PONGO POETRY | Earth

by a young person at the Echo Glen Children’s Center

Dedicated to my mom

Growing up you were a beautiful thing.
You produced the Trees when I needed shade.
Water when everything was too hot
you gave wind when I needed to
be pushed in the right direction.
You gave all I needed.
You were life.
Until seasons changed
so along came storms.
The same trees I found comfort under,
grew roots that held me down.
The water I drank became contaminated.
The wind that guided me turned
into hurricanes.
So now I ask.
How does something that provided me life
Become the thing that's destroying me.
And after the storm,
do I get to replant myself the way I did before?

by a young person at the Echo Glen Children’s Center

release
i don't know if this is what i want
i don't know how to start it

release
i don't know what to do after that
i'm lost

out of jail

release
from a bad mindset
bad relationships

release
from hurt
i don't know
i don't know anything else

when will i ever be truly released?

by a young person at the Echo Glen Children’s Center

Dear Dad,

I wish you knew who I was right now.
I'm going to college. I want to teach about our people.

Mom gave me her boldness, her confidence.
You gave me my identity.

I want to teach people about where we come from. 
That I'm here because my ancestors were brave.

That I'm not here because my family are criminals
who wanted to bring drugs and ruin the American dream.  

That I'm here because my family was brave
and wanted us to have the "American Dream"
whatever that means.

If the American Dream means being told we can't wear a shoe because it's gang-related,
when it's a sense of pride;

if the American Dream means we can't
wear high socks because it's gang-related;

if the American Dream means we can't
speak Spanish because people don't understand us;

if the American Dream involves my abuela getting yelled at
because she doesn't speak English well;

and if it means my people have to be called racial slurs,
made fun of for speaking their native language,
told they can't wear clothes that are a part of our culture,

I don't want it.

we are the American Dream.
We are the future.

Thank you for reminding me, Dad.
Your Daughter

Pongo Poetry Project's mission is to engage youth in writing poetry to inspire healing and growth. The Echo Glen Children's Center, a juvenile institution for youth serving criminal sentences, is one of Pongo's flagship program sites in the Seattle area. Studies of incarcerated youth indicate that up to 70% suffer from a mental health disorder and that many have experienced childhood trauma. Youth at Echo Glen have endured significant mental and emotional challenges in the last two years, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, sleep issues, and behavioral challenges.

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.