Yes I’ve been beat and
Yes I’ve been sad
Yes I’ve been taunted and
Yes I’ve been mad
But like a single star twinkling in the middle of loss
I shine
Like a hint of light through the fog and the rain
I shine
Through the pain of lost love
Through the sorrow of a broken home
I shine
Like a full moon bursting with bright in a pitch black sky
I shine
I shine
I shine

– Patricia Duarte, 17
From the WritersCorps 2012 book “Half Belly, Half Heart” by students at Hilltop School

Poem of the Month: August 2012

Four cups of determination
Eight pounds of perseverance
Twelve slices of loyalty
Sixteen ounces of reason
Twenty pints of understanding
Twenty-four sprinkled bits of love
Combine your dignity with your self-respect
And stir gently.

– DL

From “Words Within the Walls: Voices from Youth in the Juvenile Justice Center”

Poem of the Month: September 2011

I am INTP
Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving
I have trouble with strangers
Inside this mess of a human being is a dying child

On the Enneagram, I’m Type 6
Otherwise known as the Loyalist
Occasionally, I may have random bursts of paranoia
Openly mistrustful of authorities of power

Unfortunately, I’m also a high school student
Unethical, unappreciative, downright ugly
Up and about and always whining
Usurper of all that is well

Knowing this isn’t all true is quite satisfying
Kindle the true to bring light to the things that are not
Kinetic energy almost works like this
Kind of, in a way, since you’re in motion with only the energy you’ve got

– Hong Truong, 16

From the 2011 chapbook “Robots Are Funny,” by Hong Truong, WritersCorps Apprentice Program

Poem of the Month: August 2011