PONGO POETRY | The Cell

Pongo Poetry Project's mission is to engage youth in writing poetry to inspire healing and growth. In the spring of 2022, Pongo began mentoring poetry with young people at the Echo Glen Children's Center, a juvenile institution for youth serving criminal sentences. Studies of incarcerated youth indicate that up to 70% suffer from a mental health disorder and that many have experienced childhood trauma. The isolation, economic upheaval, and turmoil of the last two years have only exacerbated this issue. 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 in youth coping with mental and emotional turmoil,join the Pongo Poetry Circle today.

The Cell

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

How I feel in the cell
I feel down
I feel tired and bored
All I see is brick walls and windows and a table

Now all I do is read, listen to music, stare at the clock
That's what I like to do in the cell
And if I weren't in the cell I'd be with family
Playing games and with friends
And doing actual sports
Maybe this time I'll learn to do the right things

The right thing means not getting in trouble
And using my skills
The right thing means going to school
And getting my GED

The right thing means making family, friends
And myself proud

Nothing

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

Nothing is like a void
A hole in a life otherwise filled with joy
Trying to take up everything that's enjoyed

Nothing kills your family
Nothing kills your dreams

Nothing can be everything
Nothing can be happy

Nothing feels like calm
Nothing feels like hatred

At times nothing is all that's inside me
Sometimes nothing is all I want to be
Nothing is free

The Day That Is to Come

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

It is worth waking up in the morning
I am worth the deeper breath
When I drink my morning cup of coffee
I feel peace.

I am worthy of the day that is to come
I have time to put my headphones in and zone out
After I do this, I feel at peace

I am worth
the time it takes
to slow down,
be still
and rest.

I know I'm worthy because my heartbeat matches the rhythm

📸 Featured image by 周杰意 Jieyi Zhou.