More photos of fruit taken by our students at Mission High School. Beautiful! To see this set on flickr, go here.

WritersCorps artist-in-residence Katharine Gin visited Cindy Je’s class at Mission High School on February 21, 2008 to teach students photography. As you can see, their work bore fruit. To see these photos on flickr, go here.

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

Thank you
for allowing me to see
clearly and without difficulty
You help to distinguish me from everyone else.
You give me something to
take care of, and keep clean,
as if I was caring for a child.
You bring out the beauty of
the mountains and trees.
You sharpen the color of the flowers
and sky, of the fire and water,
the pink cherry blossoms falling from the tree
at the corner of the block,
the red ketchup stain on my favorite white sweater
after eating dad’s homemade hot dogs,
the darkness invading the sky
during a thunderstorm,
the jade bracelet around my grandma’s wrist.
My glasses,
you wait for me every morning
when I wake up,
in the case next to my pillow,
always there when I need you.
Thank you.

– David Nguyen, 14

From a WritersCorps publication at Mission High School
Poem of the Month: November 2006