a day at a glance—
clutched in one fist

crumpled
inside a pocket
a clock unfolded

this flimsy bit of newsprint
curled up on a rattling seat

a sleep traveler
by the window

an hour slips through the cracks

Proof of payment lets us
Move in any direction
Until time indicated

–Annie Yu, age 20
From the WritersCorps book “My Name is a Book of Lives” at San Francisco Main Public Library

My grandmother is the stars in the night sky
Shining brightly.
Directing its light to those who are in the dark.
She is the mountain that protects the valleys below
Even if there are rockslides once in a while.
She is a woman who is a thunderstorm when she is angry
And a nice summer day when she is happy.

– Nathalie Guillen, age 11

From the WritersCorps book “My Name is a Book of Lives” at the San Francsico Main Library
Poem of the Month: May 2009

The #30 bus on Stockton street
Stops suddenly
launches my sister and I forward
towards the crowded doors
we jump off the bus
dodging the elderly Chinese ladies
who walk slowly across the street
their backs hunched
hands burdened
with red plastic bags of fresh fish and ripe fruit

for an afternoon snack
I like to peel oranges
ripe flesh is easily torn away
the sticky sweet juice fills my mouth
clings to my fingers

my mother buys pineapple buns for lunch
they are plump and topped with a flaky golden crust
with only a slight resemblance to a pineapple’s skin
its crumbs fall into my lap as I eat

my sister and I run down the streets on Saturdays
on the way to dance class
mirrors echo us as we warm up at the barre
I suck in my tummy and stretch my legs
The chatter of girl giggles collapses
as we sink into the first position

I flail my arms like the fluttering of red fans
the way we leap up and hit the dusty floor
cracks like the snap of children’s firecrackers
striking the narrow sidewalks

real firecrackers burst through the sky
sparks flower into the night
what remains
wind pulls remnants of red paper
into the bakery’s doors

– Annie Yu, 18

From “Tell the World,” published by HarperCollins