTT

IVELISSE LOPEZ

ELSIE HERRERA

JONATHAN CORTES CARMONA

KUJEGY KUMARA

MIGUEL JUAREZ

SHALEIS BRACERO

HEPHZIBAH APPIAH

TYLER ROBERTS

STARLIN TERRERO

MELISSA MARTE

CHELSEA GOMEZ

GIOMARY RODRIGUEZ

Turning Loss into Gains ROSANA TAVAREZ

2020 was heavy So much was taken from us Many of our loved ones fought for their lives but still couldn’t make it Ventilators became traumatizing Nothing felt safe Our everyday life was gone No more regular school sitting in class talking with friends while the teacher tries to get the class’ attention Turned into zoom meetings No family events No conversations on summer nights No more interaction Constant overthinking Negative mindsets Nonstop bad news 2021 will be different More grateful than ever Spreading kindness Appreciative of life and everyone around me A positive mindset A better me for a better year Amen 16

T’Kai Harvey 17

Mirror, mirror MELISSA MARTE

I am the calling of the morning I am the flowers that bloom over spring The sun smiles to me like many waves twisting into one I am the force from the breeze between the trees The night expands I am the sun that opposes darkness The clouds form into me Once again the mirror turns twice, facing forward in my direction

Live Life at Your own Pace ELSIE HERRERA

In the mirror I see myself I see the imperfections that make me perfect in my own way In the mirror I see my brown eyes that look like honey in the sun I see the smile that helps someone go from feeling like there is a thunderstorm above them to feeling like the sun is shining directly on them In the mirror I see a person that’s been through so much I see a person that has felt insecure A person that felt like nobody understood her like she had to change her body to “fit in” A person that was afraid to be herself because she worried about what other people thought In the mirror I see a girl who let her inner wisdom talk after years of silencing it down I see someone who realized people will always talk about you no matter what So she said, 19

“It’s time to be the main character in my own movie” In the mirror I see a strong independent girl A girl with dreams bigger than her that wants to make her parents proud and have a cap and gown of her own Be in the driver’s seat of her own life A girl that wants to travel and live in a place where night isn’t dark because it is full of city lights In the mirror I see a girl who has grown to be a mature smart young lady who is not afraid to live life at her own pace In the mirror I see a beautiful human who is not perfect but unique In the mirror I see myself

Devaun Longley

What Happens to a Piece of Unwanted CardboArd? HEPHZIBAH APPIAH

What happens to a piece of unwanted cardboard? Does it get ripped apart like the pages of an old diary they don’t want to see? Severing old memories of pictures that penetrate your soul Forced in the rain Evicted from their home Nothing to do but sit there absorb the rain, melt and get very soft fragile, lose its power Eventually get forgotten about Trampled on, leaving mud prints behind Does it get hollered at like a troubled child who finally understands that even gold goes through a process Does it get rejected by society like a dead rose that no longer brings a sweet smell? What happens to your piece of unwanted cardboard? Do you get reused like an old Christmas tree made new every year? Do you finally speak up? Small seeds planted in dirty soil after time blossomed into a flower Do you get upcycled Like the kid who got bullied 22

and became the manager of his bullies? Do you allow yourself to be conceived into a box even while enduring the pains of excess punctures into perfection? A piece of unwanted cardboard finally realizes even the strongest tree has to survive being spat on Sat on Branches cut off Mistreated It looks past all this Absorbs it Learns and produces elite fruit It finally realizes that there ought to be rainy days but there are more sunny days to look forward to Even when the sky is the darkest there are moons and stars to light your way Even on the sunniest days, there is wind

Two New Stars Collide GIOMARY RODRIGUEZ

I see the things no one is able to see I see the sun rise and say its goodbyes In my home, I see time escape turning night to day with a blink of my eye Leaving me timeless Almost as if I were stuck between time but I am awake I am aware of the past and the present but I want to experience a different perception I hear the wind howling my name telling me I must go and find my way Making me a clear path of unknown obstacles It’s a beautiful but distant sound There are a million reasons why I should ignore these whispers But if I listen, what will I be risking? All I know is my home

Ayeesha Suarez 25

Soft Place to Land EDWIN GALINDO

Hope isn’t an infinite tsukuyomi You can’t hope for a good conclusion to a horror film Hope has its own challenges, seeing the people you love slowly become memories Hope looks like an iris plant on a path surrounded by gemas moradas Allowing us to see the path we want to take It’s wearing the wings of a purple butterfly The wings of hope take us to a soft place to land

Life Lessons of 2020 SHALEIS BRACERO

2020 was about how life changed It changed in a flash Blink of an eye they say Everything happened too quickly Changed life as we know Gotta wear a mask everywhere Gotta be careful who you be around School at home ain’t easy Kids that get away, no longer can Parents who don’t got, have gotta work 10 times harder 2020 was about relationships The word love can be said for just how they feel at the moment They hurt you, break you, bring you down, especially when you love too hard Crying day and night Heart pounding heavy Feeling dead is the worst pain of it all 2020 was all about lessons We learned to never trust 27

Watch who you call your friends Watch who you give to because they may already have Watch who you look out for because they won’t do the same Watch who you feed because they won’t feed you 2020 showed a lot of things including people’s real colors Changed a lot of people Made a lot of people hurt Especially Me

Holding On GIOMARY RODRIGUEZ

I see the pain of your heart breaking in your eyes as we grow this feeling of loneliness The way you look at time wishing to go back like if it were your biggest enemy Like if you were Batman and time was the Joker Or like the feeling you get when you’re about finish a show, the feeling of not knowing Not wanting to let go The house you built is falling apart The walls you built to protect us from “the real world” are crashing down No more pretending Time to grow up It might feel like we’re in a dark pit all alone left with nothing But you have your house to build So hold on to every last,

“Mom, I need you”

Every last,

“Mom, I love you”

Anticipated Vision KUJEGY KAMARA

We are expected to act like grown adults always hearing,

“I shouldn’t have to tell you to wash the dishes. Get up and do them”

Told

“Get off your phones. It distracts you”

when it is actually the only thing making us happy Treated like babies who aren’t allowed to fall when trying to walk It takes time, but to some it shouldn’t

We are taught to go to school and get good grades But we don’t have enough support at home Don’t ask us how school went for us Don’t ask how we’re feeling Teacher calls to make a complaint about their student but little do they know, this complaint stems from home In order for a plant to grow, it do need to be taken care ofright? 31

We want to make mistakes and learn from them but instead we tuck it under the carpet Walk away from it as it grows and grows filled with dirt, guilt We don’t realize until you see the carpet physically breaking down Just like how our mental health is breaking down Like our body, trying to break down our own food to give us energy But we don’t get energy Instead we get anxiety, depression, mental illnesses It’s not talked about in our homes It isn’t seen as important To the people we should trustI’m sorry we weren’t enough To the people who made usI’m sorry we are not who you envisioned us to be

T’Kai Harvey

waiting SHALEIS BRACERO

When hope whispers in my ear they say,

“Have faith, be happy”

But in reality you can’t always have faith in something When hope whispers in the air they say,

“Keep believing, stay positive”

When is hope going to happen in my life? Been waiting and waiting but still nothing So I gave up

EARLY MORNING

LOURDES LLUISUPA

Early morning the first thing you would do is stare at the flower caressing it with your hands I would look at you wondering if you could ever look at me the way you look at the flower There were many more flowers next to it But you only looked at that one

May the Silence Come Apart MELISSA MARTE

The way I see things kills my humor in a way l can’t return to myself As glasses break I am the silence that divides my brain into broken hearts Who I am is unforgettable Loneliness stabs my back Ten slaps in my face killing my personality with madness The pieces of me being destroyed Ashamed of the fact I ripped apart in six sections by running away running down Surrounded by train tracks unknown caves forgive the pain Risk it all to make it a challenge Coming back is the hardest regret The chosen one hasn’t succeeded to move on from the past Red circles see my reflection in the river Uncontrollable spirits open up, strike down to the sun to be heard from God himself I am who I am An angel connected with peace to the Universe I am the unbearable wind 38

You Make Your own Game GENESIS HERNANDEZ

Life, for me, feels like a game I have 3 lives left and a lot to do in life to help We all have things to do but when you come across and meet people it’s like a new level in life What if you don’t pass? You’re going to be left behind, passed around like a game Like me I would think life’s easy, nothing can happen But 5th grade to 7th grade my lying was the hardest with people making fun of me and bullies using me and telling me to kill myself Life was a mess A lot was going on But with 8th grade, I made it change I got tired of following others rules and faced my consequences And I’m never going back Ups and downs, a lot happened I’ve seen to love myself, stay to myself What others say about me they are saying about themselves I learned don’t trust no one I still don’t 39

But I trust one person Yes, I do My soulmate My everything We have the same life in the same game He taught me how to play the pattern with each game When they want me for my money or just when they need me It’s like we have 3 lives, like the game Jumanji But if you die, you don’t come back We have weaknesses You really die in life So it’s all your game to play Follow your own rules

So Close, BuT So FaR JESSICA MONTELONGO

Hope looks like this little bright light inside of me that is saying,

“Don’t give up because you will do it and you will succeed”

Hope is rising in my body wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit and a big smile

Light of Courage JONATHAN CORTES CARMONA

We live life with negativity With faith, we bring positivity With will in your heart hope is not far Courage is near It is in you, just unlock it It will open your heart The heart is your door that will bring out the sunlight in your heart that makes you feel strong and confident think positive You change the way you think, the way you see things sounds like love and compassion The light of the sun in heavens sky A fire torching Hope says,

“Fight Push through Don’t give up”

Hope is what keeps you from the dark shadows keeping your head up high Hope is in you, deep inside You must search for it

T’Kai Harvey

Watch Your Mouth TARIAH SCOTT

I know they say words shouldn’t hurt you but they can tear through your skin like a blade when they come from someone you love Emotions gushing like blood Words can be misconstrued and have millions of people fighting Even silence can speak Silence can say something unexpected just happened Tears running down their face Snot coming out of their nose It’s clear they are sad Or if someone’s face is bright red, jumping around with a big smile as if they won the lottery Words can make somebody smile from ear to ear Words can also heal the soul There are some nice people in this world that can tame their tongue

NYC Edwin Galindo

Just because I’m from New York City doesn’t mean I have Coronavirus doesn’t mean I am loud doesn’t mean I am dirty Just because I don’t hate you doesn’t mean I have respect for you and doesn’t mean you have to get comfortable to disrespect me Just because people have money and stay nearby you doesn’t mean they are your real friends doesn’t mean you have to buy things you don’t want and doesn’t mean you have to impress people you don’t like

WITHIN OUR GATES

IVELISSE LOPEZ

Under the loud kids and barking dogs, there is unity Under the roaring buildings and trains, there is happiness Under the streetlights, there is love Under the weird smells, there is food that will fill your soul Under the madness, there is charm When we’re all together, we laugh like we have no cares in the world We smile like we are the happiest people ever We play like children at the park We create brotherhoods But other people look at us differently They see us as evil and sneaky They see our du-rags and yell

Drug Dealer

They see our bikes and think

Gang Banger

They don’t see us as kids They see our flags and think

Weirdo

They see our piercings and think

Lowlife

They don’t think about who cares about us whose child we are whose grandchild we are whose brother we are whose student we are whose friend we are To them, we will always be crazy ones especially when we are together

T’Kai Harvey

Shattered but Beautiful KAITLYN ALVAREZ

Shattered but beautiful Insecure but glowing Smiling but sad A deeper meaning behind everything Pain is confusing as our thoughts Our own selves just have to unlock our full potential It’s full grasp Our line of thinking Our deepest dreams But don’t break our concentration It’s needed to dissolve our inner demons

Achlys KUJEGY KAMARA

Dirt and hardcore cement Rich melanin pigment The essentials needed to live Beauty beneath the surface Hard layers go deep, deep, deep into the ground Like our beautiful faces aren’t just skin It’s the rich melanated complexion The blessed rough texture The blemishes and acne Our lips loathed by eurocentric standards Our wide noses Beauty also bleeds deep, deep, deep like a sharp, bloody stab wound In our lineage and family tree lies the real true beauty, lies the true us We will develop true clear distinct vision when we develop us

*Achlys - an ancient Greek goddess who symbolizes the mist of death

The Many Manifestations Of Freedom TYLER ROBERTS

Freedom What is freedom? Is freedom some sort of key? The key to not be forced To speak what you want whenever you want To improve yourself and reach your full potential To be able to get away from your troubles What is it a key to? Is it a hammer? Then what does it pound? What does it break? Shackles? Chains? Debt, alcohol, depression, cigarettes Maybe even the connections between the people you call “Friends” who are really conniving snakes in human suits Is it a reward for motivation? A goal to achieve Something that people risk their lives and dignity for The sole purpose for the wars that have been taught to us Civil War, Revolutionary War, Indian War What do they have in common? 55

Why was the war started in the first place? What were the people in that war fighting for? Does freedom reward you for motivation? Is it a bed? Something that everyone deserves but something not everyone gets Something that soothes your muscles, relaxes your system Is it a dream? Is it something that passes you by? Something that can leave as quickly as you see it and get it while you lay on the hard floor or concrete scared and alone Is that a reward? What is freedom?

Cruel World JONATHAN CORTES CARMONA

Breaking shadows of hope Life of the dark is the fear that is near Powerful and fearful Life of loss, but at what cost? People that care the least are the ones that leave The bones that have been bent will be your end Life is cruel but it is time we rule I hate how this world dies day by day as we rise We grow, but the world won’t We kill it more than we save it In the end, things live and things die We must stand up and save this world

T’Kai Harvey

Under the Same Sky YISBELY MADE

Why are humans filled with so much hate? Just because you are a certain race, ethnicity or from another country does not mean you are a criminal, a terrorist or a virus What is the need for so much violence? Especially elders when they can resemble your parents or grandparents Hard working people that come to this country seeking for a better future for themselves or even children They do not come here for someone to discriminate against them Freedom is emotional especially when you get to walk around without being scared that someone is going to attack you or make comments about you Freedom is emotional not sad but you tear up with tears of joy A lot of hard work seeing your brothers and sisters get the same equal rights that others have There would be no fear A lot of smiles, a lot of laughter People feeling proud that they got what they wanted having no barriers Even if our skin is not the same color our blood is the same color There is power on the people who get to be free 60

BE stronG GENESIS HERNANDEZ

They say women can’t do things We women need to show that we love ourselves and that men can never bring us down They think we can’t hold a 100-pound weight They say we can’t work in jobs with safety They say women can’t wear pants Us girls show them they are wrong Us women are strong humans Women can’t let men overcome us Be strong and bring them down Women are strong no matter what We need to make the world better Girls need more respect Stop the violent way people treat us No rape, abuse, kidnapping We fight Be strong and bring them down Us women show them We have to show men that we have power We can’t be stopped

Marielis Rivera

Dreams Written Within ELSIE HERRERA

Hope sounds like someone gentle and kind a voice as soft as a silk pillow reminding us of a gentle spring breeze Hope sounds like the voice of a gentle mother singing her baby to sleep Hope looks like a tall woman with clear soft skin Hope has a heart shaped face along with soft long healthy hair Hope walks through city streets leaving faith past everyone she walks by wearing a long summer dress with comfortable summer shoes Holding her bag full of books, dreams written within Hope lives in the brightest and liveliest part of town in a house where colorful plant pots are everywhere Unique creative items here and there Music flowing out each window People singing at the top of their lungs Once you enter her house you see a place full of flowers and art This home is the most optimistic you will ever see Hope lives in a dream scene

DEAR MS. GARRY

A COLLABORATIVE POEM FROM YOUR KIDS

Thank you for making me smile. Every time I walked into school you made me feel comfortable, like I’m one of your kids. Every time I was in a bad mood and I walked by you every smile was a genuine one. Without you, the hallways feel empty. The office feels cold. I can still hear you saying “Hoodie” & “Good Morning!” and calling my name down the hallway. If you saw us you were going to say something, guaranteed. I can still see you on the stage dismissing students, grade by grade. I can still see you standing at the gate. You’re forever engraved in us.

CHRISTMAS IN JUNE

MIGUEL JUAREZ

This new year seems to have the same colors as the last Maybe it’s time to accept the past Still see Christmas decorations People haven’t forgotten the past or maybe it’s a sign of hope that all these bad things might come to an end at last Should I even put my Christmas tree back in the box? It’s going to be Christmas by the time I’m done staring at the clock Temperatures of about higher than 63, yet I still see snow on the streets Trees are starting to gain their leaves and color But why is this happening when I decided to move from one place to another? Looking at myself in the mirror wondering where it all went wrong 67

Hoping to set my mind Is it time to rewind and make it clear? I’m still here in my room Trying to make myself cheer Still singing the same thing

“We wish you a Merry Christmas And a Happy New Year”

UNBREAKABLE

MELISSA MARTE

My journey begins with laughter blinded by the hope that mistakes happen but you realize it’s too late Perhaps you don’t see the real you One time, one hope Chances are many people won’t trust your emotions Your lies are filled with laughter They tease you knowing you’re not good enough Many ways Many issues First try Second try Give up Just the third try has to be right We live We wake up There’s another day ahead of us The next day it’s another and another and another and another Seems like there’s no reason to know whether you’re on the correct side or the bad path Didn’t you hear God telling you what’s right? Didn’t you hear your voice calling you to take a step? Didn’t you hear the angels praising you? It’s funny how you don’t know where your track leads until you are unbreakable 70

BEHIND THE CRACKED GLASS

HEPHZIBAH APPIAH

Beneath the fractured mishandled surface Yea there’s beauty under there You may not hear it with all those muffled screams Neither can you feel it behind those beatings on your back Nor can you taste it ‘cuz of the alcohol being forced down your throat Arise Shine for your light has come in the midst of that darkness Open your eyes Take what is yours Ain’t nobody gonna take it for you You deserve it Don’t you get it? If it doesn’t come today Speak into existence Keep your hope up till it does If not for yourself for all the people dying 71

in the same bottle Drowning, trying to fight for a way to unravel the cap Champagne is shaken but no one sees the bubbles rising Cork pops off Everyone gets wet and wants a drink You already swam halfway Ain’t no point in stopping when you’re almost there Your eyes may not see or your ears cannot hear But a change is coming Let them laugh Hate Discriminate Feel pain Cry Sun doesn’t shine in the night Remember Your time is coming

Marangelic Glasthal 73

Freedom? ROSANA TAVAREZ

What is freedom like in today’s world? A group of people fighting for what they believe in but not always being heard Fighting for justice that’s not being given The group is full of different colors Black, white, brown angry crowd Screaming, begging, craving justice and peace What is freedom like in today’s world? Being able to vote but other countries interfering with elections Being able to walk outside but being stopped by the police because you seem suspicious Having a voice but never being loud enough It feels like we’re being lied to They say we can do anything we want but it feels like the total opposite We live in a place where we don’t feel secure Kinda like not knowing how to swim and being thrown into a huge body of water Till we get justice We will fight 74

A SIN TOO MUCH SINNED

TYLER ROBERTS

What if the value of money disappeared from Earth? If people stopped using money as some currency If money became the trash that we always see Will people become less greedy? Will those who suffer from the bad choices of the ones they love the most not have to suffer anymore? Will people be more serving of others and actually ccare about their own people? Instead of thinking like we are in a jungle and “survival of the fittest” is the rule they have to abide in? Or will it be pointless? Another object will just become what money is right now The corruption of people and their passion Will it just be the same song and dance with different items? Greed What does it even mean? An intense desire that crosses the line between passion and obsession A cataclysm for economic rupture A black hole for those beyond saving with no way of getting out Is it really justified for why you put so much time 75

into obtaining it that you may go so far as to forget or not even know why you would want money in the first place? What if money becomes useless? The possibilities are overarching, overbearing What will be the thing that we will want to hoard? What will be the thing that will separate family, friends, and lovers from each other? What will be the thing that will incite those to commit robbery and even murder? What will be the thing that will move us?

EL BARRIO

STARLIN TERRERO

En el barrio una madre sufre ya perdió a sus hijos por el crimen suerte a Dios que aún están vivos Mentiras del crimen No tienen suficiente para comer El gobierno roba y no le da nada a la gente El bloque está caliente El pueblo se está hundiendo Buscas lo que quieres por ti mismo el crimen arrastrará hace que sucedan cosas malas Muchos roban para comerse a otro Los atrapan por hobby Muchos tienen la escala porque venden Eso es lo que ven día a día Donde no respetan las leyes matan La policía vive de las traiciones como en los tiempos de Judas dónde están llenos de odio y maldad Que se vive en el dia donde no hay leyes donde matan a 3 por día y esto es adecuado para la conciencia que se vive en este día te envidian ellos te odian 77

Si logras lo que querías. Si Dios sabe lo que querías Hay muchos que son reales que luchan con Dios La Lealtad pone a uno a prueba porque los puedo aprobar. En el barrio una madre sufre ya perdió a sus hijos por el crimen suerte a dios siguen vivos.

EL BARRIO

STARLIN TERRERO

In the neighborhood, a mother suffers already lost her sons to crime Thank God they are still alive Crime lies They don’t have enough to eat The government steals and don’t give nothing to the people The block is hot The neighborhood is drowning You look for what you want by yourself Crime will drag Makes bad things happen Many steal to eat They catch others as a hobby Many are praised because they sell That’s what they see day by day Where they do not respect Laws kill The Police live on betrayals like Judas where they are full of hatred That one lives in the day where there are no laws where they kill 3 per day And this is suitable for the consciousness that is lived in this day They envy you they hate you 79

If you achieve what you want If God knows what you wanted There are many that are real that Strive with God Loyalty to One You put them to the test because I can pass In the neighborhood a mother suffers already lost her sons to crime Luck to God they are still alive

Devaun Longley

WAKE UP, IT’S COMING

CHELSEA GOMEZ

One droplet One dream The world upside down But right side up in a different point of view One life One world A light blue sky looks like an ocean when it’s below you while the streets look like a cloudy sky on a rainy day The world can fit in our hands and we fail to realize the power that we hold One tiny movement simple as a jump in a puddle on a rainy day or a child dropping their candy That sudden surprise that hits you like a little explosion on an island The impact, even if it’s as small as some lava on grass, affects you for a long period of time The world in the droplet could disappear just like our lives Our past Our future

When in Doubt, Let YOur Body Help You out IVELISSE LOPEZ

Trust your gut when it’s twisting and turning to not do things you aren’t sure about Trust your beating heart to be able to love those around you Trust your fears the things that make you feel all weak and queasy to keep you from doing something too crazy Trust your dreams the thing that makes your heart skip a thousand beats to keep you going Trust your insecurities to keep you humble Trust your intuition when your mind is telling you to just stop to get out of messy situations Trust your past so you will never make the same mistakes again Trust your future to be great and happy Trust your accomplishments the things that made you feel prideful and over the top to remind yourself who you are Trust your loved ones to love you and keep you happy Trust your desire to get what you want badly Trust your everything because only you know what is best for you

SOMEWHERE AN ARTIST

COLLABORATIVE POEM AFTER AJA MONET

Somewhere an artist is working a 9-5 not knowing what they want to do in life not realizing they are an artist Heart shines bright when they get creative Their soul smiles when they share their talent but like a mask on Halloween their talents are disguised Somewhere an artist is exploring Exploring its own undiscovered little world Discovering unclassified or uncategorized thoughts held in its brain for future poems or speeches Speeches spoken with items to be turned against you Coming out your radio of news waiting to be the center of attention until slowly it becomes your worst enemy Somewhere there’s an artist behind their school uniform who wants to give up after falling when trying to walk Who goes through years of tragedy, diseases, depression to fly like a bird with a wingspan as wide a basketball players Hard work and dedication 85

like figuring out how to cure disease Beauty and brains She isn’t a number used in math She isn’t a statistic Cool Calm Collected Somewhere an artist masquerading as a teacher pours love into poets like ice-cold Coca Cola into supersized cups filled to the brim with lemon wedges and fresh cherries on the side ‘cuz we fancy and we deserve the best

RELIGHT MY SPARK

ASHLEY HERNANDEZ

I am dashing into the new year with old memories in the back of my mind The new ones to be created locked in a suitcase ready to come out I won’t forget the times where I felt so happy as if nothing was getting in my way Feeling so free Being able to wake up every day to breathe fresh air I believe I have several things awaiting More success Being able to enjoy the moment Staying on track with my school work Leaving all negativity, bad energy behind Relighting my spark Letting my true self come out Unpacking my soul’s potential I want to be better for myself I know what’s right for me

HOPE’S HOME

IVELISSE LOPEZ

Hope lives on a rainbow mountain where it’s all colorful It never rains The sun never fails to shine It smells like roses all the time Even at night its bright It’s always so pretty Everything feels so soft Her home is just like her Everyone is Hope’s family They are just that kind of good person They have a connection to everyone through love and trust You don’t always have to be blood to be family Everyone is related because they love her enough to be family

BEAUTY FROM A DISTANCE

JESSICA MONTELONGO

When I look you in the eyes I see your beauty from a distance I had never seen in anybody in the minutes and hours that would pass by But when I look in your eyes I am in a world where there are no worries and no insecurities between us When I look at you and see how you have come so far from a place we never thought you would ever come before We imagined You were just an image in our minds We saw you in your tiniest stage like you not being able to go down the stairs or even go outside Little did we know who would be outside to greet you and be in your life and moments I fell in love with you without knowing You felt like you were meant to be with me My family took you in with mixed emotions but mostly happiness Who knew it could be so easy to get along When I saw you, I didn’t know you would be my best friend in life As I stared at you, I felt like a piece of me was complete

I MISS YOU

LOURDES LLUISUPA

I flip through each page of the book seeing the regrets and mistakes Making me wish I never knew the word friend Yet I still try to come to you Yet you turn your body away You don’t want me in your life I don’t know why that was so hard to internalize Perhaps because I would have done anything just to see a smile appear on your face How much pain can I take before I give up? Yet I still try to wake up A new day Another opportunity to erase my mistakes Another day to light up what haunts me the most and follows me behind moving to my every step What I couldn’t leave in the past appears in my memories So how can I get you out of there? You lent out your hand Just when I felt like I couldn’t be saved you were there to end my misery 93

You were there to wipe my tears off with your finger I grabbed your hand not caring about the unknown At that moment I didn’t think the person who saved me and lifted me up would just bring me right back down where I started Still trying and trying just to land in the same place just to get nowhere Usually the pain never defeats me Until it did today I’ve loved you too much And now my heart cries for you I told you my story Gave you a chance You opened my book just to close it again Maybe I might never love again

EL TIEMPO

LEIDY MARQUEZ

Aquí sentada en mi cuarto 18 añitos Que de repente se convertirá en 25 Con casa, dinero, lujos Y quizás el corazon vacio. Quizás todavía le guarde rencor a mi madre Quizás le demuestre lo tanto que la amo. Darle los abrazos que nunca le di Cuando mi padre le decía que la amaba Y a los minutos Salía a encontrarse con la otra A la que le decía lo mismo. Quizás perdone a mi padre por destruir El amor que construyó con mi madre Que desmoronó con cada infidelidad. Padre, por que Por qué tuviste que danar a mi madre Como lo hiciste Entiendo que todo el mundo tiene sus defectos Pero tu no eres nadie Para jugar con las emociones de la manera en que lo haz hecho. 18 años conociendote Y todavía no te ganas mi respeto El amor que te tenía Se lo va llevando el viento Con el cual me mandabas cartas 95

Cartas que hoy en dia me hacen llorar Por que quiero regresar a teners 15 anos Para abrirme los ojos Hacerme entender Que nunca me querrás como tanto lo dices. Y cuando tenga 30 Me diran

“Carolina dame un nieto”

Y yo dire

“Mami, estoy en una reunión de negocios Hablamos cuando llegue a la casa”

Pero honestamente Quiero una excusa para evitar mi mayor miedo. Como siempre. Quizas cambien. Quizás tenga hijos más temprano Y los inviernos serán calientes Con noches frías sin compartirlas con nadie.

Cuando tenga 54 Mis hijos me pediran ir a fiestas Y yo les dire que si Por que esos fueron los mejores tiempo de mi vida Por que no les negaré que no lo hice. No les negaré que llegue a fumar marihuana Y que le mentía a su abuela Diciéndole que no fumaba ni hookah Y que mis amigos son todos unos santos Que hasta los Sábados hacían tareas. 96

Mientras tengo 18 Me siento a escribir este poema Para utilizarlos como máquina del tiempo Cuando tenga 25, 30, y 54 Para recordar lo joven que llegue a ser Para revivir las fiestas Para revivir las mariposas que una vez sentí Estando enamorada. Para recordar lo bueno que fueron estos momentos. Sin estres ningun Solo la universidad. Poco a poco, llegando a ser adulta Dándome cuenta que nunca volveré a estos tiempos Que nunca volveré a ser tan joven como en este momento. Aquí sentada mirando mi luz de florecita La cual ilumina mi cuarto con un color rojo brillante Algun dia llegara a la basura Como mi juventud.

EL TIEMPO

LEIDY MARQUEZ

Here I am, sitting in my room, 18 years old that will suddenly become 25 Successful with a house, money and a luxurious lifestyle An empty heart. Maybe I’ll still act resentful towards my mom or show her how much I really love her Hug her the way she needed to be hugged when my dad would tell her he loved her but would meet up with other women within minutes and tell them the same things. Maybe I’ll forgive my father for destroying the love that he built with my mom. The one he demolished after every infidelity. Dad, why? Why’d you have to ruin my mom the way you did? Nobody is perfect, but you aren’t anybody to be playing with emotions the way you always have been. 18 years of getting to know you You still haven’t gained my respect The love I had for you is flying away with the wind The same wind you’d send me letters with. Letters that never fail to provoke tears 98

And I wish I was 15 again So I can go back, open my eyes, Realize you’ll never love me the way you say you do. When I’m 30 my mom will say,

“Carolina, give me a grandchild”

And I’ll respond,

“Talk to you later mom, I’m in a business meeting”

Running away from my fears like people from death. Avoiding my biggest fears the way I always have. Maybe I’ll change. Perhaps I’ll have children at an earlier age. And winters will be hot with cold nights and nobody to share them with.

When I’m 54 My kids will ask me to go to parties And I’ll happily say yes because I won’t deny to them that those were the best days of my life. I won’t deny to them that I’ve done them Won’t lie and say I haven’t smoked weed on a Tuesday night watching movies and zooming through space That I never lied to their grandma about it, that I’d tell her I’ve never even smoked hookah and that all my friends were saints that did homework even on Saturdays.

While I’m 18 I sit here and write this poem Staring at my red flower lamp It brightens my room with a vibrant red color that’ll eventually be a time machine When I turn 25, 30, 54 To remind myself how young I once was To remember the college parties everything around me slow motion but fast music To relive the butterflies I felt when I was in love fly around my organs To remember that these were the best times of my life without stress of any kind only college. Slowly becoming an adult Realizing that I’ll never come back to these times I need to live because time is running out and I’ll never be as young as I am now.

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SPEAK YOUR TRUTH

ELSIE HERRERA

Trust your optimism It will keep your head up and stay happy during the lows in life Trust your parents who have lived on this earth more than you They have also been teenagers, stressing over school just like you and me Trust your gut, you might not listen but it never lies That little voice that you hear while choosing a choice That voice has your back, so you should trust it back Trust your goals, they help you be a good person in life Trust your best friends, they stick with you for a reason They are like a four leafed clover making you lucky for having them Trust the butterflies you feel in your stomach when you try something new Trust the happiness you get when you eat your favorite fruit in the summertime The sweetness of it making you the happiest person alive

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Trust the way your favorite songs comfort you like a caring mother takes care of her children As she plays with your hair after a day full of ups and downs Trust when you draw your favorite things, when you write from your soul Trust your brain for coming up with creative ideas no one else thinks of Will you be born after your fire goes away? After someone pours a gallon of pure feelings on you? Darkness could probably be your peace because you are glowing too much right about now How do you put out a fire with no water?

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DARKNESS IS DAWN, NOT YET BORN*

CHELSEA GOMEZ

Why are you burning? You may look at it as just why are you burning with fire, but this is deeper Why are you glowing? Popping out from everything else All your bright colors are making you glow and leave everything else behind You glow in the present, while the others glow in the past The broken chain in your mouthdoes it represent freedom? Are you free from all your sins that you are just burning with fire? In my eyes, it could look like fire While in yours, it looks like finally letting go Why do you have multiple faces? You struggle to be happy because of your depression Your peers see it as just going through a small phase When in reality, you are turning into ashes in the fire of your emotions The pain built up on the inside just continues, falls more towards angry & upset Literally burning in flames screaming in some sort of way The music coming through your ears 103

just like fire coming out your veins Rough or soft, you wouldn’t know All the fire built up inside Will you be born after your fire goes away? After someone pours a gallon of pure feelings on you? Darkness could probably be your peace because you are glowing too much right about now How do you put out a fire with no water?

*Khalil Gibran

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WE PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE WARRIORS

JONATHAN CORTES CARMONA

We people of color are warriors battling through heartache A warrior fights with might, their hearts shining bright As we take a step, every day is a new destination As we go through devastation a new obstacle arises With a warrior’s heart, there’s pain The past pain was weak, dull, softer than a feather The new pain is strong, bold, harder than a rock Our hearts are bright as the sun But the pain is darker than a shadow Our tears pour sorrow harder than water pouring rain and our anger is hotter than fire that burns through negativity We, as people of color, are warriors in battle Day by day, us Latinos and Blacks are pushed aside But no more In this world we are never equal but equality is what we fight for Day by day Night by night We fear cops killing Blacks and Latinos We aren’t safe Us people of color get arrested for things as white people live freedom as they please We as people of color should fight as warriors 105

With our hearts of steel, we don’t break We keep quiet, we mind our business with no shame As the white people got nobody else to blame We people of color are warriors battling through heartache

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AT LONG LAST

COLLABORATIVE POEM

You finally realized that you aren’t an object to be taken advantage of because you are enough You are worth more than second thoughts because you finally realized you are more important than what everyone thinks Your light comes from within You are braver than your soul Not everything is black and white There are shades of gray Your heart can’t beat for everyone And because you finally realized that, you are stronger than a deeply rooted tree

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Choose YOur PatH KAITLYN ALVAREZ

Change your habits your defining goals your happy remodeling or dreadful roads Make your future bright A reminder to guide our goals Make it a constant remembrance of who we are Make ourselves proud by overcoming our fears You belong to you It’s what makes us stronger It’s what builds us mentally Making our own decisions It might not feel real that gut feeling But it gives you a warning Choose your path Pick a future If you’re going to put in the effort make something useful of yourself But don’t let that future go undecided

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Moving On MIGUEL JUAREZ

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Little did he know I’d be the one to have a great fall My family and all my great friends tried to put me back together again I’m not the same kid anymore I still had a lot more to explore Seeing all my friends here remembering all those good years This was my biggest fear not growing up and making it here Just a few moments till I graduate Will this day count as one of my bad days? I wasn’t ready to grow up But in moments like this you just need to keep your head up So close to leaving My childhood is begging me to not say goodbye Is now a good moment to look behind? I’ll be here hoping to one day press rewind For it’ll turn into a good conversation just to pass time

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Humpty Dumpty had a great fall felt like he would lose it all But he knew it was the right call For it was he who decided this would be a good place where he’d one day call home I’m saying goodbye not knowing what will happen But it’ll all be okay because this is a new chapter Many people came to help Humpty Dumpty fixing him piece by piece My road was a little bumpy kind of annoying But I had people to help me be at peace Humpty Dumpty is a great story Him, his wall, and his great big fall But this poem isn’t about Humpty Dumpty at all But about me and making BAL my home I’ve got to let go and say my goodbyes I hope no cries It’s time I walk the auditorium I have to get my diploma Ms. Garry I hope you’re happy This is for the promise I told ya’ Head up high Smile big to rival the Grinch Diploma up to the sky Thank you for all your time Goodbye!!

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