Pongo Poetry Project's mission is to engage youth in writing poetry to inspire healing and growth. For over 20 years, Pongo has mentored poetry with youth at the Clark Children & Family Justice Center (CCFJC), King County's juvenile detention facility.
Many CCFJC residents are Youth of Color who have endured traumatic experiences in the form of abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence. These incidents have been caused and exacerbated by community disinvestment, systemic racism, and other forms of institutional oppression. In collaboration with CCFJC staff, Pongo poetry writing offers CCFJC youth a vehicle for self-discovery and creative expression that inspires recovery and healing.
Through this special bimonthly column in partnership with the South Seattle Emerald, Pongo invites readers to bear witness to the pain, resilience, and creative capacity of youth whose voices and perspectives are too often relegated to the periphery. To partner with Pongo in inspiring healing and relief among youth coping with mental and emotional turmoil, join the Pongo Poetry Circle today.
by a young person, age 17
I wish I knew my biological dad
I wish I knew my dad's side of the family
I wish my path was easier
I wish I knew how to get through life
I wish life was easier
I wish I could remember the talks
my auntie gave me
I wish lessons were easier to learn
I wish I knew how to make good, positive money
I wish living life wasn't so hard
I wish I knew more about my education
I wish I knew ways to be better
than what I've become
by a young person, age 15
Mentally and physically, it feels
like everybody's trying to lock me up
Put me in the position where I'm feeling stuck
and down on my last string of luck
Feels so long since I felt love
My heart feels like it's going to rust
So many things I want to do
Felt like I was in a rush
If someone was to tell me
I would be in the position I was in right now
I would tell them they were out of their mind
never realizing all that can change when given time
Situations
Relationships
Appearances
Wealth
And state of mind
It took me a while to realize
that the path I was going on
was digging me in a hole
Deeper and deeper
until the dirt surrounded me
Until I became blind
Forced to commit crime after crime
just as a means to survive
That's just how it's always been
Because for me,
life hasn't always been so kind
by a young person, age 17
The first step can be the longest
when you want to go back in time
for a change
Like making amends
The first step can be the most challenging
when you fear death
Death is cold
like the arctic
Stepped in
Shocked
The first step can be the hardest
when you fight against faith
Like losing somebody or someone
It's confusing
You're lost for words
Abandoned
The first step is often the loneliest
when you don't know if you're going to make it
through night and day
Lost in the jungle
Trying to find your way
Survival
The first step can be an opening
where the possibilities include a change in life
Where you can see the light
It looks like the sunset
over the ocean
at Kalaloch beach
The first step can be an ending
when you think you will lose your mind
and control over self
seeing hurt
The first step can be a thrill
when you experience regaining composure of self
When that happens
I will be home with family
Connecting
Building a relationship
Laughing, joking around
The first step can be joy
when you celebrate the things that I achieved
and the goals I want in the future
That celebration is happiness
At ease
Relaxed
🎨 Featured illustration by Alexa Strabuk čšć–‡ć› .
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Before you move on to the next story …
The South Seattle Emerald™ is brought to you by Rainmakers. Rainmakers give recurring gifts at any amount. With around 1,000 Rainmakers, the Emerald™ is truly community-driven local media. Help us keep BIPOC-led media free and accessible.
If just half of our readers signed up to give $6 a month, we wouldn’t have to fundraise for the rest of the year. Small amounts make a difference.
We cannot do this work without you. Become a Rainmaker today!