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
Anything that speaks to you
Hits a certain nerve within you
Doesn’t solely exist on paper
A song
A dance
A living kind of poetry.
– Jocelyn Thompson, age 16
From the WritersCorps book “Paper Dreams” at International Studies Academy
Poem of the Month: August 2009
Red and very beautiful
With leaves green and holes.
Small and red.
Very good.
I feel such a good sensation in my mouth.
When I eat this fruit I need my mouth
And my teeth.
In my mouth I feel such a good sensation
And satisfaction in my stomach.
I am with my fruit and we are happy.
I can see the fruits in the little trees.
I feel very good because I see my special fruit.
It’s a fruit from many places.
I think Florida.
It’s the special fruit of the universe.
– Zuleyma Santiago, age 15
From the WritersCorps book “Mangos Have No Borders” at Mission High School
Poem of the Month: July 2009
Luminous and pale, it floats over my head,
silver orb. It reflects back to me from the
depths of a puddle at my feet. It casts a ghostly
blue hue to my skin. Streetlight. I know the
difference, flicker and die. Let me see the moon.
– Anna-Mei Myers, age 15
From the WritersCorps book “Paper Dreams” at International Studies Academy
Poem of the Month: June 2009
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
“Tell the World” is a collection of writing by WritersCorps students across the country. With a range of voices and diverse perspectives, “Tell the World” gives an honest glimpse into the lives of young people today. With a foreword by Sherman Alexie, two essays by WritersCorps teachers, and writing prompts, this book shows how poetry can allow us to tell the world who we are, where we’re from, what we love, and why we hope. See why the New York Times recommends “Tell the World.”
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