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The Wall
The Wonders & Life of Nature
What sweet sound the bird makes high in the sky.
Talking to others as it glides in the carefree zone.
How I wish I could be with birds,
Another language besides English
And to soar in the endless sky of cotton filled with water.
I know of not what it feels like to feel freedom.
All I can see is a never-ending road.
However, I come across many wonders.
Though I am not myself today as I was yesterday,
I have somewhat become one with nature.
With a little more concentration, I can forget about my sickness,
The steel-glass windows,
the tall brick walls of a boxed prison
trapping me from the other side.
Somehow, I feel of regret upon me,
For I haven’t taken the time to unwind and be the trees,
Giants watching over their little ones,
Or the wind and its gracious songs it sings as it carries itself on without a care,
Or even the red clay, staining the outside floor, feeling every movement detected
And an assortment of shapes pressed and made, ready to keep memories alive.
I know everything in nature has its own purpose,
but I prefer the job of a nightingale.
-- Amber Brown, Lithonia High
Wake Me Up [for Darfur]
If I was to wake up
If ... because I may not,
not a right, but a gift.
I wish if so,
that I may find you with a different mindset.
You would acknowledge me and think of me often.
Think of me like you think of some like me,
some like Paris, London, America.
Help me breathe because I would like to survive.
Give me life so I can prosper.
Wake me up so I can see tomorrow.
-- Ndeye Diop, Banneker High
I Try
I try to forget
those images that blur together
that happen all over
I try not to dream
dream about what could have been
if he hadn’t touched me
I try to understand
understand the things I can’t control
make sense of your hateful words
I try to forgive
a father that was never there
that at 17, the last time I saw him I was 8
I try not to hate
that little person who took what was mine
a father that I can’t remember
because of the pain I feel in my weeping heart
I try because that’s all I have as a human being
God has given me strength
but I don’t think I’m strong enough to let go
to set myself free
But a higher power will keep guiding me
guiding me to a better end
and a blessed beginning
-- Veronica Coates, VOX Staff
U WERE A MISTAKE
I met you
liked you
admired you
took you
then loved you
now it’s kind of weird
cuz I dislike you
wish I never met you
can’t stand you
despise you
hate you
And I’m ready to leave you
You were mesmerizing
sweet
kind
loving
Now you’re such trash
I cant believe
you caught my eyes
You had me hypnotized
oh, those sexy eyes
but d@mn you were
so cruel and
had me fooled
You
made me feel like
I was the only one for you
I’m glad my friends were there
to open my eyes
cuz all you did was
fill me with lies
-- Tigest Teshome, Clarkston High
America
America, you have to step your game up It’s time to stop throwing that same lame excuse up
Stop using up our chances
to make advances
to have a better life
and fight for what’s right
fight for equality
between all nationalities
not wars about oil
let’s fight about air pollution
fight out the answer
find the solution
to world pollution
find the answer
so we can cure cancer
stop my family from dying from AIDS
stop sitting around and playing
we can do something about it today
in Africa
my families are killing each other so they can have diamonds galore
America, stop that war
America,
stop being a whore!
For money?
Materialistic things
crowd our vision
of reality
Envisioning,
finer things,
Instead of,
what we can afford
the meager necessities.
We spend our money
on
crap.
People,
love each other.
We’re all sisters and brothers
divided by color
United by the love
we have from one another.
It’s time to step your game up
Time to quit playing
Change your plan up
We have to understand
no one can make it without someone
You need your sisters
And I need my brothers.
-- Michelle K., VOX Girls Group
Take A Stand
Take a Stand Against Fights
I was one,
One of the bystanders
watching the boys fight
Neither one of the boys was doing good
Prince swings and misses,
Jonis swings and misses.
So he’ll swing and hit.
Prince slips and Jonis catches him
Every last one of 25 people there could’ve stopped it.
We all knew what was about to happen as the boy got dropped on his head.
Lookin’ directly at me, he blanked out.
He made me feel guilty.
Jonis gets on top of him and begins to punch him.
That’s when I took a stand.
I ran over there to break it up.
Prince was OK after a while
But he could’ve died.
and the blame would’ve been on us who sat and watched
and didn’t take a stand to stop that fight
I wish teens would take a stand and stop allowing so many fights
Because one day you could be in Prince’s shoes,
wishing someone would come and save you.
-- Octavia Ferguson, Towers High
Society in My Eyes
Society in my eyes
so cruel and brutal
Killings, violence and poverty
So focused on war and politics
But what about the homeless,
The oh-so-many children on the streets,
The undercover segregation,
The poor schools that can’t afford new books
But hey, you don’t see anybody pointing that out
That’s hurtful society in my eyes
Young Mothers
Drug dealers,
Songs that degrade women,
but us young girls still dance to them and not care
Why can’t we come together?
We fight each other
In the white man’s eyes,
Do you know how we look?
You get the picture and it’s not cool.
That’s careless society in my eyes
We want to dominate material stuff
What about being a motivational speaker?
What about running for governor, mayor or president?
What about being a mentor for troubled children?
Sounds good, huh?
Sounds like music to my ears
Things like that make society look beautiful in my eyes
Sisters be your sister’s keeper,
Something that we lack
Want freedom
Want equality
Want the better and finer things in life,
But accomplish them the right way
That’s how society should be, specifically in my eyes
What do you think?
What do you see?
Do you see the false call of war?
The people who are dying because they are not able to afford medication
The decreasing black communities
You tell me
How does society look in your eyes?
-- Kezze, VOX Girls Group
Time
Time is the matter of existence
but existence is a matter of perception.
They say us young people don’t have any perception.
Except when we get older they will make an exception
Who are they?
The government, the politics, the power people.
Still there is only one man that is to God I pray.
To save my perceptions from being taken away.
-- Christopher Bell, Tech High
Terrible Trail
I can’t help that my life is this way
Some things I do, some things I say
My words and my actions
It’s like they get turned around against me
Like I’m turning against myself
It’s all turning out in a terrible way
What’s happening?
And what’s going on?
That’s what I keep asking myself
And then turn around and ask God for help
Some things I can’t speak of
There’s so much to say and so much to tell
My life is ending up on a trouble trail
I don’t want to end up on my way to hell
I don’t want to disobey my momma or the Lord
So much is happening.
It all keeps coming so fast for me.
-- Zedora Seay, VOX Staff
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