I am the son of Cuba
where the ships are floating in Cienfuegos Bay
and the people are working hard
to survive their misery.
I am the son of the spring.
I am the beginning of everything
that makes things alive.

I am the son of the lion.
I have the strength to face the problems in this life
without any fear because my father protects me.

I am the son of the water.
My purpose is to satisfy the thirst
of the people who eat sand and darkness.
Many people seek me but they don’t appreciate my favor.

I am the son of San Francisco
where South Van Ness crosses 24th Street,
where many people speak different languages.
I am the noise of the cars
and one old man selling ice cream,
and his voice sounds like a crow without hope.

I am history’s child,
the wind over the Island of Cuba.

– Dainiel Jimenez

From a WritersCorps publication at Mission High School, and from “Tell the World,” published by HarperCollins.

Poem of the Month: November 2007

Creative Writing Exercises for Diverse Communities, Grades 6-12
Edited by Judith Tannenbaum and Valerie Chow Bush

At last, a collection of tested lesson plans created by WritersCorps now available for sale. Jump Write In! represents more than ten years of creative writing exercises with great model poems by WritersCorps youth. “This book provides powerful material for every teacher’s toolbox.” — Herb Kohl, author, teacher and director, Institute for Social Justice and Education

I am Saturday of every week
which makes people happy and relaxed.
Like the glasses I help
the people who have myopia.

My real name is Market Street
with many stores
to make people’s lives colorful.

As the sunshine
I bring brightness to the earth.
I am an ocean
covering 75% of the world.

Call me the red of everyone’s heart.

My real name is a dog
to accompany every lonely person.

As the winter of the year
I make the world white and neat.
Call me an ice cream
to make people feel cool
during the hot summer.

Like the grasses
I embellish the whole forest.
I am the whole of the world.

– Heki Zhao, 16

From the WritersCorps anthology “Solid Ground”
Poem of the Month: July 2007

Family is like
the harbor
where ships can take a rest.

– Jialie Liu, 16

From the WritersCorps anthology “Solid Ground”
Poem of the Month: June 2007

I am the wind
that blows your window curtains
apart, the wind that blows the leaves
off the trees and onto the dry grass.

I am that wind!

I can be gentle
or mad, but no matter what,
I am still that wind.
When I am gentle, I blow
not even an ant,
but when I’m mad, I shatter everything.

I am the wind!

I can mix
with water
to become hurricane
and after, nothing but rain.
I am the rain
going away
as the summer comes.

But I’ll be back.
I will be born from rivers, lakes, and oceans.
I am that rain.

– Anthony Mejia, 13

From the WritersCorps anthology “Solid Ground”
Poem of the Month: May 2007