PONGO POETRY | Insects Running From My Breath

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 monthly 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 learn more about Pongo’s work of inspiring healing and relief among youth coping with mental and emotional turmoil, register for Speaking Volumes 2024 today.

by a young person at CCFJC

What if I sigh, and the black earth beneath me scatters like insects running from my breath?

–from the poem “Respiration” by Jamaal May

I feel like that every day

I feel like I messed up a lot in my life

it makes me upset

if I say the wrong thing is everybody going to hate me

that’s like insects running from my breath

or if I say the right thing is everybody going to like me

My grandma used to say

If you say the wrong words, it could get you hurt

If you work to your goal you’re going to get somewhere

if you don’t try, you’re getting nowhere

It’s just like homework.

I’m a lot to keep up with.

I got my baby on the way.

And I got a question to that,

will it mess with me later in life?

Am I a god then?

by a young person at CCFJC

When I was younger

And I came to juvie

It was always a slap on the wrist

And I wouldn’t be in here for that long

So I’d get out and go back to doing

The same things

Because I knew the punishment

Wasn’t going to be 

That bad

But now that I’m older

And in here

And doing major time

For my crime

I’ve realized

This isn’t a slap on the wrist

This is a wakeup call

And I realized

If I keep doing and making

The same mistakes

I’m gonna get nowhere 

In life

And since I’m getting older

I’m gonna have to deal with

Adult time

And going to county

And you’re only 18 for so long

So when I get out

I don’t plan on kicking it with the 

Same crowd of people

Or going back to doing the same

Rebellious stuff

I plan on

Finishing school 

In here

And getting my diploma

I’m going to kick it with people who

Benefit me

And uplift me to do better things

And keep me on track

I’m going to 

Get a job

And make legal money

I wanna go to Atlanta

I want to start a business too

I know this is going to be hard

It’s an addiction to not kick it with the same people

And go back to making the same decisions

But I feel like

I can tackle this addiction

Like I’ve tackled many others

I believe I can do it

And I believe in myself

by a young person at CCFJC

One of my earliest memories was when I rode a bike for the first time

When I rode my bike I felt a rush throughout my body

Another one of my memories is playing football for the infamous All-Stars

I felt like I could do almost anything on the football field

Another memory I had was after that my family became homeless for about a year

I felt it was normal but I know it wasn’t 

It was kind of weird

We were living in my mom’s van

In 2014 my dad passed and things went downhill from there

I kind of hid my emotions away without processing them

Now I know that I should have expressed my emotions 

And not leave them in to explode one day

Now I’m looking forward to going to college 

And getting my welding degree

Doing welding will set me up to be a successful person

And provide for my family

At this moment I’m not sure I want to have a family

But I’ll keep my mind open to the possibility

When I’m not working, I would like to play

Basketball, play video games 

And hang out with the family

My mom is very important to me

Cause when I’m down to my lowest she is there to support me

I hope that I keep on the path to doing well

To be a better role model for my little brothers

And help them to grow up to be good young men