Dreams & Nightmares
from CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth Baltimore Unity Hall | 1505 Eutaw Place | Baltimore, MD 21217
https://charmlitmag.org
Cover Art: Izma, Ethan Beldamy, Amina, and Anonymous Book Design: O.Z. Sanders, Yifan Luo © CHARM & authors, 2024
featuring writing and art by Henderson-Hopkins students
from CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth
As the shadows begin to engulf me, All the hues from my glorious day, The happy pastels slowly turn into gray, It’s the end of the day. The evening lights slowly start to approach the sky, The shimmering stars start showing, The sun starts to set, The first sight of white catches my eye. And so as it cycles from the morning sun to the night sky, The yellow refugees are now scenes of starlight glimmer. The midnight blue seems to lessen the light, Covering the sky with a shivering fright, But it’s all the same. But, maybe this will all pass, Maybe the sun will come back out to brighten the day, Peeking out from the clouds, Shining down on us all. I slowly wake up, Taking in the morning light, My room bright white from the piercing light, I realized I was right, A figment of my imagination, Kept hidden in the back of my brain, I looked around and realized, It was all in my mind.
7
Dear Baltimore, A dream I have is to make it to the NFL. Without the NFL where would I be in life? If so and on what will happen If I have money. Will I chase for better or worse?
Are my dreams gonna come true? Are my dreams gonna come true?
With whatever I do in life my family will be with me. If so, will that be my downfall? Only time will tell!
A lot of people around the world do bad things and make mistakes and I hope those people change their ways soon but If they don’t they won’t be going upstairs in heaven to see loved ones, they would be down a case of 6 stairs in hell begging to leave and having nightmares over and over again.
My name is Javon Divers
My life is like a roller coaster.
I say that because I’m very confused on what I want to do in life. I want to be a football player but I also want to be a barber.
I feel like life is hard to decide what you want to be in life.
I don’t think life is scary. I’m not scared of death.
I think life is going to be good when I grow.
I just want to see what God has planned for me.
Dear Baltimore, Can I talk about how we need to dream about no more killing. We need to stop a lot of things, You have to be humble. Why the fuck do they think It’s ok to kill or to drink or to smoke It’s not ok. Walking outside and getting killed that’s a nightmare, My Nightmares is my sister getting killed but not by smoking or drinking.. But by car.
Find it crazy that in our generation you gotta follow the trend… even crazier that if you be yourself you’re a sin but if you don’t be yourself you still fit in…see I’m from the new generation where if you be who you are people find you weird but if you’re not who you are people think you’re a star…but see our parents taught us that be the brightest star that goes far but how can we be ourselves when we get bashed like hell and even killed if we speak too well…
Does “I can’t breathe,” sound familiar? Or “please don’t shoot I have a family” … see it’s scary how judge me for my accent or skin color but I judged you I could possibly get shot…and not the shot that you attempt to shoot when you like a person or when you’re playing basketball, but the shot that leaves you lying in bed with a crying family banging on the floor saying “until we meet again” …
See I’m from a generation where if you’re too smart you cheated but if you’re dumb enough they fool you…see I’m from a generation where if you play a sport phenomenally and have exceptional grades you cheated your way through but why? Why in our generation does it seem like we have to be a follower? Or cheat? Or even not be able to be elite? …
See in my generation it’s “rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6,” but why? Why be judged by 12 and by 6 if we all want to have peace? “Kelsey Strong” or “30 strong” or “forever my brother” or “get your rest sis you didn’t deserve this” or “forever mama,” does that sound familiar?
Why is it that everyone wants gun violence to stop but still shoot? … see that’s because in our generation we gotta protect ourselves so we won’t die…remember? Rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6…
So you see this is why I don’t fit in my generation because no matter what you do to not be judged by 12 and carried by 6 you’re still judged by 12. And in your grand finale you’re still carried by 6.
So some of my dreams are to be rich when i’m older and get my mother whatever she want because life is hard is hard in baltimore so thats my dream
So i had some nightmares in my life losing my friends and family to the streets of baltimore them times was the hardest times of my life ever since they had left life has got hard
D azzling vistas of the mind’s delight,
R adiant visions in the silent night.
E choes of wishes, hopes, and schemes,
A symphony of possibilities, it seems.
M ysteries unravel in the moon’s soft beams,
S ailing through realms where imagination teems.
&
N ever-ending labyrinth of dread,
I n the depths of darkness, they spread.
G houlish figures, twisted scenes,
H orrors lurking within our dreams.
T error grips us in its clutch,
M ystifying, haunting much.
A lways lurking, never gone,
R eality blurs, nightmares spawn.
E scaping grasp, a futile plight,
S hadows dance in the dead of night.
Dreams are like waves they flow up and down, never knowing when something is coming your way kinda like nightmares they come and get stuck because their so powerful and scary, personally I believe nightmares are very powerful because growing up everybody had to face something but always had a dream to complete and remember, so to finish the journey you have to battle the nightmare, to battle the nightmare you have to have hope, have that dream you wanna complete in your head as you defeat the nightmare, dreams are like waves they flow.
These are nightmares.
1) Being on an empty desert by yourself with no food.
2) Disappearing and no one caring or noticing
3) Being in a dark empty water park at night.
4) Crying every night in a dark space.
5) Starting to hate People and loud things.
6) Being hard working but nobody notices it.
I am Ashlynn Faith Harrison and this is my worst nightmares.
There are points in life where a man or woman or even a kid reaches a breaking point. A point where emotions, everything about that individual is unstable. A kind and caring person can be easily turned into a nasty, mean, cold nested person. However deep inside there is regret.. sorrow, and guilt. They don’t mean what they do and say they feel deep emotions and they release it on others. This problem is not a rare occurrence. It’s pretty common to see and experience and the sad part is not everyone bounces back. Some descent into madness and take their own life… however we can stop this emotional support, mental care, and therapy are all essentials for keeping the mind stable
Don’t give up!
I dream of playing sports but it’s someone on my leg pulling me back, Stopping me from moving forward, I can’t leave this place… Baltimore.
I have nightmares of running in the woods, trying to run away from the pain, Trying to hide from my thoughts, I run and run but this pain just follows me, but at one point you just have to accept it.
Dreams and nightmares don’t just happen when you’re asleep.
Dreamsareoftensupposedtobehappy,dreamsareperpetuallygood.
Nightmares are supposed to be the scariest moments of your life, your worst fears.
Life gives you dreams and nightmares
Pressure, theres a lot of it.
School, even at home
Stress is a thing, the same daily routine.
Over and over again like a going cycle.
I feel like I’m trying my best but the people around me just say “No“. They say ‘’We won’t allow it”. We won’t accept who you are. We won’t accept what you do. We won’t accept your purpose in life.We won’t accept you.This is my nightmare but I want to prove people wrong. I want to show the world who I really am. I want to show my purpose in life. I want to reach my dreams. I want to be able to challenge these words, these people, the world. But people in the world just drag me down and they…they make the challenge seem harder than it already is. I want to prove to people that I have what it takes. I want to be me. No more nightmares, just dreams. I’m going to change the world, and that’s a promise. I promise I’m gonna prove all the people wrong. I’m going to challenge the world, and I’m.. I’m gonna win. I’m going to try my hardest. I’m going to defeat every challenge that comes my way. I’m going to make my mom, my dad, my grandmother, my grandfather, my uncle, my brother, my cousins, everyone proud of me. No more failing, just winning. I’m going to make them accept me. I’m going to prove the world wrong. So what if I fail here and there? So what if I make a few mistakes? I’ll learn from my mistakes, and I won’t let anyone or anything drag me down no matter what. I have a dream. I have a dream that I’m gonna change the world and change the people and their opinions about their teammates. I feel like this is a world where we all are on the same team but not on the same page and pace. I want to be able to feel free. Free to be me without anyone telling me what to do. I want to be able to make new ideas and friends. I want to be able to express myself to people without getting judged. I want that for everyone. This is who I am. This is how God made me, and this Is how I want the world to see me. I want the world to know who I am and when I pass away I want to be remembered. I want to be thought of. I want the world to change and I’m going to change It I rise to the top.
I rise to the challenge. I defeat every challenge that comes my way, every single time that a challenge tries to face me. I want to be able to defeat it with ease, I want to be able to just be me with no consequences.
I hope you are having a good morning, night, or afternoon, but always remember don’t back down and don’t give up. People are counting on you, don’t back down just because of someone’s words. Chase your dreams and beat these challenges that try to stop you. You will always prevail.
Do not fear any challenge because with God you will always prevail through anything that tries to stop you in your tracks.
A nightmare in life is feeling like you accomplished something. But something is just holding you back. It’s like being in an empty water park…
A dream is like starting off not knowing something and you try to give up but somebody gets you to keep trying and you eventually get and become good at it. It’s like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Times change, visions change, feelings change, YOU change. The world revolves around change.
I changed because of the dreams and nightmares of my life. My happy times, my sad times, my successes changed my life, my failures changed my life.
Days and nights…seconds…minutes…hours… In Baltimore.. Who wants to wake up in a city when everyday someone dies from a gun or any violence… who wants to wake up in a city where the black man worries about a white policeman hurting them… Well this is the nightmares in Baltimore…
Being a teenager in this world right now is very stressful. Teenagers are being tempted to do bad things when they go to school or when they are on their way home. One day a 13 year old girl named Makayla had to choose between living her dream or dealing with a crushing nightmare. Makayla is a straight A student and is dedicated to having an amazing 7th grade year. She wants to get into all tier one highschools. And for a while that was always her plan. Until it wasn’t.
One day Makayla was in class and she had to use the bathroom. She walked down the hallway to the bathroom and was stopped by an 8th grader who had a zip block bag in his hand and a vapor in the other. “Yo, you tryna buy some stuff off me. I got edibles and I got different flavor vapes. The good stuff,” the boy said in a shady way. Makayla was worried for her safety and if she should do it or not. “ Um… I’m not sure I should be taking that stuff. I don’t even think you should have those things.” Makayla replied. “Listen kid it’s not that bad once you take it all your problems in the world go away,” Answered the 8th grader. Makayla turned around and walked away.
She knew that what this boy was asking from her was wrong. She went to the bathroom and handled her business. When she walked out the bathroom she noticed that the boy that was trying to sell to her was selling to one of his “homeboys”. Makayla didn’t want to get into their business because she knew those kids were the type of people to jack her up. But she knew this was wrong so she ran past them and went straight to the principal’s office.
“Principal David! Principal David! I need your help please,” Yelled Makayla. “Makayla, what is the matter where is the emergency,” Principle David said in a worried voice. “There are kids in the hallways selling weed and vapes. They are being persuaded into taking them,” said Makayla “Take me to them, we have to put a stop to this.” Principle David said in a rush. Makayla led Principal David to the hoodlums and the boy was suspended for 3 months. Makayla knew what she did was right; she saved herself and her peers that might have been influenced by those kids too.
Our two main characters Kenji and Brianna both struggled with fitting in with their peers in the 10th grade so they tried being someone they weren’t just to fit in. Therefore they did things that their “friends” were doing. Such as drugs, smoking, vaping, weed, and all the other ect without parents/guardians permission but at least they have good grades so they could still be on top and become successful in whatever they want to do. And that was called “Peer Pressure.” Peer Pressure is when you are influenced by members of one’s peer group. And it now starts with our two main characters, Kenji and Brianna.
“Yo Kenji, take a hit of this blunt” Keith says to Kenji leaning on the boy’s bathroom sink handing him the blunt of weed.
“Nah i’m good, i’m already spent from last night” Kenji responds while holding his head from the dizziness of the hangover from this morning.
“Alright, suit yourself then” Keith mumbled before shrugging and getting in another hit of the blunt before putting it out and throwing it away.
Maggie, Camila, and Brianna were in the girls bathroom taking pictures and vaping while Brianna stood to the side and just watched them.
“Brianna, why aren’t you joining us?” Maggie asked with the smoke blowing out her nose.
“I don’t know, I just don’t feel like it right now...” Brianna responded, rubbing on her arm leaning on the closed bathroom stall door.
“HA! She’s a bluff, you know she doesn’t smoke” Camila slams the stall door open now standing beside Brianna.
“What! that’s not true-” Brianna tries to protest but gets cut off
by Camila slamming her back against the stall
“Eres una mentirosa sucia (You’re a filthy liar)” Camila whispers in Brianna’s ear before Brianna lands a hit on Camila’s face breaking them into a fight.
“Woah, Woah, Woah. You guys calm down” Maggie breaks up the fight holding Brianna back.
“Man, I’m leaving” Brianna brushes Maggie off her and walks out the bathroom walking past them returning to the lunch table with Keith and Kenji.
“Yo what’s up mamas.” Keith looks Brianna up and down with a smirk on his face.
“Oh boy bye.” Brianna rolls her eyes and mugs Keith out her way.
‘Tch, why are you acting like that?’ Keith sucks his teeth.
“Keith leave her alone” Kenji says with Brianna now sitting beside Kenji.
“Aww, You and Kenji look cute together” Maggie mocks them with a kissy face. Kenji looks away blushing while Brianna gets all giggly.
“Whatever bro” Kenji ignores her rolling his eye playfully
“Anyways... There is a party this Friday after school. Who wants to come?” Keith asks looking around the table hoping for them to say ‘yes’ but everyone agreed to come.
Everyone is dressed up in their casual clothes partying, drinking, smoking, and having a good time until a chaotic fight breaks out between Kenji and Keith.
“Guys! Guys! Guys! Chill out!” Brianna screams at them trying to pull them away from each other but they push her away and
continue fighting, knocking down tables, chairs,and vases.
“Oh nah my man getting whooped.” Camila then jumps on Kenji’s back and hits him a few times on the head until Brianna pulls Camila off Kenji and then they began fighting until the police show up.
“The cops are here!” Maggie yells out and everyone scatters along with Maggie, Kenji, and Brianna. Camila and Keith got caught and arrested for alcohol offenses and they will be in juvie for 2 months due to the charges.
Maggie, Brianna, and Kenji successfully ran to Brianna’s without getting caught by the police.
“Woah... that was crazy…” Maggie gasps dramatically out of breath while holding her chest.
“Yea it was, lets just chill out in my room for a bit..” Brianna says, catching her breath.
Brianna, Kenji, and Maggie watched a movie and ate snacks for a while
“Man… I will not be friends with them at all.” Kenji speaks with disbelief recalling the memories.
“Yea... we all can agree on that one...” Brianna agrees with him, her head on his chest and Maggie nodding her head in agreement.
Did you know you can be whatever you want to be?
Kind of like a dream. A dream where you can fly away to the world of imagination.
And in this world of imagination you can imagine things. Amazing things! You can dream of wanting these amazing things! But of course there is always something to make it all come crashing down…
NIGHTMARES! These terrible “dreams” can make your dreams become doctors, vets, designers, chefs, artists, authors,illustrators, and construction workers. Architects come crashing down. In a blink of an eye.
But are you really going to let them hurt you, those nightmares, those voices telling you can’t do something. But you know the only way you won’t succeed is if you listen to them. So tell me will you?
I’m petite like a 1st grader but i’m not scared to defend myself. Life is very difficult for me even on a good day.
Being a skinny black girl is hard because people body shame me or judge me and that ruins my day… But I always keep a smile on my face. But on the good side people compliment me everyday even on my bad days. I remind myself everyday to love myself for me.
Sol Aloe
Morgan Taylor
Andrea Fenwick
Paige Savage
Teacher Advisor: Kyair Butts
CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth is a literary-arts organization founded on the belief that kids’ voices matter. We are on a mission to support young people as they develop as writers, and provide a platform to amplify their voices through publication.
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