WORDS UNLOCKED

ANTHOLOGY
2013

RICHARD ROSS, WWW.JUVENILE-IN-JUSTICE.COM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Winning Poems

1st Place
Hells Angel 9

2nd Place
Dear You 10
Untitled 11
Nothings Respite From a Land That Never Was 12
Black White I am Both 14
The Meek and Humble Shall Inherit This Earth 16

3rd Place
A Place Called Home 17
As the Grass Grows 18
Tell Me About Me 20
Sun Up to Sun Down 21
Split Personality - 22

Popular Vote
Lost - 24

CEEAS Choice
Overcome - 25

Chapter 2: Consortium Poems

Arkansas - 27
Delaware - 28
Florida - 32
Idaho - 38
Indiana - 45
Missouri - 47
New York - 48
Oklahoma - 53
Oregon - 54
Texas - 55
Utah - 61

Chapter 3: Additional State Poems

Alaska - 63
California - 64
Colorado - 68
Connecticut - 69
District of Columbia - 70
Illinois - 73
Kansas - 74
Kentucky - 76
Maryland - 77
Massachusetts - 79
New Jersey - 80
North Carolina - 82
Ohio - 84
Pennsylvania - 89
Tennessee - 92
Virginia - 93
Washington - 96
Wisconsin - 97

ii

 2013 Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings

2013 Edition
All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only and may not be re-sold to others. No part of this
book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior
permission of the publisher (except for educational purposes or by
reviewers who may quote brief passages).Thank you for
respecting the hard work of these poets.

iii

Dedication

Far too many young people are locked up around the country.
By sponsoring a nationwide poetry initiative for detained and incarcerated youth, and by publishing an
anthology of their writing, we have made sure that their words are not.
This book is dedicated to all of the young people in juvenile facilities who had the courage to reflect on
their lives and to share their feelings by participating in Words Unlocked.
Their poems offer a candid, revealing glimpse of what the authors have experienced and are
experiencingat home, in the streets, in detention centers. Through poetry they have shared their
hopes and dreams, their fears and anger, and regrets.
We hope that you, the readers, will respond to the poems with the same level of conviction that our
students demonstrated in writing them. We hope you will join us as we work to provide incarcerated
youth with access to educational programs that will help them develop the skills they need to be
successful in school and to lead fulfilling, productive lives when they are released.

David Domenici
June 2013

iv

These poems represent more than talent, they represent a struggle

that these young people are playing out on the page. Through
these poems, and the process of writing, these students are, in
part, working out what it means to be alive in the world and to have
experienced the troubles they have experienced. More than that,
this eBook means that someone cares about these students and
through that dual process, the students working things out on the
page, their supporters acknowledging their work and nurturing it,
we find the seeds of a future vibrant with hope.

R. DWAYNE BETTS, POET AND AUTHOR OF A Question of Freedom: A

Memoir of Learning, Survival, and Coming of Age in Prison,WAS
ONE OF THE LEAD JUDGES IN THE WORDS UNLOCKED POETRY
COMPETITION.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Richard Ross granted us permission to use selected photos from

his jarring collection Juvenile-in-Justice, documenting conditions
inside youth detention centers around the country. Thank you,
Richard. We look forward to working with you again in the future.
Our judges, Bryonn Bain, R. Dwayne Betts, John S. Blake, and
Chelsea Clinton, took on the difficult task of selecting the winners
of our national poetry contest. They also provided personal notes
and comments to many of the participants. Thank you, judges.
Your engagement increased public awareness and showed the
student poets that their words matter.
Kevin Coval and Jamila Woods, artists working with Young
Chicago Authors, recorded the audio versions of the poems in this
eBook. Adam Peindl was the sound engineer, working out of
donated recording space at WBEZs studio. Thank you to our
friends in Chicago for giving a voice to our students and their
poems.
Kat Crawford and Christy Sampson-Kelly disseminated theWords
Unlocked curricular units, administered the contest and provided
technical support to teachers within juvenile correctional facilities.
Arthur Evenchik, a member of the CEEAS advisory board, oversaw
the publication process. Thank you each for your tireless efforts,
which helped shape this anthology into the authentic and truly
powerful document that it is.
Hundreds of teachers, many working in trying conditions, made
the Words Unlocked initiative come alive in classrooms across the
country. Thank you for encouraging thousands of incarcerated
teens to write and express themselves through Words Unlocked.

vi

ABOUT THE POEMS IN THIS ANTHOLOGY

All of the poems in this anthology were submitted by students being held in secure
youth facilities around the country.The poems were selected by a team of volunteer
judges who narrowed over 1,000 poems down to the 75 in this anthology. The First
Place and Second Place poems were selected by our final judges. The Popular
poem was selected by an online vote and the CEEAS Choice poem was randomly
chosen from all submitted poems. The remainder of the poems are presented by
state. First, we have listed poems from a consortium of eleven state juvenile justice
agencies with which CEEAS works most closely: Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho,
Indiana, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. Afterward, we
have included poems from students held in other states from around the country.

vii

WINNING POEMS

RICHARD ROSS, WWW.JUVENILE-IN-JUSTICE.COM

FIRST PLACE
Hells Angel
Not all angels go to heaven.
Sometimes angels go to hell.
I know this, cuz I watched you slip.
And loaded your pipe as you fell.
I didnt realize at the time,
How hard youd hit your head.
His radar tracked her damaged soul,
And led her to his bed.
But she was young, and vulnerable.
And he was thirty-six.
Heart wrapped in crystal smoke ribbons,
She laid a kiss upon the devils lips.
Come, embrace this invitation,
To a wonderland of sin.
I told the devil, No,
He held a gun to my head!
Pumped that fire through her veins,
And laughed when she cried,
And all too soon, our dream
Became a real hell-ride.
Escape did come,
But in a blur.
Escape for me,
But not for her.
Sex is now her occupation,
Love is just a game.
The gears, they keep on turning,
But theyre bound to grind away.
And this girl, that I helped ruin,
Still hides the scars beneath her lingerie
Poet: Brianna
Facility: Three Lakes High School, Albany, ORD

SECOND PLACE
Dear You
Dear Xanax bars,
Please take me to Mars,
Where I dont have to do a thing for
KLONDIKE BARS!
Dear Spoon,
Will you take me to the moon?
Turn this filthy world into a cartoon?
Dear Dope,
You fill me with hope
Have me wrapped around your finger
Tied with a rope.
Dear Me,
Is this who you really want to be?
Locked into drugs
With no key?
Poet: Alina
Facility: Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center, Urbana, IL

10

SECOND PLACE
Untitled
As Im thinkin for a second
My life is not perfected
My life is kinda hectic
But I dont know what wrecked it
Its probably my mom doing drugs when I was younger
The stuff that she had snorted in front of me and my brothers
She needed a needle when we had needed a mother
And then she got the nerve to ask us why we dont love her?
I think its crazy
How she callin me her baby
When lately
She hasnt been around to see me grow and changing
It kinda broke my heart
When I look back at the start
Man I turned the things to light when everything turned to dark
So now they call me Marc,
hope they remember my name
Cuz once Im up in the game
Its never gonna be the same
So I sit back and kinda thank my mom for what she did
Cuz I got the lyrics of an adult but Im still just a kid
Poet: Marc
Facility: Minard E. Hulse Juvenile Detention Center, Vernon Hills, IL

11

SECOND PLACE
Nothings Respite
From a Land That Never Was
I wish my parents could see,
The cause of all these changes in me
Is the ignition point of my family tree.
I wish my sisters could know,
The reason why my reaction is slow
Is because I grew on my very own bough.
I wish my family could see,
That all these changes werent meant for me,
And just like the child I intended to be,
Im chained to the abyss, and Im not sure,
About whether or not I even want to be free.
Because I know no matter how much I try to flee,
All these chains and shackles keep restraining me.
For Im not the silver seraph, Im not the one with the key.
My wings rusted away so many years ago,
Silver doesnt fare well with my wet tears flow,
But the winds of change decided with fate, so
Im so sorry Im gone, Im so sorry Im dead.
I tried to go places no ones dared to tread.
I went to purgatory to fix myself, but I fell
All the way down to the last pit of hell.
As I was sitting waist deep in ice-cold fire,
My rage flowed into this bright red pyre,
And tossed my soul away like a worn-out tire.
So now that Im a demon with horns and all,
I can hear that dark wolf resound its call.
An angel flew down and gave me some mercy,
But all I did in return, was take its glowing soul,

12

My rage was burning inside, like an ember sea.

My heart turned cold as such is the toll,
For drinking innocence like emerald tea.
But as it beat its lust, it threw some pity,
And sent me a girl who wasnt used to hell city.
I couldnt take her warmth for my own loves forlorn,
Dear God save me, Im a glitch, I wasnt meant to be born.
My very mind, my soul, even my body is torn.
I cant go back to the light, happiness is just too foreign.

Oh no, Ive left them all on their own, all scrying*,

Because they see what I am, all those who are crying,
My leather wings let loose, in my moments of dying.
Heavens wrath returned, Hells fury incurred,
I betrayed them both: the light and the dark.
As I apologize to her, my words are all slurred,
Im taken by the beauty of her angelic wings.
Theyre beautiful and bright, and colorful like a bird.
She changed my un-life, made me a phantom,
She took off my mask, in return for one,
She hid me away, off into the opera,
Now I write from another prison, for my precious Christine.

Poet: Conan
Facility: Pinellas Juvenile Detention Center, Clearwater, FL

*The word scrying is the present participle of scry, which means to foretell the future using a crystal ball or
other reflective object or surface.

13

SECOND PLACE
Black White I am Both
black white I am both
oppressed but free
bound to be an outcast
black white I am both
look into the mirror
was up my nigga
Im proud of you
am I wrong for loving myself
black white I am both
I speak two languages
both English but both different
slang, hip-hop, shackles, bullets
the streets
business, college, caucasian, country
black white I am both
I am to be judged by both
cultures
why do I speak proper, why
do I live life in a beat
look into the mirror I bet
you see color
but black white I am both
ink on my skin
fashion designers matter
Polo, Lacoste, Levi, Trus
but I enjoy books, absorbing
knowledge, poetry, math
black white I am both
I cry as you do I bleed
as you do
I fight as you do I
run as you do

14

Im used to the names

its sad that they come
from both sides
Im not white enough not
black enough
but black white I am both

Poet: Marcus
Facility: Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School, Parkville, MD

15

SECOND PLACE
The Meek and Humble Shall Inherit This Earth
In night-filled alleys
Where rats scurry
over broken glass
You find her
The queen
Strung out
naked
blanketed only by stars
raped by life
scrubbed clean
till bones show
her limp body lies
mother earth comforts her
whispering sweet nothings
that sound like something
when you want them to
need them to
police drive upon her with midnight stares
they look at her
that prevalent object
just sprawling there
knights in shadows match their stare
young men
rejected citizenship elsewhere
stand in her defense
with 45s
knives
bottles
bricks
& souls as shields.
Tonight they lay their lives to rest
for these streets are our kingdom
59th street
Poet: Angel
Facility: Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative H.S., Chicago, IL

16

THIRD PLACE
A Place Called Home
The fog descends upon us
Wrapping us in a quilt
Of white felt,
The warm summer rain
Washes you away,
Showing old wheat fields
Hunched over from the breeze,
While the wind blows leaves
That is beautiful to see,
The crunch of gravel
As cars travel,
Make a symphony
For the city,
Then night comes
With brilliant stars
Piercing windows
From afar,
Constellations from the Milky Way
Leave when its time
For a new day.

Poet: Nathan
Facility: Chesterfield Juvenile Detention Home School, Chesterfield, VA

17

THIRD PLACE
As the Grass Grows
As the grass grows
a clock ticks
The earth spins
A little boy becomes a man
God holds the world in His hand
As the grass grows
Gunshots in the midst of a city
A little boy sucking at his mothers breast grows to bust Simis Bang Bang!
As the grass grows
A young girl becomes a victim of rape and filled with hate so deep
She thinks chuck this purse
grab a skirt and hit the streets
For somethin to eat
Sellin her body for a meal or a couple of bills
As the grass grows
A mother on welfare with several kids strung out on heroin
Applies for a job that shell never get
As the grass grows
A bomb explodes and new orphans feel an orphanage home
As the grass grows
Another baby aborted
As the grass grows
A loving father loses his kids in a divorce
A 90-year-old woman loses the love of her life in the middle of the night
A child starves in a country hungry for life
It can only be so long until that AIDS-infected teen spreads her disease
out of a love she thought was deep
But he left her on her knees for another chick then another
as the cycle repeats in the mirror
over and over again
Im not scared as he puts the rope around his head
Stepping off the chair with a note that reads
I love Jimmy and if being gay is wrong in life then I want to be dead.
18

As the grass grows

You never see growing grass as a ticking time bomb.
You never bend down and say this strand of grass
Was an airplane crash
Or this football field is a graveyard
But as time continues our planet accepts disaster,
We fall deeper in sin than we began
and become victims of our own demise.
So be aware as we laugh and smile pretending life is chocolate and flowers.
Under your eyes and beneath your feet the grass continues growing
And disaster continues to peak.
As the grass grows

Poet: Stephen
Facility: Hope Partnership at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility,
Woodburn, OR

19

THIRD PLACE
Tell Me About Me
Tell me why I feel abandoned
When I abandoned you
Tell me how Im honest
When I dont know the truth
Tell me why I sit in darkness
When I could be in the light
Tell me how Im such a fighter
When I dont know how to fight
Tell me why I write so much
When I have nothing to say
Tell me how Im always fine
When nothing is okay
Tell me why I want to walk
When I have nowhere to go
Tell me how I am so high
When I feel so very low
Tell me why I run away
When I have nothing to run from
Tell me how Im still alive
When I make myself so numb
You cant tell me can you
No one knows me like I do
Tell me how that can be true
When I dont know as well as you
Poet: Angie
Facility: Three Lakes High School, Albany, OR

20

THIRD PLACE
Sun Up to Sun Down
From sun up to sun down I think about how Im doing 8 to 9.
I sit in my cell and pray to God that I ignore negativity so I wont catch time.
I think about the situation I put my parents through and all the money they
spent when they could have spent the money on the loans they signed.
As day by day goes by I hear and see the same people eating nasty food and
going to school all year round. I wish I could have changed my mind.
I sit in my cell and think of that one girl, the one that hugged and kissed me
all the time.
I wish I could go back in time to realign my mind.
I sit in my cell and think about how my life would be like if I havent
committed a crime.
So now you see, Im doing 8 to 9.

Poet: Timmy
Facility: St. Johns Juvenile Correctional Facility, St. Augustine, FL

21

THIRD PLACE
Split Personality
Im the girl dazed and confused
Im the girl wearing rotten shoes
Im the work whos Always on the news
Im the girl that smells like booze
Im the girl Askin' for a Dollar or two
Im the girl thats lying to you
Im the girl skipping to her own tune
Im the girl who loves to make a Mess
Im the girl with Tracks on her neck
Im the girl who steals with no regret
Im the girl everyone says doesnt care
Im the girl with bugs in her hair
Im the girl who sleeps under the bridge
Im the girl using Dirty rigs
Im the girl who screws fellows for a fix
Im the girl deep down in the Mix
Im the girl who needs to shower
Im the girl dopesick in the early hours
Im the girl flying a sign on the corner
Im the girl in line at the soup kitchen
Im the girl everyone thinks is a bitch
Im the girl domestically beaten
Im the girl without feelings
Im the girl daddy gave up on
Im the girl whose lifes like a rerun
Im the girl stuck in this place
Im the girl people say cant change
Im the girl waiting for the next train
Im the girl, fingers stained with nicotine
Im the girl whose life feels like a dream
Im the girl singing for spare change
Im the girl who has no shoes on my feet
But Im Also A girl who wants to.
Achieve her goals
Grow strong and move forward
Earn back some Respect and Quit the dope be Able to look myself in the eyes
Do something and fail,
but be able to say that I Tried
22

Learn from my mistakes

get educated, use my Brain
Quit hurting my body and get healthy Again
Overcome the streets, And one day own a home
break these chains off and make my life my own
feel secure And safe in my skin once more
wants to stop causing her loved ones harm
wake up and not wish I was dead one day
work through and recover from the strife and pain
believe in myself, end the destructive cycle Ive made
Treat myself with dignity and be the girl
Everyone knows I was born to be.

Poet: Angel
Facility: Three Lakes High School, Albany, OR

23

POPULAR VOTE
Lost
How do I do it?
Ask me twice more
There aint nothing to it
Passin out on the floor
I see spots in my eyes
Im still doing more
Ima die in the sky
The drugs plug my eyes
From the tears of my actions
All the stuff Ive done
Proves a soul is what Im lacking
Ive been going hard all my life
There aint no going back
They say I have to change
And Ill say Im scared of that
Whats life for, whats the point?
I cant even smile less Im rolling up a joint
My girl says the same
That my souls to blame
What kind of person does the things I do?
I can say I dont have a clue
Ive lost it all from money, family, and freedom
My words wont even register to some
Because my life has been a kind of 1
So dont worry about me
Im trying to see that my futures full of misery
But the scary thing is it aint a thing to me
Thats why I sold my soul
So these things dont bother me
Poet: Hunter
Facility: Juniper Hills High School, Nampa, ID

24

CEEAS CHOICE
Overcome
I believe
That a fallen angel
Can be forgiven,
That the pain in the world
Can be healed.
Whos to say
That a broken heart
Cant be stitched?
And that love
Wont one day be more common than hate?
Be strong,
And I believe
One day
This world
May overcome.
Tears may fall
Along this journey,
But in the end,
Itll all be worth the while.
So once again:
Overcome.
Poet: Maria
Facility: Silver Lake Treatment Center, Middletown, DE

25

CONSORTIUM POEMS

RICHARD ROSS, WWW.JUVENILE-IN-JUSTICE.COM

ARKANSAS
My Life
Ive done wrong I must pay
living in my cell
not knowing if its night or day
Ive lost everything that has
ever meant N-E thing to me
Ive hit the bottom and did
not want to live you see
Ive lived a life of drugs
and so much pain
the only way I didnt hurt
was by putting dope
in my veins
then one day I got caught
and put in jail
crying and screaming as if I
was in hell
I had nowhere to go
and nowhere to turn
So then I picked up the Bible
and my heart began to burn
is this what Ive been missing
all my life
caught up in drugs and living
on a knife
Ive awakened now there is
so much to see
by reading the Word of God
I can better understand me
thank you Lord for calling on
me
you have opened my mind and
set me free.
Poet: B. W.
Facility: Arkansas Consolidated High School, Alexander, AR

27

DELAWARE
Change Up Part III
Im done doing things wrong.
I need to do whats right.
Im waiting for that single day,
When I see the one light.
When I see that one light,
Im going to enter that range.
And maybe if I enter
My whole life is going to change.
I promise Im not lying.
I swear Im telling the truth.
And I hope when this happens,
My whole life is going to be trouble proof.
Poet: Claude
Facility: Cleveland White School, Wilmington, DE

28

Conversations with Myself

1.
I have blood in my eyes
Ice in my veins
Hate in my heart
No love on my mind
(A gun is not a math problem I dont even think)
When I was twelve years old
I wanted to kill myself
Was I depressed?
There was stress
I was never blessed
2.
Love was never there
Hate was always home
Fear of God
Not there
But so be it
(Looking for that feeling)
Never had faith
But I had courage
3.
Started at the end
Because there was no beginning
(Secrets are hidden within clouds of darkness)
Always had nightmares
But now I have dreams
Started poor
But ending rich
Poet: Marco
Facility: Ferris School for Boys, Wilmington, DE

29

Someone to Love Me
All I want is someone to relate to
Someone to understand my pain
All I want is someone to give me words of encouragement instead of saying
Im making excuses.
Someone to accept me for who I was created to be.
Someone to not leave me in the blind
All I want is someone to comfort me when times get hard
Believe in me
Trust in me
Someone to not judge me
All I want is someone to not give up on me when I make mistakes
Someone to see the internal and not just external
Someone to show me loyalty time and time again.
Someone to be my friend
Someone to be there to the very end
All I want is someone to love me
Poet: Kareem
Facility: New Castle County Detention Center, Wilmington, DE

30

What Does it Mean?

We live.
We laugh.
We love.
We sing.
But I have only one question
What does it mean?
The lives we live are all different but the same
They all start and end in the very same way
Everything happens for a reason
Or so it may seem
But I have only one question
What does it mean?
I have love for her and she loves me,
But that cant be all life has for me
Is there more
Or is there less?
This thing called life
Have I lived it to the fullest?
But as I go on thinking
My question is about one thing
This thing called life
What does it mean?
Poet: Jamal
Facility: Stevenson House Detention Center, Milford, DE

31

FLORIDA
CRYING OUT

I cry when Im in pain.

My life is full with shame.
No love in my heart.
The rain may never stop
My circle is small.
I wont answer to your call;
You set me up again.
My blood becomes worn and thin
I cry, I cry.
Life wont ever be the same.
Poet: Dimitri
Facility: Avon Park Youth Academy, Avon Park, FL

32

In Me
In me
Where the love lies
Deep inside
There is turmoil and unrest
For the one I desire
Only seems to hide
So I take down the walls
And peek out from behind the blinds
There are so many choices
I dont know which one is mine
Unsure and shy
I wonder why I bother to even try
Though now Ive seen outside
And feel it is no longer worth it
To stay behind the wall and hide
So I venture out to see what life
Has in store this time.
Poet: Cody
Facility: Cypress Creek Academy, Lecanto, FL

33

Teardrops
They cant seem to stop
Even with the thought
Again and again they fall
Roaring against my walls
Dropping down my cheeks
Restless while I weep
Overwhelming with the pain
People watch in vain
So I take a deep breath, now Im even with the rest.
Poet: Destinee
Facility: Cypress School at Okeechobee Girls Academy, Okeechobee, FL

34

My Life
My life is full of bullets
Something like a bulletproof vest
No place for rookies
Just pain-filled eyes
Of a young soldier
No army
No base
Just a one-man band
Ready to play for anyone that stands against me
Against all odds
Im still favored to win
No place like earth where youre favored to sin
Mama seen where I was headed
Graves, Dark Places, thats full of shame
Falling victim to the game
A citizen to the streets
Poet: Hines
Facility: Hastings Comprehensive Mental Health Treatment Facility,
Hasting, FL

35

The Fight Between Dreams and Reality

I have big dreams and simple dreams
But the point is I have dreams
I have dreams of being successful, famous, or just living long enough to make
it out the hood
I have dreams of just being confident with who I am
And the skin Im in
But I have dreams, I have dreams
The reality of my dreams is that they have been crushed like a car in a car
crusher
My dreams have been submerged in a layer of hate and depressing thoughts
My dreams are like a dark tunnel without a light at the end
In my home, dreams are the farthest things from your mind when you are
trying to survive
The reality of it is I have dreams, I have dreams
I battle my mind and reality every day because I have dreams, I have dreams
I cling to hope like a newborn baby does to its mother
Because hope keeps me alive
And hope gives me dreams
I will not become another product of my environment
Because I have dreams, I have dreams
So I will strive like there is no tomorrow to make my dreams a reality
I will be the best I can be like Martin Luther King because
I have dreams, I have dreams.
Poet: Ikeim
Facility: Marion Juvenile Correctional Facility, Ocala, FL

36

Never Judge a Book by Its Cover

You never opened my book and took the time to read me.
You were always so quick to judge me.
You saw the scars on my arms and the bruises under my eyes and assumed I
was a troublemaker.
Never once have you asked me because if you did I would have told you I am
a victim of abuse.
Never judge a book by its cover.
You never opened my book and took the time to read me.
You were always so quick to judge me.
You thought I had an attitude because when you looked into my eyes I always
seemed to look angry.
Never once have you asked me because if you did I would have told you it was
a sad look of being lonely.
Never judge a book by its cover.
You never opened my book and took the time to read me.
You were always so quick to judge me.
You saw me on the streets after 11 oclock and assumed I was a hoodlum.
Never once have you asked me because if you did I would have told you I have
no place to stay.
Never judge a book by its cover.
You never opened my book and took the time to read me.
You were always so quick to judge me.
You looked at my cover and made a summary of what you thought of me.
You thought I was a bad person because of the scars on my arms, the bruises
on my face, and the look in my eyes.
Im just a struggling soul trying to survive in this life.
Never judge a book by its cover.
Poet: Demar
Facility: St. Johns Juvenile Correctional Facility, St. Augustine, FL

37

IDAHO
Beautiful Day
Cool breeze on a sunny day.
Luscious green grass flowing over hills.
I am nowhere to be found, I am MIA.
These days give me the chills.
You can hear birds elegantly chirping,
Water flowing through creeks,
And roosters singing
As the morning sun peaks.
Clear blue skies that go on for miles.
Tall thick forest of trees.
These are the days that always make me smile,
And leave me exhausted with tease.
Days like this are truly breathtaking.
I get the urge to run and cheer.
These days leave me shaking.
Not with fear, but with a smile from ear to ear.
Poet: Christian
Facility: Juniper Hills High School, Lewiston, ID

38

Barrio Life
You on your first mission you all hyped up.
Getting ready to take a life so your homies show you love.
Have you ever looked a rival in the eyes while he dies?
Have you heard the endless screams or seen the tears that Neva dry.
Your body full of hate so you act with aggression.
Dont you care about the family that lost their prized possession?
Do you even take a chance to really look around?
And see whose son or daughter you putting in the ground.
You so caught up you home boys dont love you.
Start being a man get out the barrio fool.
Poet: Gabriel
Facility: Juniper Hills High School, Nampa, ID

39

Meth
This meth in my system,
Got me feeling strange
Its fucking with my memory,
Its fucking with my brain
Its got me questioning everything,
Its got me going insane
Im always feeling hate,
Im always feeling pain
Im always feeling needles,
I got myself to blame
I want to find answers,
I want to be labeled sane
But as long as the drug remains,
Ill always be the same
Poet: Zack
Facility: Juniper Hills High School, Nampa, ID

40

A Burning Memory
Its midnight but the block is full of life
theres a wild party inside this house.
Im outside standing on the sidewalk
just relaxing in the darkness of this night.
A car creeps up the block but I dont think much of it.
Within a blink of an eye gunshots go off
I take 2 in the chest.
Glass shatters, the party stops, the car speeds off and I go down.
Now Im lying on the concrete blood pooling up beside me
Im feeling numb but still it hurts to breathe.
My vision goes blurry
how did my life get to this?
Tonight Im not going home
to see my son asleep and give him a kiss goodnight.
Tonight Im slipping into deaths grip
as each second passes by.
My visions going white
but Im telling myself I got to fight to stay alive
keep my eyes open and steadily breathe.
Paramedics show up
dont remember much after that.
But what is carved into my brain
is when I woke up laying in a hospital.
I thanked god I was still alive
I didnt think Id survive.
My son is looking up at me
a smile on his face and shine in his eyes.
My heart melts within me
a smile creeps upon my face.
Im starting to get teary-eyed
I give my son a big hug then we chill together and watch cartoons.
Flowers and balloons fill the room,
I want to always be there for my son, raise him right, and watch him grow
So I kiss my old ways goodbye and let it go.
Poet: Armondo
Facility: Juniper Hills High School, Nampa, ID
41

Green Grass
Threat to society
Menace in home
Surrounded by inmates
Feel so alone
Trapped in a cell
Past is left to dwell
Future seems bright
Through the window to the right
Awkward plastic mattress
Resting on a comforting slab of concrete
Contradicting that there is no sleep
Toss and turn in the middle of the night
Vivid Dream of a Crows flight
Family is nowhere to be found
Freedom is all around
Awake to see bright lights
Inhale prosthetic air
False hope
Sense of security
In here
Poet: Alexander
Facility: Juniper Hills High School, Nampa, ID

42

When I Got Beat

When I got beat, I would sit there and cry
Never knew when wondered why
Now that Im older
I remember the pain
It makes me just a little insane
I just said one thing today
I wont be like him in any way
Poet: Jerry
Facility: Juniper Hills High School, Nampa, ID

43

Enough Left to Live

As I live in this life
Diving down into fluorescent waters
Picking up a million strifes
And observing our adolescent peers
With years that are shortly lived,
So when we arise
Back out of those clear waters
With a splash within us that thrives,
And the extraordinary fun
That we extract from our crimson sun,
We will never forget the day
That is slowly floating away,
And now that our spirits are high
We have enough energy to fly,
So sifting through my life
Has left me to sit and die
But since I have only begun
I have just lost the tip of my thumb
Poet: Tristyn
Facility: Juniper Hills High School, Saint Anthony, ID

44

INDIANA
Byronic Love

When I see the smile bestow before your face,

I see your beauty and ultimate grace.
It makes my heart fill with both love and hate,
But only because I know that I made a formidable mistake.
When I look in your eyes, I feel our souls intertwine
Like a fence and a spiderweb vine.
When I feel your touch, I quiver inside . . .
Because I know you will always be mine.
When I think of our love, I think of two doves
As they disappear together into the sun above.
The way your lips press gently against mine
Makes me feel as if the world has stopped, as well as time.
Together we stay for better or worse.
I will not leave your side, unless its in a hearse.
And even then, not there in physical form,
You will still have part of my soul to help you feel warm.
Poet: Chance
Facility: Providence Jr.-Sr. High School, Pendleton, IN

45

Thinking to Myself
As I sit here bowing my head,
Thinking, I should be out there instead,
I've been locked up for a couple of years,
I'm getting tired of my dreadful tears,
On my mind is my family, brother and mother,
I also have forgot about my special lover,
Im trying to stay out of trouble,
But people keep on making me stumble,
Im dedicating my mind by doing my time,
Trying to medicate my pain,
Thinking to myself, am I really going insane,
Sitting here trying to stay cool,
But people keep on bugging me and calling me a fool,
Trying so hard just to be good,
While they yell at me and ask me if I understood,
I just need to use my brain and try to maintain,
What I used to have wasnt fame,
So treat me differently,
I have my own priorities,
Now, we all have to show loyalty,
Being unstable,
People rapping and giving me labels,
As the days and nights pass by,
I begin to sigh,
Waiting for that day to come near,
Almost done dropping my tears,
As that day comes here,
I begin to cry,
Hoping I would never come back to this place,
Wrapping my family and school around me,
Like a shoelace,
Now, striding for my goals
At my own pace.
Poet: Ken
Facility: Vantage Pointe Learning Center, Logansport, IN

46

MISSOURI
Story of My Life
It seems my whole life
I work to the top
Then I slip,
Mess up and drop
At first I fail
Then I get on track
One mistake
Makes a huge crack
My life is a mess
I want to go home
I had things going good
But now Im all alone
How long will I stay
Its way too cold
I feel like a criminal
This lifestyle is getting old
Poet: Lukas
Facility: St. Charles County Juvenile Justice Center, St. Charles,
MO

47

NEW YORK
Untitled
My mom saw this comin
She said she had a vision
I probably wouldnt be here
If I took the time to listen
People make mistakes
I made a bad decision
Im bout to lose 3 years of life
In this prison
They threw me in a cage
And locked the door behind me
4 lower south 10 cell
Is where youll find me
Conspiracy to murder
My friend caught a homi
My prints was on the gun
Now the courts tryna fry me
They threw me in a box
And they wont let me out
25k
Mom cant bail me out
All white drawers
All white walls
74 cent
For a 6 minute call
Brown uniform
Strapped up Patakis*
Always on point
In case somebody try to attack me
* Patakis are NYC's government-issue, lace-free, jail sneakers. They are nicknamed after former NY
governor George Pataki, who was in office when the DOC started handing them out consistently to inmates.

48

Rock-hard bed
My body always hurtin Middle of the winter
And my heater aint workin
Stuck it up
Spent 4 days in intake
I dont even stress that
Thats the life of an inmate
Poet: Tykeem
Facility: East River Academy, East Elmhurst, NY

49

Dear Music
Life can turn your whole world upside down,
Leaving you lost
Mind drifting away
Like a bottle at sea
I have a message in me
That no one can read
Where I feel home,
Things changed
A lot of people come and go
But not me.
NO!
Not me
I stay
It does not matter what I wear
Naked or not, I stand here
Microphone in front of me
The beat going as loud as ever can be
HERE!
Here and only here!
I feel safe
This rite here
The pen to the paper
Its fun to me like kids playing or eating ice cream
Like a bottle lost at sea
I have a message in me
Dying to get out,
So when I get home
I put the beat on the microphone
In front of me and scream and shout,
Give it every bit of me until
I can no longer speak.
I cant no longerspeak
50

For the message

That was once in me
Is now out!
Poet: Allan
Facility: Passages Academy, New York City, NY

51

In My Neighborhood
In my neighborhood there are cars that jump to the beat of the music.
I see children jumping 1,2 bouncing up and down a crackle to the ground up
in the air,
Kids clapping hands and smiling and having fun.
I hear guns hollering all night.
I would watch dope fiends on the corner pleading for money and drugs.
When I was home my dog would giggle and cuddle with me.
In my neighborhood the moon whispered, Tonight is going to be the night.
Old people would shout, scream, and waddle all day long.
The stars would catch a wish; if its good it may come true.
In the middle of the night my bed would question me why Im not sleeping.
My grandmother barked goodnight.
Poet: Doris
Facility: Taberg Residential Center for Girls, Taberg, NY

52

OKLAHOMA
My Treasures
The tiring nights and the harsh tomorrows,
And the love that assumes complete control.
All the pleasures of this world will lead to sorrow.
And rip apart the soul.
My heart has hidden its many treasures,
And my lips have kept them sealed.
All my thoughts, ideas, hopes and pleasures,
Thats charms were shattered if revealed.
Your gaze makes me feel as if unblest,
I hope to one day be free of this unrest.
Those lonely nights can make you fear,
The drawn-out days with skies unclear.
Your life is a flower,
It can either wilt or bloom.
Light can bestow upon it power,
Or upon it darkness can loom.
Poet: Charlie
Facility: Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center, Tecumseh, OK

53

OREGON
It Doesnt Hurt
When people tell you, what you believe is wrong.
That you are never going to succeed and make it in life.
You start to go numb.
The first thing to go are your feelings,
you are emotionless.
The second is the ability to keep your head up,
you dont want people to see the pain in your eyes.
The third is being able to speak,
you feel like nobody will understand or listen to you.
The fourth and last one is being able to believe that you are human,
youre treated like an animal, a disease.
They say it doesnt hurt, that it wont cause you any pain.
It wont make you think of death.
Make you think about cutting your wrists.
It doesnt hurt, thats what they say.
Lets hope death is the same way.
Poet: Jonathon
Facility: MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, OR

54

TEXAS
9/11
Pride used to be in our steps
Pride was in our minds and in our hearts.
If we accept that we are just the same
Put away the foolishness and put away all the shame.
In this world there is a trace of happiness.
If we let this sink us, what will everybody think of us?
Our country once so proud, now we cry out loud for help.
We look above and ask why all the innocent people have to die.
We ask if freedom is just a lie
If we continue to fight
The sun will rise but the nights will fade away.
Poet: Sawyer
Facility: Corsicana Residential Treatment Center, Corsicana, TX

55

Thoughts of a Troubled Juvenile

Every morning I open my eyes
I try to look past negativity, fights, arguments,
Drama period but they just wont stay on the prize.
In my case, freedom is the key,
And free is what I should be,
But because the gates are like a lock,
I wish I could buy the key,
But this time I just cannot.
MDT and making stages seem like forever and a CAT I means no state.
The same question I ask myself,
Will I ever leave remains the same. NEVER.
Going home is my ultimate wish
With a strong-minded, big-hearted, super-supportive mom
For hugs and a kiss.
There is no such thing as a bad seed.
Love and affection is what most of us need, but my hunger for being free,
I will be able to soon feed.
Poet: D. Watts
Facility: Evins Regional Juvenile Corrections, Edinburg, TX

56

Welding Poem
As the arc bursts from my machine,
The pull of my trigger casts a ghastly beam
A weld so strong you cannot break,
I am proud to say thats my plate.
From the glow of my cherry that is so bright,
Use your helmet or lose your sight.
You may not understand the complication,
But man, Im glad I took this vocation.
Poet: R. Miller
Facility: Gainesville State School, Gainesville, TX

57

Mad Mothers & Drunk Driving

I went to a club, Mom,
But I didnt drink at all.
One of my friends was drinking too much, Mom,
In a bathroom stall.
I promise I tried to talk her out of it, Mom,
But she just wouldnt listen.
I even told her she probably wouldnt make it home, Mom,
In that condition.
Everybodys starting to go crazy, Mom,
Its like a bad dream.
I couldnt take it anymore, Mom,
So I started to scream.
I asked my friend, Mom,
If she could please take me home.
She told me to hold on, Mom,
And let her talk on the phone.
I tried to change her mind, Mom,
But she ignored me and drove herself.
Now thats shes crashed, Mom,
Im all by myself.
Poet: Otis
Facility: Giddings State School, Giddings, TX

58

Lost
Lost in the crowd,
I feel the judgment in my bones,
Hatred silently screamed,
Dreams
Of returning home,
Days long,
Nights hard and cold,
The sound of your tears,
Haunt me like hallow fears,
I dream this is a dream then I wake,
Im still here.
Poet: Heath
Facility: McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility, Mart, TX

59

Beautiful Disaster

My tear ducts fill and drip, my pupils swell,

My heart aches and I ease back into my shell.
My fists throb and my lips bleed as I bite down hard,
God only knows what will be revealed with my wild card
Unless I take the hues of my emotions and transcend them onto paper.
I lay out the soft and rough feelings, the texture.
Balance, proportion, measurements and symmetry are things youre likely to
find . . . not.
Emotions are everywhere, as well as my art.
Perfectly imperfect, its just the kind it should be,
Many shades, mediums, methods used to express the Tempest inside of me.
Whether its beautiful and clear or dark and deep or like a large frightening
knife,
My artwork never ceases, as I express my choices, thoughts, loves and pains
in my life.
I sketch, mold, create and blend,
All while continuing to express art in my life until the very end.
Poet: Tempest
Facility: Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correction Center, Brownwood, TX

60

UTAH
Uintas
I am this place,
it gives me meaning.
Oh, how the mountains peak,
the reservation wakes to
the beautiful birds singing.
This place is not yet destroyed
by the works of the government.
The beauty still stands from 300 years ago.
This place completes me.
It is all I have ever known.
The Uintas werent born to me,
I was born to them.
This is my home,
this is my life,
this is who I am.
Poet: Matt
Facility: Granite Youth Educational Support School Program, Salt Lake
City, UT

61

ADDITIONAL STATES

RICHARD ROSS, WWW.JUVENILE-IN-JUSTICE.COM

ALASKA
Barrow
Barrow may be the top of the world,
Although we continue to climb
Sometimes in order to move forward,
You have to hit rewind.
The butchering of a Bowhead whale brings
Great smiles and fills freezers for the season
We truly believe the whales give themselves up
Back then and to this day still,
Respect mother nature by eating what you kill.
We are barrow whalers
The sea is our whole life
We can shine all together
With the next generation as our light.
Barrow may be the top of the world,
Although we continue to climb
Sometimes in order to move forward,
You have to hit rewind.
Poet: Price
Facility: District, Fairbanks, AK

63

CALIFORNIA
TROUBLES
Locked up in a cage wasting all ma days
In here for getting money all the wrong ways
Auntie told me change ma life no need to
Misbehave
My dad say all these wrong doings gon lead
To an early grave
I told him that I doubt it but it has been on
Ma mind
If death was a person would it arrive on time
Or would it be late?
Im trying ta change ma life so I pray to God
That for it wait
Some people cant see when love its in they
Face
I was too stubborn to look and when I did
It flew away
Now for me the sun dont shine the sky is
Always gray.
Poet: Jamil
Facility: Log Cabin Ranch School, La Honda, CA

64

Dreams in the Mist

Life was simpler as a young childish fool
Life only consisted of what was lame or what was cool
Love was even simpler it was holding my girlfriends hand
No worrying about being ignored like a simple grain of sand
Neither did I worry that the girl I loved loved another man
Depression was just a word not much of a feeling
And doing drugs wasnt my way of healing
I hadnt begun to cope by smoking up a storm
Neither had drinking away my life become my conscious norm
Smiles were so common they were plastered to my face
But now it seems that was another time and place
Once you open the doors life rushes in so quick
With fury it knocks you down and makes you feel so sick
Dreams become so distant a vague figure in the mist
Flaws become so clear you go and add one to the list
No longer do you wonder what is wrong but what is right
Then you understand when they say life is black and white
Eyes are pried open to so much negativity, it happens way too fast
Way too quickly life is gone and your present becomes the past
Living is easy with eyes closed is what the Beatles sang
Those words stuck as truth & forever in my ears they rang
Optimism is more a talent than it is a trait
Just how it is harder to love than it is to hate
If only there was a handbook on living in the dark
Then lifes lows wouldnt be leaving such a mark
Tears of pain would be uncommon & tears of joy would be consistent
People would open to real love & stop being so resistant
Peace wouldnt be just in books but instead a way of life
No longer would we suffer such pain and horrid strifeBut this is just a dream
the mist had once consumed
I guess I held on tight before life went on to resume
65

I hope my dream is clear in your eyes like it was in mine

Because once you read this I would have forgotten every line
Poet: Angel
Facility: Camp David Gonzales, Calabasa, CA

66

American Dream
What is love
When all I have ever known is hate?
Should I pray or is it too late?
Maybe some faith
But how? When everything is full of anger
Full of rage.
Im still trying to trick my mind
Who can I speak to, who can I trust
When this pain is turning my heart to dust?
Can I continue walking with my feet on ice?
Can I continue walking with the hope of a brighter day?
How can I understand this time when everything is sour?
Its been so long since my feet have walked on grass
I wonder, would I even recognize a flower?
Im not alone because all my friends
Are filling up the empty cells in every pen
Is this what my life is meant to be?
Is this societys solution for peace in the streets?
The system penalizes the action
Did they forget the humanity?
The clock tick tocks to my sentence
In prison now since adolescence
This pain bottled up inside knocks on my chest
Somebody get me a vest
Because my moms tears hit me like bullets with no rest
They say its the evil that I should be scared of in here
But its me who I really fear
Wheres the American dream when it dropped from the vine?
Did you follow it too, where it rotted and died?
Poet: Daniel
Facility: Hartman School Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall, Santa Cruz, CA

67

COLORADO
Untitled
I am envisioning a mellow musical
Sophisticated elegance relevant to bring upon a
complicated eloquence

persuasive and florid

Not to be contradicted, painting vivid pictures while

orating seductive

lectures
Come venture with me
And I can demonstrate, or much rather articulate the marvels of this
Lovely form of Art much known As Lyricism cause my finesse is
intricate and convoluted.
Though then again Im fairly lucid to those whove acquired Unobstructed
Rationalities reality no longer fondles us obscurity is our Formality, and
when we grasp The Potency Of Versatility
And the
Ability To Influence,
The only rhythm suitable for such an influence is the uproar it elicits when
its Illustrated.
Innovative, creatively fabricated for the Brilliant facetious crowd of
pilgrims I can relate with,
Im commonly known to most as Rose The Unruly Rogue, its my mission
to Rip My Heart Out
And
Make
It
Thump out a prose
I Try to exhibit The Wonders of Witty Verbiage,
And having minds that are impervious I hope
you learned from this.

Poet: Damaris
Facility: Lookout Mountain Academy, Golden, CO

68

CONNECTICUT
Untitled
Anger is a Feeling.
A feeling you hold deep down inside.
People cut their self and start bleeding.
Then think it's a normal way to survive.
I think otherwise.
But some people ask me why.
And I say make the right choices.
Then one day you will be someone wise.
Wise enough to not harm yourself.
Wise enough to not cry and then ask for help.
This may sound like someone's misery,
But deep down inside it was a thought.
A thought that came out of me.
But who am I?
I am the one who has always spoke the truth.
The one who people have never seen what I've been through,
So take my advice as a treasure.
And let it be known that one day.
You might be the one to harm yourself as a pleasure.
Poet: Shaquille
Facility: Connecticut Juvenile Training School - Walter G. Cady School,
Middletown, CT

69

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Lost in D.C.
Lost in D.C.
Where can I go?
Lost in D.C.
Maybe you should know.
My future is in front of me,
But youll never know.
I made mistakes,
But I cant let them go.
Poet: Moesha
Facility: FAIR Girls, Washington, DC

70

Moon
One time I was tired of being
Young, so I wished myself into an
Old man.
But I was dying
The children gathered around saying
Dont die
Lets go out and have a good day
Look the moon is forgiving us with another sun
But I was sweating and said it is time
That log has hollowed itself out and waits for me
My old spirit already has its
Shoes on
Then I crawled into the log
With the moon
Just beginning
To forgive me.
Poet: Reshawn
Facility: Maya Angelou Academy, Washington, DC

71

Life Goes By
Time is flyin
As my life goes by
I look out my window
But all I see is barbwire
Another day locked up
Thinkin and missin
You even more
Sittin in my cell
As da CO
Knocks on my door
Its time 2 come out
I wipe da
Tears from my face
Thinkin bout da long nite
I just had
Up contemplatin all nite
Fightin not 2 go 2 sleep
Keep picturing da
Next life
Poet: Emilio
Facility: Maya Angelou Academy, Washington, DC

72

ILLINOIS
I Hope
I hope in the future I have a better life.
I hope the future forgets my past.
I hope the past does not ruin my future.
I hope one day I get out.
I hope one day I am successful.
I hope one day Im someone in life.
I hope today goes by fast.
I hope I am not judged by my looks and my actions.
I hope problems will fade away and not get bigger.
I hope I will be reunited with my family one day.
I hope this would all just go away.
I hope that one day I will not have to think about nothing and just be happy.
I hope that one day my kids will not make mistakes like I did.
Poet: Uriel
Facility: Kane Juvenile Justice Center, St. Charles, IL

73

KANSAS
My Brother
My brother was 26 years old; my brother was not old,
My brother was my role model; he always gave me good advice
that could save my life
He would tell me the things that were wrong and he would tell me the things
that were right.
He was one of the brothers that I could never fight.
I and my brother were like two peas in a pod.
He treated me like a god but I know theres only one God.
I and my brother were always together like a bird and its feathers.
But on that hollow night I felt that something wasnt right.
So I stayed up most of that night waiting on that uninvited moment.
Later that night my dad received a phone call.
I knew something was wrong because I just didnt feel right.
My aunt was on the phone and I knew it had to be bad news.
I watched my dad jump up and grab his shoes I asked him what was wrong.
Oh my brother, my brother
My brother had been shot yes shot, by a hot fiery bullet as hot as the flaming
pits of hell
Now my life is incomplete like a missing piece of a puzzle
Now every night I wish I was in the fiery pits of hell
All I can think about now is my brother.
What my brother had got he did not deserve
But you know what people say, God works in mysterious ways
Even though we had different mothers we still had the same love for one
another.
I and my brother needed each other like cars need gas
When I found out that my brother died I couldnt cry
But I wonder why, and that made me feel even worse.
Now even when I watch the news and its about a shooting I
Think of my brother, oh my brother my brother
Now my life is like a mission that seems impossible
Every day I can feel my brother in my presence watching me
My life is like a word that has many meanings to it
And you can never choose the right word,
I try to change my selfish ways every day because theyre like a pair of shoes
that dont fit.

74

I always wanted to be like my brother but I could never get it right, my

brother had accomplished many things in life
My life is a garbage disposal everything goes down the drain
Oh my brother, my brother
My brother will be missed it seems a little too soon but now its too late
I will always remember my brother and I pray to God that he R.I.Paradise
Poet: Nathan
Facility: Judge Riddel Boys Ranch, Goddard, KS

75

KENTUCKY
My Enemy
What I wouldnt do to have you
My desire to acquire you
Is inspired by intolerable times
Youre the first person I think of when I wake up
And the last person I think of when I go to sleep
I would do anything to have you
I need you like I need to sleep or eat
Ill get no peace till we meet
Until I have you, I wont be complete
I cant seem to function or think straight
Without knowing that I have successfully conquered
Your total existence
Im inspired by twisted minds
To initiate wicked crimes
But I appreciate the subtle signs
Ive sustained plenty of pain without any gain
Just to maintain
My heart bleeds for you
Id sacrifice my freedom for you
Even die for you
What I wouldnt do to have you
My Enemy
Poet: Brandon
Facility: Louisville Metro Youth Detention Center, Louisville, KY

76

MARYLAND
Baby Bookings
They got me in Baby Bookings*
Eating all this nasty cooking
Telling me what to do
Even the size of my right shoe
Now I dont even want to listen
To their complaining
So I hop in the shower
Then they lock us in our cell for hours
Thats my life in Baby Bookings
Poet: Brandon
Facility: Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center, Baltimore, MD

*The Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center is known locally as Baby Booking.

77

Our Earth
The world we live in
its falling apart,
yet nobody seems to care
about its art.
Take care of it and it will take care of you
Is what we are supposed to do.
But the inhabitants it seeks to help,
put it in as much danger
as an asteroid belt.
If only we would realize
that were putting this earth in such compromise,
and maybe if we could come together,
we would be able to share a healthy earth
for the rest of its plain forever.
Poet: Ivey
Facility: William Donald Schaefer House, Baltimore, MD

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MASSACHUSETTS
Dear Mom
Im sorry for the pain I brought you
And also the stress
I cant live without you
Or Ill be depressed
My father aint here
To teach me how to be a man
I was 15, selling drugs
Thinking that was my only plan
I knew it was wrong
But I thought it was right
Now Im in a cell thinking about my life.
Poet: Derric
Facility: Metro Treatment Unit, Boston, MA

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NEW JERSEY
Untitled
A couple of months in the land
Is like being locked in a small box
With not a thing in it
Not even a window or a door
You think its all a dream
Till you wake up and just see walls
And a light over top of you
You hear the door go beep and a buzz
You hear your last name being called
Get up at 5:30 in the A.M.
Brush your teeth
You talk about your life on the outside
What you used to do
Now you wanna do right
Want to get out and live a teenager life
It aint going to feel right
When you used to selling white
So get out go to school and change your life
You talk about the wrong side
But deep down inside you wanna do right
Poet: Anthony
Facility: Camden County Youth Center, Blackwood, NJ

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Life I Chose
The Life I Chose was a mean life
The Stuff I do,
Dont even think twice about it
The Life I Chose,
Does anyone care?
Who Knows
I keep my head up through thick and thin.
I go through a lot but at the end of the day
Im just trying to win
See this smile on my face
Its just a grin.
The Life I chose is crazy,
You can Like me or Hate Me
I stand Tall with my Head High in the sky
Shed No tears,
I dont cry.
The Life I chose,
I wish it could be better
I wish I never chose this life,
Ever.
I see Kids dying left and right
This All happens in one night
I shake My head constantly.
Us Young kids
Need to live a better life
Before we do something wrong,
Just think twice.
We Know right from wrong.
The Life I Chose
Was Just wrong.
Choose The Better Life
Thats all.
Poet: Andrew

Facility: Union County Juvenile Detention Center, Linden, NJ

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NORTH CAROLINA
Untitled
What happens when you dont want to live and you dont want to die?
What happens when you only want one thing, and for it you will tell any lie?
What happens when you cant move on, cant say bye?
What do you do when somethings in arms reach but you will never be able to
hold it?
I have the strongest force known to man but I cant control it.
I have a secret, not sure how long I can withhold it.
A brilliant plan but Ill never be able to unfold it.
Whats the point in being alive if you cant live?
Which would you choose?
A coma and happy or awake and sad?
I would take happiness any day.
We all hate waking up anyway.
What happens when you cant have what you live for?
Do you push the limit, then more?
What happens when happiness stands beside you but will never be within?
What happens when youre so sure itll never be there, even till the end?
My heart has been cracked, but maybe thats because before it was frozen.
For you my arms will always be open.
For you I will always be hoping.
For you my heart is always open, till the day of its closing.
Poet: Mark
Facility: Eckerd Boomer, Boomer, NC

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Surviving
Surviving
Down and depressed,
Emotional from stress,
Trying your best but diving in debt,
Debtors inject worry and indirect threats.
You settle for less,
Cashing meaningless checks,
That money you worked hard for goes fast.
You have a family you give your last.
What would you do if the bank comes for you?
I dont know I have no clue.
I am an honest worker I always tell the truth.
POOF!
Surviving is hard, trying is harder.
Giving up is easy, but its not smarter.
Some people are living an honest days pay,
the ones that are not have to change their ways.
Survive is to abide, withstand, prosper, or thrive.
Survive is to be alive in the body and in the mind.
Some people are alive but they just arent living,
They have to clear their mind and know who they are inside.
Poet: Juan
Facility: Stonewall Jackson, Concord NC

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OHIO
To You, Who Live in a Perfect World
I assume you live in a perfect world,
I assume you get paid to make
People like you
Step over people like me
In the streets
Like a disease
Labeling us freaks
And pulling sheets
Over their eyes
Because what will it take
For you to realize Im hurting and Im sick.
I assume youve never felt irrelevant
And while you sit
You assume I feel dead
Like my head isnt fed
As if I dont know that every last word that we heard
And every last word that you said
Is like lead
Glowing red in the depths of my mind
And my heads never clear
Since my chances were blind
I assume youve done everything right
I assume you measure success in currency
I assume you scrutinize my freedom of expression,
Using lies as disguise
For your mental protection
But dont forget to mention
That though Im in need of
Divine intervention
My mind is not in question
I assume you live in black and white
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My life runs on love,

And my mind runs on hope
And your thoughts are not worth this
Kaleidoscope slope
And youre speaking in riddles
On your words I will choke
I assume youre stuck living your life on a rope
But you see, misery is your life in a bottle
You bottle it up
Drink it up
Then you swallow
Only a fool would live life by
The books
I assume that youre living
For money and looks
I assume you live
In a perfect world
Poet: Catia
Facility: Center for Adolescent Services Academy, New Lebanon, OH

85

A Tribute to Katie: Our Spot

You used to find happiness
Every Wednesday at midnight,
As we spoke in the treehouse,
Alone in the moonlight.
From age eight to age ten,
From midnight to one,
Those were the only
Times Ive ever had fun.
All wed do was talk
For an hour each week,
Wed talk about our lives,
And how theyd seem so bleak.
You never went into detail,
And I never asked,
Why your life was so bad,
Why you knew it wouldnt last.
Youd beg me not to forget you,
And Id always ask why,
Youd ignore the question,
And just sit there and cry.
On a special Wednesday night,
The day you turned ten,
I tried to sneak out,
But was caught by my Aunt Jen.
She sent me back to bed,
Where I laid awake all night,
Thinking and wondering
If you were alright.

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I got up the next morning,

And headed to our spot,
I climbed up and walked in,
To see you hanging from a knot.
My jaw dropped in awe,
And tears began to pour,
Maybe you wouldnt have done it
If Id been there before.
After they moved your body,
And buried you in a plot,
I discovered why you hated life,
And escaped to our spot.
You were abused at home,
Since you were two,
Now I wish
Youd have taken me with you.
Some Wednesdays since then,
Ive visited our spot,
To pay my respects,
And tell you I havent forgot.
Poet: Connick
Facility: Indian River School, Massillon, OH

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Untitled
I love you.
Get it together.
I want to love myself.
Dont know how.
Poet: Sarah
Facility: Montgomery County Juvenile Court Schools, Dayton, OH

88

PENNSYLVANIA
MOM, DAD
I know you will never think about me,
But I will think of you.
I know we never met,
Well not since three hours old.
You left me in the hospital
So young and so alone.
When I said my first sentence,
It was not, I love you mom or dad.
It was probably something like,
Where are my mom and dad?
I move around from place to place
Because I had no home.
Nobody to say good night,
Nobody to say good morning,
Nobody to say good luck, for my first day in school.
I wished you were there, both of you, mom and dad
Not mom or just dad but both of you,
There for every fear,
There for every tear.
And now Im seventeen still without a mom and dad.
My only wish is for you both to think of me,
One day,
For half a second,
Of how you left me, and never cared.
Poet: Matt
Facility: Montgomery County Youth Center, Norristown, PA

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Today We Move Forward

America, what happened to your face
Where are those rosy cheeks
That perfect smile?
Your bright white teeth,
Glaring at me, mocking my existence
Looking at you, Im still ill.
Everything you strived for
Is lost
That diversity
Those family values
Just say no
Spend some quality time with the rents
Go to college
Keep up those As
Talk it out, dont be afraid to be yourself
Where have all your values gone
The picture-perfect world that you tried to create
Is crumbling under my feet
The bubble protecting your sheltered mind is popping
I see through you, and so does everybody else
Nothing has changed
We are told to speak out
Become an individual
But your perfect mold has not melted yet
It still attacks me
Still
I have to go to college
Wheres my opportunity?
Thats right, I have none left.
Im living an average life
I have everything at the tips of my fingers
And want to just throw it all away
And all I can complain about is what I dont have done
I dont have real problems
Like starvation, like sickness, like poverty,
I must dwell on the vexing details of my life to pass time
Wheres my prescription to ease the painAll this corruption is a part of life.

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It makes sense
If it didnt happen, life wouldnt be the same
This chaos comforts me
All these problems make up our society
Where would we be without them?
No where, thats where
We all know this, so we dont solve our problems
But they have a limiting factor
Soon they will encompass the spectrum
Well get there anyway
If solved, if left alone
We move forward
Poet: Andrew
Facility: The Bridge, Philadelphia, PA

91

TENNESSEE
Daddy
Daddy, you taught me to stand strong
And never be ashamed when Im wrong
While you stay up for days at a time,
I linger around you just trying to shine
While I hold tears in my eyes
You just look and pass me by
I try not to cry
So for now Ill just sigh and wonder why
I ask myself why you love meth more than me
I want your love, Daddy, why cant you see
Youve hurt me so much in the past
Daddy, why didnt your love last?
With meth by your side,
I guess thats all you need
Daddy, its time for me to let you go and be my own seed
Poet: Haley
Facility: G4S Academy for Young Women, Nashville, TN

92

VIRGINIA
In the Mirror
In the mirror
a broken past
In one side he cries
in one side he laughs
Pain is here
a home for fear
No place for hope
no place for cheers
In the mirror
the devil calls
In the mirror
one side is last
A soul is deprived
and taken for granted
A war of fate
from not this planet
Confusion occurs
in a constant struggle
The price to
pay is more than double
The mirrors life
is late at night
Cutting through
with roaring knives

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His eyes gaze

For some answer
A heartbeat away
from under pressure
In the mirror
Is not his own
In the mirror
he awaits his casket
The end of times
an open basket
Dont look to
the mirror if you are
afraid
For in the mirror
holds a flame
A flame of courage
his sin is pride
In what
he believes
his name shall die.
Poet: Andrew
Lord Botetourt High School, Daleville, VA

94

WHEN DARKNESS SEE THE LIGHT

Only the Lord knows my thug life has brought many tears caught up in the
Streets trying to make ends meet hoping and praying darkness see the light
Many days just waiting to die neglected in my pain that made me ask why
Nothing left to do so I just cry wondering will darkness see the light
Young and wild yet letting my ego scream blind by lonely nights caught up
In many fights still praying that darkness see the light my mind being abused
And my heart feeling used fingers pointed being accused yet still hoping that
Darkness see the light the ones you love fade away the pain in my heart want
To stay soon the pain starts to decay full of love so still I pray that darkness
See the light so easy to quit from suffering Im sick watching time tick falling to
My knees when that hour hits with nothing but hope that darkness see the light only
He knows the time on the streets with no food to eat hoping why Im still weak that
Darkness see the light blind not by sight hoping before he take my life that darkness
see the light

Poet: Antoine
Facility: Prince William County Schools - Adult Detention Center, Manassas, VA

95

WASHINGTON
Bridge
Souls cast away
Like empty bottles,
Vacant of spirits within
They dont fall,
They weeble,
And wobble
Broken tents
Nearest to kin,
Begging for life
Suffering pain,
Im not alright,
Can I start again?
Ropes of repetition,
Bind us in light,
Tied together,
We strive through the night
This is our refuge,
This is our home,
This is destruction,
Were not alone.
Poet: Emily
Facility: Denney Juvenile Justice Center, Everett, Washington

96

WISCONSIN
My Fear
Fear is what makes me cry,
keeps me up at night.
Fear haunts me,
will I be alone?
The silence closes in,
will I be loved?
dont raise your hand
unclose that fist
dont throw that lamp
please just miss
dont hit me with that belt
for it will leave many welts.
Dont call me names,
it causes me pain.
Dont kick me out,
I need your help.
I fear love.
I fear people.
Silence is like darkness,
an endless void with no end.
I lost the ones I loved,
Im locked behind a fence.
Ive grown to hate
everyone, everyplace, everything.
People torment me,
ridicule me,
ostracize me.
They dont know me,
they dont know my past.
They judge me.
I cry because Im afraid,
afraid of the world.
Do you think thats fair?
Im alone in this world.
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No one to turn to,

to confide in,
to laugh with,
be friends with.
People can be haters,
people can be fighters.
People can even be lovers.
I am a fighter.
I am a lover.
I fear for others.
I fear for every living thing.
I fear Ive screwed my life up
so bad it cant be fixed.
Now tell me,
what are you afraid of?
Poet: Rhonda
Facility: Copper Lake/Lincoln Hills High School, Irma, WI

98

About Words Unlocked

In the spirit of National Poetry Month (April), and in an effort to
encourage literary exploration by young people held in juvenile
facilities, the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative
Settings (CEEAS) sponsoredWords Unlocked, a month-long
poetry initiative that included practitioner-ready curricular
materials, a nationwide competition, and publishing venues,
including this ebook, for student work.
All materials for the initiative were available at our wiki site,Words
Unlocked. The wiki had a robust set of tools available for public
use: daily lesson plans and teacher-ready classroom materials,
rubrics and assessments, teacher tips, and more. It included
both a seven-day and a month-long poetry curriculum. Handouts
and classroom materials are available in SMARTBoard,
ActivBoard, MS Word, and PDF formats.
Thousands of students from more than 50 locked facilities from
around the country participated in Words Unlocked. The initiative
culminated in a nationwide poetry contest. Over 1,000
incarcerated students submitted poems

About CEEAS
CEEAS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Washington,
DC., with offices in Austin, Texas and Los Angeles, California.
At CEEAS, our mission is to help alternative schools in both
community settings and locked facilities implement
transformational, student-focused practices designed to
significantly improve the life chances of the students they serve.
At CEEAS we envision a future when all students, including those
who are incarcerated, will attend schools that value them and
provide them with the tools they need to become free,
contributing members of our democratic society.
For additional information about CEEAS, please visit our website.

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