Spring 2018$10
The Charles Hart Middle School Literary Magazine

The hArtworks Editorial Board
Writers-in-Residence: AJ Henson, Khalil Jones, Nancy Schwalb, Ashley Stevenson, and Patrick Washington
The Literary Magazine Club: De’quan Atchison, Ethan Atkins, Leroy Bailey, III, Emir Battle, Jose Bouknight, Julio Bouknight,
Michael Boulware, Shaniah Boyd, McKia Bromfield, Niko Brown, Omarion Butler, Daizha Chism, Christina Cook, Kelly
Cruz, Najee Ferguson, Kevin Franks, Jahir Gray, Jayden Gray, Amir Green, Jonesa Green, Anya Hogan, TyJuan Hogan,
Bernard Holmes, Isaiah Hunter, Giaune Jackson, Laniya Johnson, Leondre Johnson, Octavia Johnson, Shannell Jones,
Isyah Joyner, James Joyner, Jermia Joyner, Trevonne Joyner, Kimari King, Kiyanna King, Naiya King, Joquan Knight,
Marques Knight, Shaki Knight, Shanay Lasane, Christian Marrow, Chapria Marshall, Denali Marshall, Nyelle Marshall,
Anthony Martin, Jamaree Martin, Faizon Mason, Blake Mathews, Ernest McBride, Zanaca McCrae, Saebian McKnight,
Ladeisha Meriweather, Daniel Minor, Dein Peterson, Jamel Pettaway, Jamil Pickett, MarcAntony Pierce, Tatiana Pierce,
R.E.L. Platt, Shanice Plight, Shawna Plight, Jazzmine Price, Melody Prince, DeMarco Randolph, Briona Ransom, Wayne
Rhodes, D’hani Rispus, Synia Robinson, Kayla Rosemond, Lawrence Rosemond, Tymesha Roulhac, Jaleel Rush, Saquan
Short, Jailyn Smith, Joeseph Smith-Patterson, Keiah Smith, Indya Spencer, Jashaun Strother, Myniah Sweetney, Christina
Taylor, A’Quise Thomas, Arman Thornton, Armani Thornton, Cierra Thornton, Micheal Thornton, Demarco Tucker, Eric
Vaughn, Marcus Vick, Richard Walston, Kamaree Ward, Mark Washington, Peirre’ Washington, Khidell White, Aaron
Williams, DeAndre Williams, Kitana Williams, Phillip Williams, Roosevelt Willis, Jontae Wilson, Nadaisha Wingfield,
Vincent Wingfield, Jaymir Wise, Tyrone Wise, and Asonte Wright

Front cover, l-r: Christa Madikaegbu, Armani Thornton, Micheal Thornton, Vincent Wing field, Ethan Atkins, Nadaisha
Wing field
Inside front cover, l-r: Kimari King, Naiya KingIntroductionW

elcome to hArtworks, the nation’s only inner-city public middle school literary
magazine, written and edited by the students in the after-school writing club at Charles
Hart Middle School. hArtworks is published through a collaborative effort between theschool and the D.C. Creative Writing Workshop, an independent non-profit working tocreate a literary renaissance in Southeast Washington. Now in its sixteenth year, hArtworks
gives our young writers the opportunity to exercise their creative energies, speak theirminds, and be read by an audience throughout the city. The 2018 edition of Poet’s Market
recognizes hArtworks as “an outstanding example of what a literary journal can be (foranyone of any age).”
We have many friends who have helped to make hArtworks possible, and we would liketo express our gratitude to them. Our sincerest thanks go out to the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, Children’s Charities Foundation, the City Fund of the Greater Washington
Community Foundation, the Clark-Winchcole Foundation, Commonweal Foundation,
D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation,
Harman Family Foundation, Corinna Higginson Trust, Horning Family Fund, Lainoff
Family Foundation, Marpat Foundation, Cathy and Mark McNeil-Hollinger, New York
Avenue Foundation, Luther I. Replogle Foundation, Hattie M. Strong Foundation, Holly
Syrrakos, Gail Oring and GO! Creative, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Arena
Stage, the Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theater, Jack and Monte, Tollefson andCompany Investment Management, our friends at Popeye’s on Malcolm X Ave., Barbara
Bainum, Fritz Edler, Joseph and Lynn Horning, and Robert Johnson.
Our friends at the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative also deserve ourthanks for giving so much time and energy to our after-school Writing Club, as do ourvolunteers, Steven Brown, Jessica Carpenter, DeArren Dawkins, Bernitta Johnson, DaquanJohnson, Damon Kee, Gregory Nickens, Isaiah White, and Anthony and Annette Williams.
Special thanks for the hard work and dedication of the D.C. Creative Writing Workshop
Board of Directors: Dr. John Walton Cotman, Dr. Susan Gerson, Brian Gilmore, Helen
Hooper, Bernie Horn, Bill Newlin, and Nancy Schwalb.
We would also like to thank the following administrators, teachers, and staff who are ourpartners in this endeavor: Principal Charlette Strickland; Assistant Principals Ms. SameciaMuriel Broussard and Dr. Sharon Armstrong; Ms. Sherry Dailey, Ms. Pamela Dixon, Ms.
Latavia Drakeford-Allen, Mr. Craig Duchemin, Ms. Nijma Esad, Mr. Jamal Kennedy, Ms.
Jasmine McGill, Mr. Derrick McRae, Ms. Rashimah Nixon, Ms. Sheranada Robinson, andMs. Eleanor Seale.

Joevon Smith-Patterson
July 17, 2000 –January 29, 2018
This issue of hArtworks magazine is dedicated to the memoryof Joevon Smith-Patterson, an alumnus of Charles Hart Middle
School, student at Ballou, and stalwart member of the writing club.

InsideDa’Quan Atchison
Warning to Your Eye.......................................................................................................50
Leroy Bailey, III
What Is a Poet?..............................................................................................................27
Julio Bouknight
Big hair beast.................................................................................................................46
The way of life................................................................................................................48
McKia Bromfield
A Poet in my Eyes...........................................................................................................18
Mood By Now.................................................................................................................46
Let It Be Known..............................................................................................................49
Steven Brown
The problem of how I go to sleep....................................................................................14
Daizha Chism
Voice...............................................................................................................................54
June................................................................................................................................56
Christina Cook
I’m Invincible..................................................................................................................55
Alienation.......................................................................................................................57
Danai Corbin
The Best Day..................................................................................................................14
Listen!............................................................................................................................15
The Clown......................................................................................................................15
All my names..................................................................................................................16
Frolicking in school........................................................................................................53
Remington Crawley
The Unmeasurable.........................................................................................................58
Chaos in a world of confusion........................................................................................59
Keily Cruz
Senses.............................................................................................................................40
Na’jee Ferguson
Shoes..............................................................................................................................35
Cool................................................................................................................................36
Synesthesia.....................................................................................................................37iii

InsideTommy Fridie
Stressful things...............................................................................................................20
My Real Name................................................................................................................21
Brandon Gatling
Lullaby...........................................................................................................................16
New Year........................................................................................................................17
Jahir Gray
Let it Be Unknown….......................................................................................................2
Phantom...........................................................................................................................3
How to Be a Great Poet....................................................................................................4
If I were…........................................................................................................................5
Alliterations....................................................................................................................47
Jayden Gray
Twinz vs. the Whole World...............................................................................................4
Unknown..........................................................................................................................6
The Eater of Worlds..........................................................................................................8
Amir Green
Celebrate........................................................................................................................17
My Back and Bones........................................................................................................18
Michael Green
Maybe.............................................................................................................................52
Elijah Hamilton-Todd
The Winning New Year...................................................................................................10
Searching Destiny...........................................................................................................19
Samuel Hauser
Stop That!......................................................................................................................12
Marcus Hill
I am peeking into a new year..........................................................................................13
Mr. D’s Difference............................................................................................................13
Isaiah Hunter
The Commitment............................................................................................................44
The Mad Song................................................................................................................45iv

Akeera Jackson
Dark Energy.....................................................................................................................9
I am popping into the new year......................................................................................12
Keyshon Johnson
True Names....................................................................................................................25
No Fear..........................................................................................................................25
Octavia Johnson
Over the Struggle............................................................................................................50
Struggle..........................................................................................................................51
Khalil Jones
Write About the Other Half............................................................................................22
Trick Cycle ....................................................................................................................23
Nothingness....................................................................................................................23
First Language...............................................................................................................24
Shannell Jones
I Stand On......................................................................................................................52
I’m Sorry.........................................................................................................................60
Isyah Joyner
The Horror Movie...........................................................................................................40
Beware the New Year......................................................................................................41
I Am an Artist.................................................................................................................41
James Joyner
Hyperbole.......................................................................................................................24
Trevonne Joyner
My Life.............................................................................................................................2
Kamari KingLet it be...........................................................................................................................24
Amari Knott
Pressure..........................................................................................................................15
Shanay Lesane
Interesting Eli.................................................................................................................19v

InsideChrista Madikaegbu
No Longer.......................................................................................................................36
Eyes................................................................................................................................37
To be an angel.................................................................................................................38
The Girl in the Midnight Forest......................................................................................38
Another...........................................................................................................................39
Too Synesthetic...............................................................................................................39
An Apathetic Diagnosis of Love......................................................................................40
Mani, AKA Sleepyhead in her bed..................................................................................40
Jamaree Martin
The Color Blue Surprised My Day.................................................................................17
Hating You?....................................................................................................................20
Before the Poet Did Magic..............................................................................................26
Blake Mathews
Biceps.............................................................................................................................16
Ernest McBride
I’m So Cool.....................................................................................................................31
Tamia Moyd
Racing Into a New Year....................................................................................................8
Happily ever after.............................................................................................................8
My Yes Day with my Sister.............................................................................................12
Gregory Nickens
Who is a poet?................................................................................................................14
Devin Peterson
Wild................................................................................................................................39
Marcantony Pierce
My Fists vs. Your Fists....................................................................................................44
Shoulders........................................................................................................................48
Tatiana Pierce
Unfortunately.................................................................................................................45
Empty Thoughts.............................................................................................................47vi

D’hani Rispus
Picasso............................................................................................................................22
Jailyn Smith
Fly..................................................................................................................................10
Nothing but love.............................................................................................................11
James Stewart
Evening Song....................................................................................................................5
A New Calendar...............................................................................................................6
Myniah Sweetney
Introduction....................................................................................................................54
Christina Taylor
Let It Be Life...................................................................................................................57
The Dilemmas in Life.....................................................................................................58
Arman Thornton
How We Make a New Year.............................................................................................42
Mood Swings..................................................................................................................42
I Am................................................................................................................................42
I annoy my family..........................................................................................................43
What Is a Poet?..............................................................................................................43
Let It Be..........................................................................................................................51
Armani Thornton
Psyche, LOL!..................................................................................................................31
I Hate You.......................................................................................................................32
Striving into a New Year.................................................................................................32
The Story of My Life.......................................................................................................32
Earth..............................................................................................................................33
Loyalty...........................................................................................................................33
Micheal Thornton
How I Feel......................................................................................................................26
I Hate You.......................................................................................................................27
Hands.............................................................................................................................28
Why Am I Here?.............................................................................................................28vii

InsideDemarco Tucker
Feel my pain.....................................................................................................................7
IDK.................................................................................................................................11
Patrick Washington
D’hani.............................................................................................................................22
Pierre’ Washington
Confusion.......................................................................................................................41
Ricardo WhiteMy “A” Day......................................................................................................................2
What Is a Poet..................................................................................................................3
DeAndre Williams
Slimy Year......................................................................................................................41
Kitana Williams
Sense...............................................................................................................................28
My Story.........................................................................................................................29
Who Is a Poet.................................................................................................................29
Anger turns to love.........................................................................................................30
New Year........................................................................................................................30
Lips.................................................................................................................................30
Love................................................................................................................................31
Red.................................................................................................................................33
Meowsie..........................................................................................................................34
Synesthesia Poem...........................................................................................................34
Who Is a Poet?................................................................................................................34
Phillip Williams
Unafraid.........................................................................................................................18
Synesthesia.....................................................................................................................21
Rage................................................................................................................................21
Roosevelt Willis
Mixed Up........................................................................................................................35
I’m Rich..........................................................................................................................44viii

Vincent Wingfield
Arman..............................................................................................................................4
The Night Is Bright...........................................................................................................7
The Hate Homework Poem...............................................................................................9
Universe.........................................................................................................................10
Christian Woodall
Dream Sequence.............................................................................................................25
I Imagine Old People......................................................................................................25ix

Let it be Unknown...
Let it be known that the new year
has almost come to an end.
Let it be known that the year 2017
has finally turned me around.
Let it be mixed feelings and emotions.
an alluring trend;
and a common blendof happiness, sadness, pride,laziness, rage, peace, anger and fury;
To create a whirlwind collision of lightning,
wildfire in a blizzarding typhoon of the unknown.
You know, I’d hate to postpone
but let it be known
that I can’t condone
the living of the unknown.
Jahir Gray
Tommy Fridie

My “A” Day
I would hang out with my friend Elijah
and eat Subway with hot sauce
and then am flying,listening to my music—it’s Friday,
my favorite day of the week!
Ricardo WhiteMy LifeSpinning into a new world
not broken, but awakened;
Razor sharp fangs,
good for leaving my venom in last year.
Acid oozes from my heart.
Spiteful, I leave the year to move on:
Rotten attitude
Monstrous mouth
Overwhelming problems, but I hang on.
Drizzle, but I stay dry:Fighting through hate
Sliding to a new year, dragging me down
Smiling through the hate
Still winning.
Trevonne Joyner2l-r: Christa Madikaegbu,
Armani Thornton

What Is a Poet?
A poet is one in disguise;
A poet is one tough twin
who brings enemy tormentors to their demise.
A poet is a victim of gratuitous sadism.
A poet is one with visions of widespread destruction.
One who has risen over the crisscross antics
of inbred fools and dulls;
One who has invaded to evict
the over-fortunate numbskulls.
A poet is one who getsthe good times, not the bad;
Nothing prissy or pretentious,
nothing condescending,just a world to be had.
Jayden Gray

Phantom
The name people call me
when I fall asleep, people call me
to wake me up inside;
and when I am hurtful I feel bad,and when I am in the dark,people call me echo.
And I can splinterbecause I have a sword;
and I have silver eyes.
I’m called Phantom.
Ricardo White3

Arman
His name is Arman,
known as Armie.
His favorite place to be isat the carryout, or Popeyes.
You know him by his full nameand the silliest sister beside him.
His laughter is funny
like a jumping horse,
but his sadness can be a heartbreak.
Ethan Atkins

How to Be a Great Poet
1. Be ready to think about what you have to write.
2. A great poet has to be innovative and creative.
3. A great poet is a long-lost soul in the darkness.
4. A great poet must always speak the truth.
5. Don’t worry about right or wrong answers.
6. Every poem should have a beginning, middle and end.
7. Don’t worry about what anyone else has to say.
8. Be true to yourself at all times.
Jahir Gray

I’ve seen him work together
and play a lot, notbeing serious sometimes.
He is loved by his parents and family.
Vincent WingfieldTwinz vs. the Whole WorldHey y’all want to know something?
People look at us like we’re dumb,look at us like were aliens,like we look like scum.
But y’all phonies look like a bunch ofover-misfortunate, numb-skulled bums.
Your demolition is our elevation,and domination is our reputation.
We’ve been through this for 14 years in the past.
You keep it up, we’ll knock you out—
14 centuries without the sass.
Powerbomb you to the ground,like Roman Reigns, in just one round,then leave you, alone, in the lost and found.

4

Jayden Gray

Evening SongWhen there was moonlightand people were dancing
it was full of brightness,and everybody kept their eyes closed
until it was darkness
and people got scared.
It was slippery, and everybody
was falling
and went to sleep
until finally, they were awake.
James Stewart

l-r: James Stewart, Elijah Hamilton-Todd

If I were...
If I were the sun, I’d shine so bright,
I’d burn your eyes out.
If I were a missile, I’d descend so far into the ground,
you’d implode, explode and shout.
If I were darkness, I’d shadow the light and cause a blackout.
If I were brilliant, I would have a bright idea for everything.
If I were a rattlesnake, I’d shoot green venom
from my fangs and make your skin bleed and sting.
If I were the Earth’s crust, I’d smash you down,
you’d fall underground;
you would be lost, and never found.
Jahir Gray

5

A New Calendar
Every single day is a holiday
and you can’t see yourself
because you’re invisible.
But somebody ruins the day by fighting
Cars crashing everywhere—chaos,
like a tornado churning the trees into circles
on the outskirts of the day off.
James Stewart

Unknown
Naiya King

It is unknown that karma comes with a price,with an identity confidential, how else could it be nice?
Let it be known to the unknown:
I may not be grown,
but with a conscience of 100% toughness,
you will feel the pain while you groan.
Let it be known: 100% on trend,
0% condescend;
0% engaged,
replaced with 100% rage.
A combination of more than three,
it is a mystery.
A condescending attitude tells youwhat it is to me.
While you are prissy and pretentious,
I’m standing tall with the ruggedness
As you are agile and malicious,
I stand above all, courageous and vicious.
Forget the pain and anarchy—
Why?
Because it’s unknown by me.

6

Jayden Gray

Feel my pain
Feel my pain, stuck in the game
Trying to play it different ways
But the results always the same;
Being stereotyped by what’s on paper
Before I get to speak.
Employers scared to look in my eyes
because they might get weak
and see that I am striving
and searching for a better life,
so they hold their heads down
and read my backgroundand always think twice.
What am I to do with three mouths
Isyah Joyner
to feed—turn back to what I wasraised around, and then I’ll beconsidered wrong for the
many lives I jeopardized?
No one sees the struggle—they only see
the trouble.
Now I’m labeled a menace to society and all
my charges are doubled—everyone in theworld is different, but our struggles
are all the same, so I know there aremany different ways tofeel my pain
Demarco Tucker

The Night Is BrightEvery night the light is like a sea breeze
shining into the sky on a full moon.
The brilliant idea of it
feels like a surpriseburst into the bright light,
flying like a kite.
The light that makes a harp turn gold
is a blossom in a rainbow.
The night is bright, like ice skating on light.
Vincent Wingfield

7

Happily ever after
Camouflage purple dog skipping down
the glowing house steps to welcome
the happy new-born baby, silently.
The amazed sky-blue parents
embrace the flow andthe family lives happily ever after.

James Joyner

Tamia Moyd

Racing Into a New YearI am racing into a new yearwith exciting, positive days to come, andall my old memories skate
slowly in my dreams
which were easy to let go.
I am smiling silently into the new year
breathing deeply, waiting for my birthday.

The Eater of Worlds
If I was a scream, I would give people brain freeze.
If I were venom, I would poison you.
Get down on your knees, please.

Tamia Moyd
If I were the grim reaper,
I would send people undergroundto the underworld of death.
If I were hate, you would be shredded
for car theft, left like MacBeth.
If I were fake, I would never be real.
If I were agreement, there would be no deal.
If I were nothingness, I’d still be fed.
If I were alive, you would all be dead.
And for Halloween…
Nothing will ever be said.

8

Jayden Grayl-r: Isyah Joyner, Armani Thornton, Micheal Thornton,
Trevonne Joyner, James Joyner, Omarion Butler

Dark Energy

My homework hates you
the math hates you
the algebra hates you
the hard-working integers hate you

I think about darkness
and breeze before I go to sleep
I also think about softness in bed
I think about energy, too
I even look outside before I close my eyesthen I think about brightness
I think about sliding off the bed!

The challenging, but fair, extra curriculum hates you

Akeera Jackson

The Hate Homework PoemEven the Education of Life hates you
The unpleasant and evil demon that haunts the school hates you
The tranquility of a man that was
turned into a werewolf
by moonlight hates you,which is awful.
Vincent Wingfield

9

The Winning New YearI am winning into the new year.
The old years have been forgotten
like the moon
like the dawn of the new day.
It will be hard to let go of
the tangy taste of sweet chili,
but I am winning, and leaving
junk food behind andmy pride is unbroken.
Elijah Hamilton-Todd
Ernest McBrideFly
I fly so high the angels can’t even touch me
I’m so hot I’m sweating like herbal tea
In the winter time, reciting what I heard
When I go outside, I’m so cold I look like a frozen bird
My poem is lit—it’s like fire
Knowing no one can surpass me, because I’m higher
I’m so cool everybody likes me
So cool that nobody wants to fightClosing this poem, because poetry’s my life
My skills are so sharp I’m like a pocket knife
Jailyn Smith

Universe
Hear ye, hear ye:
This is Shakespeare’s universe.
Go. Beat it, evil,
so the dark lord can break his skull,and be sacred, too, a precious enhancement of nature.
The garden of determination is about nationality and loyalty.
The Milky Way galaxy is a Neverland.
Vincent Wingfield

10

IDK
I don’t know where to start
I don’t know what to say
But man, oh man—
The flame of stress burns my brain.
These faceless expressions; I’m so tired
I am strained; I don’t know why thishad to be—staring at the broken lightbulb in the street—I am confused but
Try to understand, this isn’t me—I hate expressing
myself. Why are you so worried about myshattered glass wisdom?

Trevonne Joyner

Demarco Tucker

Nothing but love
Let it be love that I have for my writing club family
When we do our poems, I ball out like Carmelo Anthony
Let it be hope—hope that I can have all day
Caught up in the mist, there’s nothing else I can say
Let it be anger, fear, sadness—to me it’s all a myth
Let this poem be history, let it be in the greatest books
Now let me end this poem, because I’m hungry like a wolf
Jailyn Smith11

Stop That!

Arman Thornton

I am popping into the new year
I am dancing into the new year
I am winning into the new year
I am moonwalking into the new year
I am burning into the new year
I am flowing into the new year
I am leaning into the new year
I am gliding into the new year
I am fading into the new year
and finally, it’s the end of the night,
and now I’m sleeping
and smiling out of the new year.
Akeera Jackson

Get up, you fool!
It’s a Tyrannosaurus rex
with sinister eyesthat make you want to be invisible.
Your deepest fear
the fastest—
Get off me!
Samuel Hauser

My Yes Day with my Sister
One single hot steamy day—My Yes day
would be at the pool, listening to my favorite artist, Cardi B,
music blasting with my sister
wearing my flowering dress.
We walk to the unbroken non-chaos playground
later going home to my famous hotdogs
with white bread and ketchup,and chicken patties with a cascade of a ranch.
Going to school wearing pure pink
with invisible homework:
This is my Yes day!

12

Tamia Moyd

l-r: Isyah Joyner,
Omarion Butler

I’m peeking into a new year
Shy, because I’m not sure how things goslithering through the nights
tiptoeing all day longsmiling…
at my mom, my cat, and my family…
They remind me of the previous year,
they remind me of good days.
I’d rather sleep now and wait on the year
waiting for new technology,
new ideas.
It will make life easier and bring me joy—Bouncing on my bed in joy
dancing and popping to the music-kind of joy
sliding down the park slide-type of joy
and then it will be 2019.
Marcus Hill

Mr. D’s Difference
I know the websites that make people
somersault,that bring excitement to life!
Mr. D’s websites? Dull.
Exhausting. Just different.
I know trouble personally.
We are on a name-to-name basis.
We are magnetic, you could say.
Mr. D hangs out with the truth.
He’s steady and always will be.
I live for the impossible,
for dreams not dreamt.
Mr. D only seeks possibility.
He lives in tall walls, alone.
Marcus Hill

13

Who is a poet?
A poet is someone
who stays in the basementwith the fireplace lit
thinking of some solution
to get out of a flooded housewith a blanket over his head.
He takes off his eyelashes
turning him into ashes that causes his death,and a poet is somebody who
spits bars of thunderthat cause darkness
in the air.
Gregory Nickens
Armani Thornton

The problem of how I go to sleep
My bed is smooth.
My eyes are closed in the blue-black room.
(The room is red in the morning.)
In the darkness, I hear my father opening the fridge.
I feel the moonlight making me calm and refreshed.
I’m sliding off to sleep.
When I’m in a dream, I see glowing lights.
Steven Brown

The Best Day
The sky is playing Cardi B
and the music makes me want to sing!
All my homework is defeated, I am the conqueror,
and my happiness is unbroken!
In my skull are thoughts of summer,
leaves are branching out of the trees
and the clouds are invisible!
Danai Corbin

14

Listen!
The house my sister built
from Legosis broken
and the night is a deep dark cavern
filled with the voice of Mr. D
giving me lots of homeworkand sailing me
down the river of knowledge.
Danai Corbin

Pressure

Micheal Thornton

I am heavier than a feather
A mystery is bigger than history
My heartbeat races to the finish line, where
I was dancing, in Hart Middle School.
Nightmares in AugustDreams all the time
Marcus calls me Secretbecause I never howl
Silk is the feeling of water.
Amari Knott

The Clown
Razor-sharp teeth, he bites his victims on their neck,invisibly white face, unseen beneath the piercing white paintdeeply red hair, the color of blood
carves through his head.
Dots by the hundreds all over the nervously white suit,
like holes—
deep, black, hollow, vicious.
Dark blue shoes, like two bruises,
gnashing the evil night’s fear
into small children.
Danai Corbin

15

Lullaby
Just as I’m falling asleep
I look at the sky
I watch the smooth clouds
and how they look almost slippery
against the blue black sky

Nadaisha Wing fieldI think about the moon
Does it smell like pepperoni pizza
and cupcakes?
I can sometimes smell
the sweet fragrance
after I feel my eyessliding into the darknessof a good night’s rest
Brandon Gatling

BicepsMy biceps are stronger than one hundred men;
They’re overflowing with blood for over ten.
They conquer weights like mountains.
Without them, how could I eat?
My arms are better than my feet.
My arms are strong, like knuckles.
Unlike Kevin Hart, I don’t chuckle.
I’m fast like Flash, with no disruption—
I’m chaos without corruption.
Blake Mathews

All my names
I go by many names:
To my mom, I go by Secret, and Private
because I am shy.
To my brother, my name is Trumpet
and Never Listen,
because I yell at him;
I am Nightmare to him.
Mr. D, my teacher, he calls me Laughter
because it echoes in the hallway
and he calls me Eyes in class,because I’m always looking.
My friend, Erica, smiles as she calls me Gladness,but it is nighttime that knows me as Midnight
when it should be Asleep.
Danai Corbin

16

New YearI am tiptoeing
into the new year.
The old years are oldlike the cold, like silver.
Brandon Gatling

Trevonne Joyner

The Color Blue Surprised My Day
Celebrate
I am an evil dark lord
Arman is a traitor.
He went to the Neverlandand did nothing to try and stop mefrom world domination,
but I have an enhancement
to stop my plans
and see the raindrops.
Amir GreenThe slime isn’t blue until the dye marinates it
Your shirt isn’t blue until it is made for you
My life is blue because the sky is blue
My life is blue because you love me too
My father is sky blue because my mom is royal blue
My room is blue, but one side of blueis the color of my heart, cause my cells are notjust red, no they’re not, they’re blue too
When I get compliments, some of them make me blue
but I sure don’t know about you
Guess what? The jail’s got a saleon royal blue, sky blue, turquoise blue
waiting right for you
Jamaree Martin

17

My Back and Bones
I wouldn’t be able to walkwithout my backbecause it is attached to my legs.
If I didn’t have a backbone
or any bones
I would be like a pile of slime
and I couldn’t move or eat.
I would just have to sit there on the floor
and people like Arman and Armani
might kick me.
Amir GreenA Poet in my Eyes
Erica Bell

Unafraid
I’m flowing, like
I’m gliding into New Year’s.
I’m tiptoeing
like I’m dancing.
When I was 8
I was scared of gunshots;
Now I am 11 andI’m not scared of gunshots.
Phillip Williams

A poet in my eyes is a person
who writes her feelings and opinions
in one small—not even a paragraph.
A poet is a person who
wants everyone to knowwhat she has to say,so she takes a writing utensil
and writes away,
covers the paper with ink.
It doesn’t have to rhyme,
but that’s a poet in my eyes.
Some poets write a tower of words so tallit could take up two books.
A poem could be crisscrossed,
diagonal, sideways
as long as it makes sense.
McKia Bromfield18

l-r: Christa Madikaegbu,
Armani Thornton, Micheal Thornton

Searching Destiny
Interesting Eli
Nae-Nae,also known as Eli from Chicago:
You know her by the length of her black and red dreads
or the perfume from her pink bag.
Her laughter is like a wicked evil SpongeBob
but happy, like Teen Titans are.
You could’ve seen her rushing to tackle the quarterback
or doing a handstand without hands.
She loves to be around creative goofy fearless high schoolers
but like she always says,“Man, I gotta leave!
Ms. Nancy, Bunny not trying to let me leave”
Shanay Lesane

My lies are unspoken.
My Lemonheads are sky blue
like Easter eggs,
mysterious in blue glass.
My bones are hard, likediamonds, rubies and emeralds.
My spirit is tropical,
like a sunny day at the beachin a tender visionof silent shadows.
I am a new legend—
I embrace my destiny!
Elijah Hamilton-Todd

19

Hating You?
Arman Thornton

Stressful things
Video games stress me out.
It’s a challenge beating missions.
Teachers give me troubles
by giving me a lot of work and homework.
My friends are sometimes annoying,just listening to their voices.
Football is stressful.
The blindness of some players is a mystery.
Tommy Fridie

I have a red case that had hate
a red comb that had hatea green-black tie that hated my datea green grape that hated my stomach ache
I hate you
I’ve got a bag with hate in it
I hate you no matter how much I eat cakeYou’re nothing but hate
My tooth had a hole, the dentist patched it up, andeven that hated you
I hate you the tip of an acorn
the sweetness of a cookie
that’s baked as a cakethat really hated you
I really hate you
You’re just the wrappers of candy I get for Halloweenthat I ate, and the candy I hate
is an almond, not the one in the store,
the one that’s baked, that hates you
I really hate when you try me
and tell me I am funny and laugh as
I really hate you
Jamaree Martin

20l-r: Elijah Hamilton-Todd,
James Stewart

Synesthesia

My Real Name

A star sounds like a bell
An animal’s howl tastes just like chicken
A circle smells like rubberYour smile sounds like cheese
A baby’s cry is bright, like blue

When I’m asleep, they call me Wake Up
I always tell the truth
What’s unseen is my pain
You can call me Water, because I make a splash
When someone gets an award, that gives me gladness
so call me Generous
But my secrets are private.

Phillip Williams

Rage

Tommy Fridie

Let it be a gale hitting your house.
Let it be a whirlwind destroying your neighborhood.
Let it be a wildfire at your campsite.
Let it be a blizzard, like a snowstorm.
Let it be lightning, like a brainstorm.
Let it be a comet falling from space.
Let it be a saber-toothed cat killing your friendin the room, with the door locked.
Phillip Williams

21

D’hani
From Dubai to Hollywood to Wingate
the kid known as Mad Max
looks down over his kingdom
You know him by his sharp wit
and the V-8 rumble of his laughter
Rolling thru the halls,
his anger an unstoppable tank
He loves being a drummer
hanging in ATL in the summer
Good-strong-minded people,
He knows them wellBut like he always says:
If you follow the wrong pathyou’ll end up dead or in jail.
Patrick Washington
Christian Woodall

PicassoA man named Picasso was very dangerous.
The thing he was dangerous at was artwork.
The place the dangerous man wants to go
is Atlanta, aka ATL.
The reason he wants to go to Atlanta is becauseof all of the beautiful women.
When Picasso gets madit’s like a mountain causing an avalanche.
D’hani Rispus

Write About the Other Half
Headaches and struggles, feel like I’ve been
gripped by the devil
The fulfillment to bring you pleasure
is something I do extra
Childlike love is one thing you give the most
I was hunting for an angel
Guess I got what I’m looking for
Stumble down the street
and your wings caught my downfall
And if I get caught up in a jam
I hope you jam me out, dawg
Can’t really do the surprisethat’s why the missile stays out
It’s an underground mission
just let me know if you’re down
Sundial blossom that I found,that’s why I love to water you down
Khalil Jones

22

Trick Cycle
Bright sun
turned his back on the stars
so the moon came out at night
Something like betrayal
Just how you leave a piece of cheese
on a trap as if you’re feeding a mouse
When you’re tired of your company
and don’t know how to ask ‘em to leave

Akeera Jackson

Domination is a theater for traitors
they love evil nature
it’s a beautiful neverland
Dark lord done turned raindrops to static and friction
Sounding like thunder had a problem
with the silent neighbor
Gambling with the traitor
Hope it all plays in your favor
Sugar sweet tea
Khalil Jones
the morning is always so good to me
We’re going upwards just to go downhill
something like a nothingness missile

Nothingness

I’m a fearful outburst
you can never know what hit ‘cha
Catch me running through the sky
catching seabreeze, feeling like a kite
Judgment night, it’s a shredded time
more like supper
Corn, chicken, biscuits and butter,
Brilliant idea for everyone to eat quick
and turn dinner to nothingness
Khalil Jones

23

Let it be
Let it be love
Let it be happy
Let it be Juniper pug
Let it be fun
Let it be friends
Let it be original
Let it be love for the dog
Let it be football
Let it be joyful
Let it be roses
Kamari King
Jewel JonesFirst Language
Have you ever had fingers
that couldn’t feel, but see everything you do?
Ever had fingers that can hit but never touch?
It’s like owning a gun that won’t bust
My fingers get so angry
all they like to do is fight and fuss
like parents deciding who will drive
and who will ride the bus
Dang, they’re getting breathlessfrom the overflowing tensionof the unknown presenceof the eyes I never mention
Khalil Jones

Hyperbole
The movie was so scary
my hair ran off my head screaming
I’m so cool, in the summer
people stand near me for air
I’m so cool
I make yo mama drool
I’m so happy
I make you mad
I’m so cool
I make cool hot
That boy’s so ugly
he makes white flowers turn purple
James Joyner

24Dream Sequence
My TV is glowing
My flesh was underground
Behind the glass door
My flesh was happy
My mom, newborn
Christian Woodall

True Names
My real name is Victory
Yesterday, my name was Wisdom
Tomorrow, my name will be Memory
My friends think my name is Listen
My parents think my name is Sunlight
Keyshon Johnson

Marcus Hill

I Imagine Old People

Evil clowns don’t scare mewith their creepy eyes.
No nighttime creaturescares mein the dark.
No, not at all.

Yesterday, I went to my house.
Old people
forget what they promise;
My momforgot my birthday,
but there was excitement.
I’m going in the house.
My mom is exhausting.
When she gets home
I’m in trouble.

Keyshon Johnson

Christian Woodall

No Fear25

How I Feel
A star sounds like a whale singing
A circle smells like apple juice
White moves in, in a flash
A whisper looks like a silent butterfly
The texture of purple feels weird
The letter A glows the color green
Whenever I look at you, I hear you’re ugly
An animal’s howl tastes like chicken
Micheal Thornton

Armani Thornton

Before the Poet Did Magic
Being a poet ain’t easy—finding words is likecutting trees from off a road—I’m telling you now
this being a poet can get tricky
Writing a poem can sometimes feel liketalking to a cow—as the cow says,“moo moo moo” he says what he sees.
A poet can easily have a journal full of poems
but I have to think twice because a good poet,they have to write a lot and that’s one thing I
cannot do—Picking just one word is like picking
just one apple from an apple tree and having just one choice
and just one choice can be like walking through danger
and danger I walk in can change me but
not like a stranger
Jamaree Martin

26

Delon Wheeler

I Hate You
What Is a Poet?
One day everything felt ice cold, like a blizzard
and the poet felt like a prisoner.
A poet is a 6th grader with a bloody penthat whispers to a prisoner.
A poet is someone who jumps, does flips
and flips upside down.
A poet is someone who jumps with a parachute;
A poet is someone who jumps without a parachute.

I hate you truly
I hate the yellow shirt that you wear
I hate the shoes that you’re wearing
I hate the pants that you’re wearing
I hate your whole outfit
I hate you until dawn
Micheal Thornton

Leroy Bailey III

27

SenseVincent Wing field

Hands
You can help people with your hands
The possibilities with your hands are
Endless
You can make a statue with your hands
You can steal money from the bank or
Make the winning shot with your hands
You can shoot somebody with your hands
You can do almost anything with your hands
You can eat fried chicken, andyou can pick the winning lottery number
with your hands
Micheal Thornton

A star sounds like a cramp
A circle smells like death
White moves in a home
A whisper looks like a cloudy day
The texture of purple feels likelavender flowers
The smell of love is good like candy
Kitana Williams

Why am I Here?
Should I be in this world? I just wanna know
Why am I here?
What will the future hold?
I could have been an animal
I could have been an alien
I just wanna know—why am I here?
Why didn’t humans go extinct yet,but I feel like I’m the only one here?
I just wanna know why I’m here
I’m still surviving
watching other humans
going extinct and wondering
Why am I here?
Micheal Thornton

28l-r: Micheal Thornton, Isyah Joyner,
Vincent Wing field, Omarion Butler

Who Is a Poet
My Story
I come from NYC
I make my home peaceful, like the soundof ocean waves
I see thirsty flames and I wonder will they ever die
When I am alone, I think to myself if I am worth it
I imagine that I can do great in life and inspire others
Every day, I see people crumbling my trust
but if I look closely, I see
everlasting love by my side
A voice inside me says “Keep going”
and I want to tell the world
to never give up
Right now I am softness
but someday I will see nothingness
I wish to have a hurricane of money
Kitana Williams

A poet is someone who writes words of wisdomthat disguise failure
His words are a weapon and his audience
are his opponents
A poet looks fear in the eye and makes it scared
A poet is someone who changes lives
through speaking
A poet expresses his emotions through speaking
A poet is me
Kitana Williams

29

Anger turns to love
Let it be anger
Let it be sleet
Let it be defiance
Let it be jalapeño
Let it be blizzard
Let it be death’s head
Let it be a shark-toothed dolphin
Let it be a saber-toothed cat
Let it be lightning
Let it be thunder
Let it be brickLet it be curry
Let it be four-tusked elephantLet it be a bone-crushing dog
Let it be fear
Let it be love

Isyah Joyner

New Year
I’m flying into the New Year
while the old years are racing backflowing through the air like nothingness
my mind dancing around like a ballerina
starving for motivation
skating for greatness in this year
but also fighting myself
out of the old year
Kitana Williams

Kitana Williams

Lips
Have you ever had lips that could not taste?
You feel like the world is going nowhere
You have luxury lips
Your lips have a smooth way of speaking
You have lips like the full moon
Kitana Williams

30

Love
Love is goodLove is so wonderfulLove is bad & sometimes love canbe dangerous
but love is for me
Love can take a lot
Love is a precious thing
Love is a skill
Love is something, but people
say it is nothing
Kitana Williams

Tamia Moyd

I’m So Cool
I’m so cool I walk down the hall andthe girls fall out.
I’m so cool I walk on water, like Jesus,
because it turns to ice.
I’m so cool that when I smile
they give me the White House.
I’m so cool they threw Donald Trump out
just so I could move in.
I’m so cool that I froze the universe .
Ernest McBride

Psyche, LOL!
You are so cute! Psyche!
I’m nice, but you have to be a good friend.
My enemies are so nicethat I throw up in my mouth.
I try to be nice to all, but if you are mean to me
you can appear in a pit of lava—but I’m very nice.
If you mess with my family, you aren’t a friend.
I can deceive and torture you.
I like making new friends,
but if you mess with Ms. Nancy,
you are a friend on fire.
Now you really are ugly.
Armani Thornton

31

I Hate You
Head to toe, I
hate you at first
The blue gumball that
I had was beautiful and now
it looks terrible, like you
Oh my god—what is thaton it?
Oh, it’s just your face
By the way, I saw a dead dog
and it reminded me of you
Armani Thornton
Brandon Gatling

Striving into a New Year
Most girls work hard
So hard we are unstoppable
Some girls skip class & get “F’s”
They’re very stoppable
Some girls like fighting and falling
down like the grading chart
Some girls are crashing & hitting walls
Right now I need a miracle
Dancing & singing to songs
throughout the halls
Most girls are flying and storming
through the walls trying to get to class
My year has been crazy—how about yours?
Armani Thornton

The Story of My Life
I come from the inside of your wildest dreams
I make my home at the bottom of the ocean
where your soul lies—I see cotton candyeyes in front of me and I wonder if sharks
feast on your body. When I am alone, I
poison the heartbeat of my enemies
I imagine that I am a majestic twilight flame
Every day I see a calm soul on the hazy mountainbut if I look closely I can see the moonlightin your eyes—A voice inside me says to findinspiration in your photo, and I want to tell
the world nothing is powerful in my eyes
Right now I’m wondering if what I’m saying is
helpful, but someday I will remember all of thegood things that happened in my life
I wish I could live forever, but now it’s time tosay, “Adios!”
Armani Thornton

32

Red
I am red and you need me.
You need me so you can stop.
I don’t like myself sometimes,
but I don’t like you, too.
Kitana Williams

Earth
If I were a flower, I’d want to go and get some foodand have fun and become a human
I will be the earth binder because I’m in the earth
When it’s time to grow—I’ve become beautiful
They pick me whenever they want to and they
don’t ask for permission—They don’t know how
to take care of me properly—I hate it when thesehumans hurt me and my relatives—OMG blossom
season is near—Why are they calling a… florist?
I think that’s what they called it
Darkness tries to take me, but like a person I’ve got
to fight for my will and what is right—
That’s the end of my life—it is winterGood bye, harsh world
Armani Thornton

Arman Thornton

Loyalty
I am loyal to my friends and determined
to tell Christa to do her work
When she says no, my other side
as the Dark Lord comes out
Love is cool, but dangerous
You see those stains?
Those are from the blood of enemies
I crush the skulls of the foolishNow do your work!
Armani Thornton

33

MeowsieMy BFF, aka Christa’s favorite place to be
Is home, just like me
I know her by the way she talks in the 3rd
person—her laughter is like a fierce tiger
but when she cries it sounds like a kitten
and I hate it when she cries
My favorite thing about Meowsie is that wegrew up together
My BFF’s are the best people to hang around.
Armani Thornton

Booker T. Whitaker

Synesthesia PoemA star sounds like a waxed floor that has been stepped on
A dog’s howl tastes just like cinnamon buns
Your smile sounds like heaven’s gate opening
A new idea feels like victory
Armani Thornton

Who Is a Poet?
A poet is a person who sits and writes all day,versus a regular person who sits and does nothing.
A poet is a person who sits and thinks
for hours and hours.
A poet is a person who takes advantageof the warmth, versus a person who hates writing.
A poet builds words like a tower
and makes it seem so easy.
A poet makes words that are powerful and bold.
Armani Thornton

34Vincent Wing field

Mixed Up
Shoes
I would be a pair of shoes because people
would be waiting in line for me.
People would treat me like I am importantbut I would be in so much pain from the thoughtof people stepping on me & tripping on me
spitting on me and I would smell like things
that I didn’t want to smell like.
I would be judged a lot of times, like I
did something wrong.
All I did was keep your feet warmand keep them from hurting—That’s why you should hear me because
I am shoes.

A star sounds like bells
A circle smells like rubber
A baby’s cry is bright blue
A new idea feels like a million dollars
Whenever I look at you, I hear whispers
An animal’s howl tastes just like chickenYour smile sounds like a cash register
Roosevelt Willis

Na’jee Ferguson

35

Kimari KingCool
How cool am I?
I’m so cool when it’s summer
I make it seem hot
and the hottest day I ever madewell, I really didn’t because I’m so cool.
I’m so cool when I walk outside I makethe sun hide.
I’m so cool that when it snows, I makethe snowflakes all look the same.
I’m so cool when I watch a scary movie
I make the movie look scared.
Na’jee Ferguson

No Longer
I’m enchanted.
Awake in no color, just covered in evil.
The worst misery took over, becoming
a dark lord with a hold on dominationleaving nothing by my side.
All the hopes and dreams killed off—
they got drunk with loyalty;
The eyes inside me from before,
now destroyed without mercy.
Tried to warn them about what’s happening
but I forgot when they abandoned me.
Led to a sacred place that used to be sweet—
Now it just holds toxic memories.
Trapped in a garden with no way to be free.;Don’t wanna turn into a demon
Won’t you please save me?
Christa Madikaegbu

36l-r: Micheal Thornton, Arman Thornton

Synesthesia
Eyes
Eyes. The window to the soulthe door to my soul, the key to my soul
the gift to my soul, blue-green hidden underrotten brown, blind without glasses;
Visualize through sound.
Eyes. My way to remember
without having to think
They could replace the rest of me automaticallyEyes could make them see
without having to speak
Eyes. Always hidden. Dark, yet shining
with the heartbeat, becoming intimidating
getting more menacing—I’m hurting slowly
Who knew eyes could have such hostility?
Christa Madikaegbu

A star sounds like a whisper in your ear.
A circle smells like a freshly cooked pancakefrom the best of places.
White moves in a slow movement of depreciation.
A whisper looks like a shooting star.
The texture of purple feels
like smooth, but bumpy skin.
The letter “K” glows the color red that
reminds me of a special someone.
Whenever I look at you I hear words thatmake me feel like I am something.
Na’jee Ferguson37

To be an angel
To be an angel, pure white and gold
To fly so high the clouds are
too far away to reach me
To be an angel with holy wings
made of grace
To play a harp so heavenly
in a one-girl orchestra
To smile so brightly it’s whiter than heaven
But to fake an angel
A traitor in a place of trust
To fall faster than a meteor
To be a fallen angel with black wings of
Mystery
To break a heart so hard it turns to dust
To be a fallen angel weeping in sorrow
To fall and crash so hard you end up in
Middle earth
Niko Brown

Christa Madikaegbu

The Girl in the Midnight Forest
A place she loves to visit. The place she runs off to
A forest so beautiful it’s illuminated in blue
Below the cliff where the forest islies a bottomless abyss
She stands there waiting for no sudden reason
She stands there longer in the fall season
When the abyss starts to roar she is no more
When the abyss turns red she is pronounced deadAfter her death the forest goes dark and black
When it’s easy to be attacked
No one talks about her—no word to be said
I know she will still be there haunting it again
Christa Madikaegbu

38

Wild
The movie was so scary it
Scared me to death andScared me back alive
My athlete
So glad he jellied
On two people at once
I’m so cool
When I walk past people
They freeze
It was so hot outside
When I looked at people they burned
Devin Peterson
Christa Madikaegbu

Another
Another year I’m sleeping throughAnother moment I’ll remember soon
Another month until I forget my dreams
Another thought before it bursts at the seams
Another day the world turns while we sleep soundAnother time I don’t care that the years pass round
Another hour until I lose my imagination
Another possibility when I might lose my passion
Another minute I start to regret
Another time of day I want to forget
Another second until I wake up
Maybe another life, but now my time is up
Christa Madikaegbu

Too Synesthetic
The clouds sound like they’re crying
Every time mother sky starts to roar
The tastes of smiles are filled with regret
regret so loud I can’t hear myself speak
The whispers feel likethey’re holding back screams
The sun tastes exciting, with a cold waterytaste, while the moon tastes bland with aspicy hot aftertaste
The world around me feels locked away
but I feel locked inside the face I am
forced to hide
Christa Madikaegbu

39

Senses
A star sounds like pop-rocks
A circle smells like orange peel
White moves in a repeated cycle
A whisper looks like paper falling
Whenever I look at you, I hear quiet,
Peacefully silent
Keily Cruz

Trevonne Joyner

An Apathetic Diagnosis of Love
To feel a certain yearning for attention
while feeling admired just from smiles;
A love so warming and welcomethat could draw my attention, all I everwanted lasted for years.
A musical feeling, but
a little crack in the romance left it
falling apart, a glistening heart
now painted in sorrowwith a tint of numbness;
A clear coat of agony mixed with thesolid color of apathy, bleeding throughthe cracks of misery leaving behinda color called depression.
Christa Madikaegbu

The Horror Movie
The horror movie was so scary I diedAnd it scared me back alive
It was so scary my scream was heard
All around the world
It was so scary
The killer was scared
It was so scary
I hid under the couch
Isyah Joyner

Mani, AKA Sleepyhead in her bed
She is known by her constant hunger.
Her laughter is quiet but beautiful.
She is full of smiles, butwhen she’s angry she goes silent.
When we argue, 2 seconds later
we are laughing like crazy.
She loves to be around us whenever she’s boredand she knows her friends bring out the light in her.

40

Christa Madikaegbu

Slimy YearI’m falling in to a new year
And I’ll be eating chocolate
Crashing down the stairs
Flying into the air
Far away
Then playing with slime
DeAndre Williams

Beware the New YearI am peeking into a new year
Leaning against the burning house
Over the racing ocean
I finally reach my destination
Dancing for my victory
Gliding through the air
Killing in the air
Everyone beware
The new year is here
Isyah Joyner

Confusion
A star sounds like fireworks.
White moves in a person running.
A whisper looks like man talking in your head.
A baby’s cry is bright like a diamond.
A new idea feels like a light bulb.
Pierre’ Washington

James Stewart

I Am an Artist
I have struggles
Sometimes I am very fearful
I have to go through judgment
and I feel brilliant
Sometimes I feel like dust and ashes
or an underground missile
Deep down in the darkness
I give people
Nourishment and care
Sometimes I lose my grip
And sometimes I have to make a sacrifice
But still I move upward
This is my life
I am
An artist
Isyah Joyner

41How We Make a New Year
Driving in the car with my cousin
Time goes past
We start speeding up
Flying past other family members
Skipping time
We made it to our cousin’s house
To dance and play the game
Until 11:50
At 11:59 we all are racing
To the kitchen to pop the tops off
The apple ciderCounting down
From 10, to toast and scream
Happy New Year
Before bed, I call my nephew
And tell him
Happy Birthday
Arman Thornton
Armani Thornton

I Am
Mood Swings
I’m so happy I makeFlowers bloom
I’m so angry I’m
Super Saiyan blue
I’m so happy I
Get high fives
I’m so angry that I sit and cry
I’m so cool that you drool
I’m so fly
That I can go up highWhen I’m happy I can make you happy
I’m so angry
I can make you angry
Arman Thornton

42

The grip to the door knob
I’m the struggle, ready to be real
I’m the empty gas tank, ready to be refueled
I am the plaintiff, ready for judgment
I am the flour, ready to be boiled
The god of life
I AM ARMAN
Arman Thornton

l-r: Armani Thornton,
Micheal Thornton, Arman Thornton

What Is a Poet?
I annoy my family
Mama has had enoughMy dad told me to stop asking
They are tired of my stuff
Don’t like my act most of the time
Always tell me to shape up
They tell me to stop talking
They tell me to clean up my act
They tell me to clean my roomand learn to stop my laughs
but at the end of the day they love me
and still I love them backA poet is a person who thinks bullies are nothing
A poet is someone whose mind is blankbut their paper isn’t
A poet is someone who writes what they are thinking of
A poet is someone who thinks outside of their skin,
But stays inside of their skin
A poet has big dream of anything
A poet is you
Arman Thornton

Arman Thornton

43

My Fists vs Your Fists

Armani Thornton

The Commitment
Let it be love—let it be misery;
When I first found you
What I thought I found in you was love and happinessBut what I had was depression—that’s what I thought.
Just like the saying, “What goes up must come down”
That was my self-esteem.
I was used like a cliché—you carved my heart out
Like a Thanksgiving turkey stuffed with misery,
Eaten by your short-lasting love, but you were first
And people like you will be my last.

When I make my hands into fists
they turn into brick.
They are so hard
you won’t even attempt to fight me.
My fists are so hard thatthey are like the Thing on
The Fantastic Four.
My fists are the hardest you will ever see,and my fists are so tasty;
Talking about me, youmust want to taste them,and what about your fists?
Your fists are so weak,
they are like wheat bread,bread so weak a hot dog won’t fit,
but my fists are so lit
they call them the fast & the furious,and that’s the bottom line, because
The fists said so.
Marcantony Pierce

Isaiah Hunter

I’m Rich
I’m so rich I can buy a million carsso rich I can buy a house for everybody
so rich I can buy a whole jewelry store
so rich I can make jewelry pizzas
so rich I can buy Donald Trump’s tower
I’m so rich I can buy a whole complex
Roosevelt Willis

44

Unfortunately
Unfortunately, I am sick of being nicePeople using me as their preyto get something out of me, thethought makes me quiverand it injects a fair amountof hate into my soul.
The only thing I want is to yellat everyone and get away with it.
Unfortunately, I am sick ofbeing told what to do.
Every time someone gives me a task
it’s like my heart slowly turns into rustand irritation fills my brain.
I would rather lie in my bed
watching Youtube on my phonethan be bothered at all.
Unfortunately, I am sick ofunfinished poems.
It makes me feel like I ran outof imagination.
I would rather end this poem now,
so that my imagination can run on.
Unfortunately for you,This poem is over.
Tatiana Pierce

Omarion Butler

The Mad Song
Mean security guard, don’t throw away my stuff!
You took away my comics!
You’re mad because you’re single and alone
and you’ve got a small little track phone.
You’re going to give me my money
and I’m not trying to be funny.
You’re just trying to be pressed
because you’re so sad and depressed.
That’s okay, security guard;
You know you went too far.
Isaiah Hunter

45

Mood By Now
Meanwhile, while I try
to complete this poem
I try in despair.
Despairing so hard
I feel like stopping here
because I have nothing to talk about.
So, mama told me nothingOr, the world revolves around me…
Despairing while the world’s still moving
Despairing while the worldis basically making you look dumb
because you’re not making a difference.
The type of despair I’m talking about ischildish temper tantrums,
attitudes…
So you could understand.

Trevonne Joyner

McKia Bromfield

Big hair beast
Lumpy lumpy at night, and the sun went down and
The sky started getting foggy, the tree had green stuff
Dripping down and it was slimy.
As I tip toe through the woods with my hand shaking
I hear a storm cloud in the sky
I pull out a razor-sharp eye and I am nervous.
Do you see that slithering thing? It is a snake.
(And they are wispy, they are sea green, they havefangs, venom, shiny eyes) and when it is goingThrough the leaves, it makes a trail of mayonnaise.
Julio Bouknight46

Alliterations
An annoying arrival awaits,
Baptizing birthday belates
Can’t catch ‘em all, cause
Destructive dimwits doelegantly enchanting evil.
Fake flirtatious favoritism is feeble
Good God, girls; Go away!
Heck, hello. It’s about high time
you irritating, ignorant idiots or imbeciles
just jump for joy. Just
kidding, kids got your karma kicked.
Lying lazy losers,
moronic mounds of monstrosity,
nitwits, nimrods, nincompoops and numbskulls,
open-minded octagons of opposition;
People are persistent little punks.
Quit it, you queens of quirkiness
racist, reminiscing, ragtag rugrats,
stupid, stubborn, stingy stalkers,
tedious two-timing traitors,
unbelievably untouchable,vivaciously vicious,
wicked wimpy witches of the West!
X-ray your xylophone, youyo-yo. Yeah, you. Your yin, your yang, yo!
Zesty zookeeper, zealously zapping my zen.
Jahir Gray

Isaiah Hunter

Empty Thoughts
I’m underneath farewell:
A haze of gray became me
Surrounding my buried blindness.
Eyes of fear beneath eyes of love,
Rotten storms make wounds innocent;In front of lonelinessare forever falling leaves.
The flame that creates smoke
is inside your forsaken soul;Walls of memories turn into grief,
dust floating above everything likeforgotten soldiers.
Yesterday you were on the earth;Today, you’re above the stars.
Tatiana Pierce

47

Micheal Thornton

Shoulders
I stand on the shoulders of God and my Mom
because they are the best
shoulders to stand on,
and my Mom stands on God’s shoulders
to make sure all four of her kids
have a great life.
God will see me praise him
and thank him for waking me up
this morning—my Aunts and Uncles see melaughing and running down the street.
Marcantony Pierce

The way of life
Smoke, broken glass, gold stars, the sun’s tears
I’m the son of God, brother of a jaguar
I am a lover of football, soccer and tennis
I can feel blue-black, forgotten soldiers
who find happiness in barbed wire
wrapped around fear.
Even though sometimes death thunders, dust hidden
around darkness and strangers,
someone who gives marching orders throughhands, eyes, and gazes through gray flames
will leave footsteps, empty rooms,
hollow train tracks of yesterday.
Julio Bouknight48

l-r: Armani Thornton, Vincent Wing field,
Nadaisha Wing field

Let It Be Known
Let it be known that I’m not in the mood right now!
Let it be known that when I count to ten
you better be gone or there will beconsequences.
The mood I’m in is so savage
if you’re not gone, I’m gonna hit you
It’s going to feel like a dark dagger.
I never knew how to calm down
until I hit you and it hurt.
So I’ve learned to calm down,because I learned a lesson last time.
I calm down,
calm like trees on a spring day.
Let it be known I’m in the mood.
McKia Bromfield

49

Warning to Your Eye
Eyes don’t look at the devil
or you will cry.
Eyes please don’t look beyond the skies.
Don’t look at the cracks in the ground in the desert
or you will turn dry.
Eyes don’t look at the onion
or your head will explode.
Eyes don’t look at the snowor they will stay cold.
Eyes don’t look deep into somethingor you will lose your soul.
Eyes if you look beyond the skies
you will reach the sky.
Eyes if you look at the police
they will try to kill you.
Eyes look at a doctor
and they will heal you.

Micheal Thornton

De’Quan Atchison

Over the Struggle
Let it be hope in your heart.
Let it be kindness
people around me who would really understand love
Outside of your mind is the struggle where people lost loved ones
Just stay away from the struggle
through the love of your heart
on top of my A gamebelow the swag
I do for myself
Behind me is the other side of loveand struggle
history with human struggle
with anger that I just can’t let out.
Octavia Johnson

50Let it Be
Let it be awesome
Let it be coolErnest McBride
Let it be me
A big fat fool
Let it be a football player playing defense
Or a man telling a woman he loves her

Struggle

Arman Thornton

Lay down these words
before your mind like smoke
placed before the moonby your eyes in your own state of mind
before the struggle is never forgotten.
Struggle is hard for a lot of people
the stones that are your eyes
are not going to change,
the hide and seek where nobody is going to find you
the freeze tag that you play outsidewith the people you’ve been aroundthe words are the games y’all playon TV or on y’all’s phones
the struggle is fire to me
the pain I face every day
I wake up and put a smile on my face
to tell people
I’m good.
Octavia Johnson

51

MaybeThere are many things I havea house, clothes, and foodBut maybe there are other things
I love, that help my mood
I want to first thank my
Leo spirit, because it’s gotten me far
But a few things I want to
add to my list of thanks might be bizarre

Tommy Fridie

I Stand On
I stand on belief
A hard ground on which a young boy was shot deadand his mother screamed My baby
I stand in a hood where it’s
be about it or turn your back on it
but no one makes it out alive
I stand in the doorway of what your future is made to be
and what you make it
To be or not to be
Believe or don’t believe me
But the world is held on the shouldersof every elder caring for a helpless soul...
I stand here...
Shannell Jones

Maybe I’m thankful for indoor plumbing
or music downloaders on my phone
Maybe I’m thankful for trees and scenesof life, the happiness that stops a groan
Maybe I’m thankful for being a lion
with a pride that helps me stay strong
The list could go on for days in ways
you can’t fathom & will be dazed, but I may
be wrong
I’m grateful for true love,
if it happened often, it wouldn’t be special
I’m grateful for sleep, because onlong days I’m never restful
I’m grateful for those good dreams
that include good things, because I’m gratefulfor all means of great things
Maybe, no, I am thankful
and grateful for things that make me full.
Michael Green52

l-r: Isyah Joyner, Micheal Thornton

Frolicking in school
I’m thankful when I’m headed homeward
to do my homework, which makes me smart,
and what’s happening is Thanksgiving,and days off school.
I’m thankful when the dentist appointment is brief
and for my crown—I’m the Princess of Flowers
and I’m proudly happy,
and happily proud
and laughing at things that are funny!
Danai Corbin

53

Introduction
May I introduce myself:
My heart doesn’t
exist, someone threwa brick at it and it
suddenly was crushed.
Not even hope can comefrom Pandora’s box,
My heart must bethat common carpet
that is always trashedafter so long.
Sometimes crying
can’t mask someone
who’s broken.
They won’t like how
soon they
will be longing to know
the old kid with asmile plastered on her
face.
Let her cry, iswhat everyonesays, but I say
hold it in til
later.
…The hurt can’t
say much, whenthey’re hurt.
Myniah Sweetney

Elijah Hamilton-Todd

Voice
I am the face of the complicated,
the silent, the miniature, the face of the unexpected.
I live to shine, to be great, to conquer.
I believe in the voiceless, I believe in soulless destiny;
I believe in me.
I share my emotions, my thoughts, my inner voice.
My future is distant, yet attainable
but this poem is written for me,
for the voiceless; I listen and put their words on paper
and turn them into reality.
With these voices, dreams, and aspirations
we become the great.
Daizha Chism54

l-r: Trevonne Joyner,
Armani Thornton

I’m invincible
I’m underneath the graves of sorrow;
I’m above you all in the lineup,or call it the pipeline.
I come over you like a shadow
I can’t be touched, I’m like a wildflower
I’m soft on the inside, hard on the outside of the line.
I go behind a door, like a window on a balcony
I come between you like ham and cheese on a Sunday.
Within 5 miles, I’d be there, up
to your level of alignment
when it’s called.
I’m a ghost going through your nightmares
but I’ll be stuck in your mind
like a wishbone, or thoughts and sorrow.
Christina Cook

55

Tamia Moyd

June
Colors bright blind to the eyes of the blandloneliness not even an option
smooth breeze blowing past you
whispering summertime fun ideas to you
A fragrance of happiness brushing past your nostrils
soft laughter along with minor giggles
tickling past your eardrum
a hurricane of rhythmic music blessing your soulThat summertime moonlight shining down bright like diamonds
Even when it’s over, it won’t be forgotten
a breeze full of exotic neon flowers spreading around you like an island
lying in a field of grass, listening to the pitter patter ofthe small animals running and playing
Fascination of the drastic heat but not fully affected
because of the beachMemories with friends and effortless fun
June is the month that I live forDaizha Chism

56

Alienation

l-r: Christa Madikaegbu,
Micheal Thornton, Armani Thornton,
Ethan Atkins

I hate being a human, having no emotions
I hate feeling lava headed
I hate waking up to go to school—Judgers,
just people, get me feeling alienated, unpowered.
I hate guys trying to figure me out
I hate being noticed for nothing
I hate tall boys; they make me sad.
I’d rather be tall as a tree;
It would be lovely to see how it feels to be tall,or powered with love, hate, anything
to make me different.
I’d rather be a publisher, or famous;
I’d rather hibernate than go to school.
I hate when boys act fake around me-I’m a planet, and I have no one to bother me for a week.
I hate school, when students want to get your attention
by being annoying to you.
I’d love to be a shadow;
No one would bother me.
Christina CookLet It Be Life
Throw me down the wishing well of dreams
landing on a pedestal of chili-hot haze;
Take me to a beautiful field of flowers,
ginger-vanilla fragrance in the empty air;
Alive, but departed from the body,
I will look down at my stillness
with a guard so defensive, yet fragile…
I feel unprotected, but protectedby the angel of love and hate,a white-wave whirlwind with alonging hope for kindness,that is misunderstood by
the conscience of anger.
Christina Taylor

57

The Dilemmas in LifeDo I enjoy the delicate lace-filled breeze,
with diamonds for rain and a pearl as the sun,or the broken lightbulb swaying
in the middle of a dark cage-like roomwith a single wilted rose?
Do I accept the mirror of unyielding humiliation,
which howls at dawn to signal mea sign of unwanted despair,or expect mahogany greatness,kindness so sweet, the taste buds
confuse it for bitter
leaving its niceness at the door?
Life has its dilemmas, choices,minds not easily made up,
but easily persuaded,easily stumbled upon by
the world of random ideas.

Nadaisha Wing field

Christina Taylor

The Unmeasurable
The basics of time can be changed
as people move on, how the clock circles
and you begin to fade away.
The immeasurables of love are held by your partner
as you give yourself to them, you feel relief
but also an instant pressure of
how much their passion compares to yours.
The time has come to love the pastas much as you can be passionate for the future.
Love always asks the questions:
How will it work?
What elements play into our relationship?
How can this time and love
be unbroken, but also healed?
Life is measured by loveand the time spent in the world.

58

Remington Crawleyl-r: Micheal Thornton,
James Joyner

Chaos in a world of confusion
You do not have to love me.
You do not have to take care of the connection
we have, for any cause or reason.
You only have to be there, to be there for me
and support the positives in my life.
Tell me about your powerful shadowsand I will reveal mine.
Meanwhile, I’ve been defeated and distant;
I’m sorry I caused so much debate.
Meanwhile, people fall apartand reconnect like a plug and an outlet.
Meanwhile, the chaos and craziness grow andprogress like people in ancient times.
Meanwhile, I try overlook the love crimes
committed through the rapper’s crazy rhymes.
Whoever you love, you always have toremind yourself of all those memories;
Remember that shadow will come out
no matter what kind of light you have.
Let your creations and soul take the darkest moments away.
Do not be conquered bytranquil thoughts and chaotic control freaks—
Just know I will always love you.
Remington Crawley59

I’m Sorry
Arman Thornton

The moment wasn’t right;
I narrow my chances as time flies.
Sitting in a window, you became sorry for yourself.
You thought your ugliness was too muchand your energy was uncalled for.
I’m sorry I sit and ignore the alarmthat says Get over it
and keep pushing snooze.
I’m sorry you want me to remember
but the smoke is too heavy; I can’t see them.
I’m sorry for leaving you invisible for so long.
I’m sorry you have to hold a keychain
with broken emotions, because I wish death—never upon you, but on the hurt.
I’m sorry I appear to be palebut I promise I won’t fail to finish the feelings
you have for me…
I know… I know…
Why am I saying sorry?
Because the moment I don’t, I will be…
I’m sorry.
Shannell Jones60

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Inside back cover, l-r: Armani Thornton, Vincent Wing field, Nadaisha Wing fieldhArtworks
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