Jayden: Beauty

Beauty.

The drug that I couldn’t stop taking

The tears that rolled down my face as I looked in the mirror

As what society depicted as my scars

The mask I didn’t want to take off because I was frightened by

The opinion of others

My mind turned numb as I sunk

To the bottom of the sea full of the salty tears I cried

Growing up thinking that beauty is what I had to have in order to be worth something in this world.

Thinking needles, bandages, and weaves could fix everything.

Cause beauty is pain,

Right?

Since my scars werent beautiful, I covered them up.

I thought the tears would stop rolling.

But they didn’t.

I used to dream about prince charming rescuing me from my nightmares

And filling my black skies with bright and shiny stars

But when I woke up,

The tears were still rolling

Sooner or later..

I had cried all of the tears out of me and numbed my brain down

To the point, where I felt nothing

I once thought I was a princess, tiaras and all. But as time passed,

I realized that I don’t need to be one.

Jayden

The star athlete

The girl who can break it down

It took me 12 years

a sea full of tears,

A couple crushed dreams and tiaras

My life is like walking on a tightrope,

Its frightening until you reach the end

Where success comes in your favor

Beauty

The drug that can heal or harm.

Braun's Poem: I am Home

I AM HOME

My first, memories were when I walked into a four

floor townhouse across from a solider field.

My feet making making a pitter-patter sound on

The cold bare floor.

I still remember the warm feeling of being a four

Year old in a new place.

That feeling you get when your parents tell you

That your bedroom was on the top floor with your

Own bed, and a beautiful view of the city.

That feeling when you realize how lucky you are.

I am home

I remember my parents driving into the 6ft 4 garage

With my new sister in my mom’s arms.

I remember running up the stairs plowing through the

Crowd of people telling them that my sister is here.

I found out that most of the time they like to cry, eat,

And sleep.

But that didn’t stop me from trying to play toy trains

With her, for years until I realized that girls mostly

Played with dolls and princesses.

I am home

Four years later my mom is in the ER about to have

Her fourth.

Both my sisters are in the hall playin’ princesses and

I’m outside wondering if I’ll get another sister or a

Brother.

I go to get a bite to eat, and 15 minutes later my dad

Walks up and says the baby is born.

A few minutes later I got to hold my baby brother

In my own arms, holding his hands which were as

Small as a pumpkin seed.

I am content.

I am home

I was homeschooled all my life until now.

My parents had decided to send me to public school,

Cause gettin’ good grades would get me into a good

High school.

My family dropped me off and I walked inside to class

Only to see that it seemed like world war three

Inside, I was scared to walk in, scared for my

Current, and future self.

Now I wake up at 6:15 every morning and go to

School with pride.

The trees seem full of joy, unlike they used to.

Lookin’ back I see what I’ve gone through to get to

This moment, and I smile because it’s no small victory

And I realize that I can get Past this, because I am

Confident.

I am home

Nigel's Poem: Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes for eternity waits,

Like a cobra in the grass.

Heaven will open their gates,

Been 10 years still, waiting for time to pass.

I'm at paradise waves aren’t rough,

A tiny tsunami hits with a roar.

Seems those tour guides were bluff,

The city is smashed with the hammer from thor.

At the United Center, seconds left on the clock,

Jimmy drives to the bucket the defender is crossed.

The Ref’s make a decision with bad eyes like a hawk,

The shot clock sounds ERR, we lost.

In school so bored I might fall out,

Teacher reading like a turtle so very slow.

We got a test, man  I wanted to shout,

Millions of questions I didn’t even know.

But it's not upon me to decide my luck,

It's the universe to decide our fates.

But I still believe I haven’t been struck,

Open Your Eyes for eternity waits.

Malayjah's Poem: The Struggles

The struggle

1 out of 13 takes the fall, the oldest

Yet she’s only 13

13 and has so many responsibility and

people counting on her.

Have straight A’s, Play like Maya

Watch over the kids

Marry poppins

Clean the house

Cinderella

But they don't understand

How steep the mountain is you have to climb to go

From an B student to a A student

The practice and time that you must put into

“Shake em out they shoes” onna court

They don't get how hard it is…

Everything was sacrificed for me so i have to be the best i can,

But it's so hard

My mom

She gave up her childhood to raise me and my dad

He gave up his whole life of playing ball for me

So how am i supposed to make it up to them?

I just pray i can make it right..

For them

I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if i didn't make them proud

I can see the look of disappointment in their eyes if i fail

I can feel the walls closing in on me whenever i mess up

They don't understand how hard it is

To make someone proud

They don't understand

The struggle

Sidney's Poem: Nnae=Brother

Nnae I love you

Love

One word, one syllable, one meaning

Love

An intense feeling of deep affection

Love

What I feel for you

Nnae from the day you were conceived you were my everything

From the minute that you breath the same air in my lungs

Said the same words on my tongue

you were the death of me

But now you’re growing up

Starting school soon

Three different more summers

And three different more months June

So it’s time you know

It’s time you know why every time you come home

Believing that you will see your sister

you find out she’s not there

It’s time you know why you only see me every other weekend

Why when you look around

I’m not there

Nnae,

I’m sorry I put you through so much pain

Everytime I leave

you cry

Not pretty tears like the ones in the movies

Or the Tv shows

Or the Commercials

No, big warm salty droplets of rain falling down each side of your cheek

as you screech at the top of your lungs

The ones that breath the same air as mine

And the lips the fold into words that rest on your tongue

Leaving you is like leaving the sun

Stark

Dark

Scary as hell

But staying with you and watching you grow is like calming hug to my soul

Nnae,

Before you were born even the you were my everything I hated you

Mad that I wouldn’t be my dad’s only child

Scared you would take my place in my dad’s heart

....but now I can’t imagine life without you

When I feel blue

You’re there

Already knocking on my bedroom door

Bathroom door

Closet door

And the door in my heart

Scared?

Nnae I’m scared

Scared that you will grow up not really thinking I’m your sister,

Scared that you won’t see me as apart of your life

Family

World

Scared that you won’t love me

Nnae I love you

Love

eight words, 1 syllable, one meaning

Love

An intense feeling of deep affection

Love

What I feel for you