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

Poem of the Month: March 2010

Love I don’t know how to reject you
When I’m sad you can always comfort me
When I’m happy you make me ecstatic
You stay anywhere
I can find you anytime
Sometimes, you make us lose our reason
I hate you and I appreciate you too
Love, you are candy
You are poison too
I always imagine I can control you, Love
I can control myself
However, that is just my illusion

– Tian Yang (Jessica) Chen, age 18
From the WritersCorps book “Paper Dreams” at International Studies Academy

Poem of the Month: February 2010

I will send to my mother
a behaved daughter
that will always make her happy
so she doesn’t need to be mad anymore.

I will send to my stepfather
a money tree
that will always grow money
so he doesn’t need to work for anyone.

I will send to my two little sisters
a forever childhood
that will never end
so they don’t need to worry about anything.

– Elaine Pau, age 15
From the WritersCorps book “Paper Dreams” at International Studies Academy

Poem of the Month: December 2009

I love my eyes
I can see the sky and my girlfriend.

I can see my way to school
my eyes are black like my mom’s.

Thank my feet
with you I can play soccer
with my feet I can walk to the park
I can run with my feet.

–Saul Garcia, age 15

From the WritersCorps book “Mangos Have No Borders” at Mission High School
Poem of the Month: November 2009

In English my name means everybody’s name
in Spanish it means a long name, my name
it is like a big tree with lots of leaves
it is like the waves changing and changing
and like flowers because as years pass
many people will have my name

– Catherine Morales, age 14

From the WritersCorps book “My Name is To Grow” at Mission High School
Poem of the month: September 2009