The Bedtime Stories the Mirror Told Me

Every night, before I fall into my dreams
I will go to the mirror
The mirror tells me one bedtime story
It’s about me, and I drown in those sweet stories, every time

I see my eyes in the mirror
The mirror told me a story about those eyes
It said my pupils are the dark sky with stars in it
They are the cradle that carries the history of my family

I see my lips in the mirror
The mirror told me a story about those lips
It said, together they are the best gramophone in the world
They sing graceful songs to the children

I see my nose in the mirror
The mirror told me a story about that nose
It said it’s my protector
It feels the joy and fear in the air
Helps me avoid the monster
I love the mirror
The bedtime stories it tells me are the best sleeping pills
I fall into my dreams with its best wish

–Olivia Chen, 16

At a Loss

It’s kind of hard to tell but my words are
Filled with shame
My heart is full of pain and my mind is
Filled with game
Allergic to the sun but deep inside I love the rain
My lifestyle is so attractive
Because of my sins my years subtracted
Stressed out but not depressed not
Many know the difference
Cautious of my surroundings and
The rest is not my business
Sometimes I walk with a hunch but
Not because I’m lazy
It might be because I’m crazy that’s
What momma should have named me but
That’s what the ghetto made me
I just hope nobody blames me
Because I’m not the type to snitch and
I’m not the type to judge
I’m not the type to blame but to
God I hold a grudge because I
Feel so mad and violent
While I pray for peace and Love

–DA

These poems are from forthcoming WritersCorps books by students from Mission High School and Woodside Learning Center, respectively. Books will be available in May 2013.

Poem of the Month: April 2013

I would have never thought I’d have a stalker
I mean, it follows me everywhere when
there’s bright light
it disappears when it starts to get dark…
I don’t know, maybe it’s scared or something
It grows insanely fast like big, tall green trees,
but it also gets short like
really teeny tiny dwarfs
I can never see my shadow’s socks or its shoes
It seems to scream out because it’s tired
of being on the floor and walls
I feel like it’s my guardian angel
My shadow is always with me and always will be
My friendly foe that stalks me is glad to be with me

– Alejandra Ramos, 15
From the WritersCorps 2012 book “Writing Out of the Shadows,” by students at Mission High School.

Poem of the Month: February 2013

I feel most at home in China
You can see people with the same skin as me
And hear Mandarin
The bustle of traffic
Lots of people everywhere
Chinese food
And different kinds of opera
It’s green on both sides of the street
And kids play on the ground
Butterflies free flying surround the flowers
Birds sing to each other
Comparing who’s the best
Fish shuttle back and forth in the river
They have fun in clear water
Little clouds float above the sky
Trees stand on the street, side by side
Like soldiers

– Xiaohui Tan, 17
From the WritersCorps 2012 book “Writing Out of the Shadows,” by students at Mission High School

Poem of the Month: November 2012

Mm mm, pho, I smell it.
Its smell never changes.
I smell beef.
I smell lemon.
I smell chili.
I smell soup and noodles…
I see it, a big bowl of noodles,
a bowl of sorrow
covered with greens,
a big piece of beef, brown and thin.
I cannot wait for the moment.
I want to taste the spicy lemon,
the hot chili, the smoothness of soup.
Everything combined, yump yump yump.
I finished it.
Is there any more pho?

– Kevin Mao
From the WritersCorps 2012 book “Mission Soul Kitchen,” by students at Mission High School

Poem of the Month: October 2012