PONGO POETRY | A Repairing Rainbow

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 children at the Child Study Treatment Center (CSTC), the only state-run psychiatric hospital for youth in Washington State. Many CSTC youth are coping with severe emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges. Approximately 40% of youth arrive at CSTC having been court ordered to get treatment; however, by the end of their stay, most youth residents become voluntary participants. 

Pongo believes there is power in creative expression, and articulating one’s pain to an empathetic audience. 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 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 at CSTC

I feel frustrated

Sometimes people bully other people
People just assume they’re mean and
They don’t take a chance to actually understand why
People do things they do

Sometimes I feel like I can’t do anything
Yet I know we can make a difference one step at a time
So don’t judge people by their actions
But by their past and future

I feel like if we give one another a chance
This world would be a better place
So don’t judge people by their cover
Because you don’t know what they’ve been through
Take a chance to learn about the people around you

So if you wanna change the world
Start by changing the way you are doing things now
And end by solving world problems.

by a young person at CSTC

If I could repair anything
I would repair me
Waking up in the middle of the night
And setting my sister’s blanket on fire
And I wish I hadn’t done that.
My sister felt sad,
And I had to get taken out of my house
And I’m not allowed to go there anymore
Because of what I did
And I feel sorry.
And if I could go back in time
And change one thing
I would make it so that it never happened.
I hope she forgives me
And understands
That I regret it
And love her very much
And I care about her
And my love is repairing
The damage that happened.
My love is like the beautiful rainbows
In the sky,
And every time after it rains
And God cries
He gets happy
And shows a rainbow
To show he feels better
And shows he cares about
His children.
And I hope he forgives me
For my sins.
And may God have mercy
On my soul—
And love me with a love that repairs everything.

To my sister, I hope you know
I will always love and care
About you.

Dedicated to my sister

by a young person at CSTC

Tornado of emotions, that’s definitely me.
Once my brain pops, it doesn’t go well.
It doesn’t stop.
I break things when my brain pops.
I punch people.
I feel terrible after, and I regret it.
Like a tornado.

Like Will Reyes says,
“Sometimes I feel trapped, up on a beam
High above a crowded scene.”
When I feel trapped, I want to curl into a ball,
Or just be in a room by myself.
I feel relief when I’m alone.
I feel relief from sadness, anger, frustration.
When people say no, I become frustrated.
And then I transform into a tornado.
Once I calm down,
I transform into myself again.

Dedicated to all CSTC staff