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 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

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

Ya’ll know what I hate?
I hate when people look me in my face
And say, I know what you’re going through
When really
They don’t know what it’s like
To watch your mom take her works in the bathroom
And shoot up the dinner

Shh. Yo, ya’ll hear that?
Yo, that’s my mom’s mind slowly going crazy
As the dope races through her veins
Cracking open beer cans
Hearing shit that ain’t even there

Oh yeah, Pops? He was barely around
Hitting licks to support his habit
It seemed like
23-hour lockdown was his destiny

The pen became his home
No phone calls home just
Short letters of reassurance that he’d be back soon

Ya’ll know what I really hated?
I hated having to hear the lighters flick
Smelling the crack burning, the pipes
Seeing pieces of brillo pad laying on the floor, next to the broken wire hangers

I hated having to watch my sisters grind up on the block
Just to put food in our mouths
I hated having to wear the same panties for week or
None at all
Having to heat water on a stove to take a hot bath
Or wash our dirty clothes in the bathtub

Tell me.
How much would it hurt you to have to watch your mom hand you over to a stranger
So you wouldn’t have to sleep in the rain that night?
It’s like having your childhood ripped from your rib cage
Like swallowing pneumonia and your throat closes up

The funny thing is that those were the best times of our lives
Sleeping in vacant cars and
Still waking up the next day with a smile on our face
You see the material things never mattered to us
We just wanted to live until the next day

And you know what?
The judges can keep their scores
‘Cause the numbers can’t reflect what I’ve been though
Not even this piece can define me

What you don’t know is
Even with the pain of going to sleep some nights on an empty stomach
Mommy always made sure the dining room overflowed with Christmas gifts on Christmas morning

Even with pipe to lips
Beer to hand
Ear to wall
She always found time to be my mother
And teach me anything worth having was worth working for

So you see?
I don’t need pity
I just need you all to help me finish this piece ‘cause
The rest is still unwritten

– Antoinette Osborne

This poem is featured in the exhibition This Place Called Poetry.

Yo soy nicoya
con mis memorias
te contare la historia
de mi gente
trabajadora y decente
que lleva en la mente
siempre ir hacia al frente

Muchos pinoleros
dejaron nuestra tierra
buscando la manera
de brillar en su carrera
otros huyeron de la Guerra
y la miseria
refugieándose bajo la bandera
de las barras y las estrellas
tratando de olvidar todas sus tragedias

Aunque digan que estoy loco
que me patina el coco
yo no me desenfoco
y sigo poco a poco
tu conciencia te toco
por eso yo te pido no dejes
en el olvido a tu suelo querido

No importa la posición social
aquí todos debemos ser igual
que si estoy lleno de cal
o si visto traje casual
si me baño en un manantial
o solo tengo agua de sal
hoy busco lo que es real

y salirme del mundo artificial
una nueva vida comenzar
sin olvidar ningún familiar
en aquel hogar que deje atras

Recuerdo los amigos, la familía,
los besos en la mejilla
los paseos con mi tía
y hasta la vende tortilla
los juegos en armonía
seguido por una dulce sandia
y mis padres pensando en el pan de cada día
preocupados por el trabajo y el dolor en las costillas
asi pasaron tres años entre sueños y pesadillas

La corrupción y la traición
agarrados de la mano acaban con mi nación
los presidentes creen que la gente son sus juguetes
y llenan su expediente de engaño hacia los creyentes
entonces miro a los niños inocentes que viven como indigentes
no tienen ropa decente, bien sucio de la frente y algunos hasta sin dientes

Los poderosos hablan de sinceridad
para ganar mas popularidad
pero al hora de la verdad
se olvidan de la realidad
aunque en nuestra actualidad
no es ninguna casualidad
que el pueblo supero cualquier calamidad
pues estamos llenos de amabilidad
y poniendo aparte toda la maldad
tenemos la seguridad
que nuestro trabajo es de calidad
y con toda tranquilidad
forjaremos una tierra de estabilidad

History

I am Nicoya
from my memories
I’ll tell you the history
of my people
hard-working and decent
who knew how to keep moving forward

Many pinoleros
left our land
seeking a way
to succeed in their careers
Others fled war
and misery
found refuge under
the star-spangled banner
and tried to forget their tragedies

Even if they say I’m crazy
that I have a screw loose
I don’t loose focus
I keep on, little by little
Your conscience I reach
That’s why I ask,
don’t forget your beloved foundation

Social position doesn’t matter
Here everyone is equal
If I’m covered in soot
or dressed in business casual
If I bathe in a tiled shower
or only have salt water
Today I seek what is real

I step away from the artificial world
A new life begins
without forgetting my family
or the home I left behind

I remember friends and family
kisses on cheek
the outing with my aunt
Even the tortilla stand
and the games played in harmony

Followed by sweet watermelon
while my parents thought about our daily bread
preoccupied with their jobs and the pain in their ribs
Like this they spent three years between dreams and nightmares

Corruption and treason
hold hands to undo my nation
Presidents think the people are toys
and fill their speeches with deceit towards the believers
Then I see innocent children who live like beggars
They don’t have decent clothes, their foreheads are dirty, some without teeth

The powerful speak of sincerity
to gain more popularity
But in the hour of truth
they forget reality
In actuality
it’s not a casualty
that our people survive all calamities

We are full of humanity
And putting aside all cruelty
we can be confident
that our job is quality
And with some tranquility
we will achieve stability.

– Jorge Aburto

This poem is featured in the exhibition This Place Called Poetry.