PONGO POETRY | Quicksand and Clouds

by a young person at the Child Study Treatment Center

Be you.
You’re beautiful.
Stay strong.
Woof.
You’re awesome.
You can do anything in life.
I love you.

Dedicated to anyone who needs to hear these kinds of words, they’re already inside you.

by a young person at the Child Study Treatment Center

I am a prisoner of my own body.
The scars that keep me
Stuck to my skin
Represent all that
I cannot handle.

I am a prisoner of my own body.
Always longing to escape
But I know that is not attainable.

I feel as if I’m trying
To run through quicksand.
It sucks. 

I am a prisoner of my own body.
But I know it doesn’t have to feel that way.
It can feel airy, light
Like a cloud. 

I don’t have to be stuck.
I can be free.
And that’s who I’m going to be.

by a young person at the Child Study Treatment Center

This is for the teens out there that are like me.
The teens who think dying would be better, that no one is gonna care.
So what’s the point.
For the ones that wish they could go back to being little again.
It’s as if you’re trapped behind a door
of your teenage years
and you can’t get out.
This is for those who have been abused, or bullied.
For the ones in this world who struggle with trauma and self-esteem.
For those who have been ignored and pushed around.
But what most teens don’t realize is that
that door they’re trapped behind
can open with just a little bit of fun—it doesn’t have to be something major
It can be something like laughing with a friend
or reading a good book.
This is for the teens out there
who think they’re not enough,
who may or may not have a parent or guardian
or have gone from foster home to foster home
bedroom after bedroom
trying to make it their own,
but once they start to settle in, they always have to leave
and make a new home.
So that door they’re trapped behind
is the home they’ve always wanted,
They were never trapped
All they needed was some joy in their life
just to live the happy life they’ve always wanted.

Dedicated to everyone who thinks they’re not enough, you are.

Editors' Note: If you’re a young person experiencing depression or looking for support for mental-health issues, you can contact:

Teen Link: 866-833-6546 (call, text, or chat)

Washington Warm Line (peer-to-peer support): 877-500-9276

988 Suicide & Crisis HotLine: Dial 988 (call, text, or chat)

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 learn more about Pongo's work and how you can partner with it in inspiring healing and relief in youth coping with mental and emotional turmoil, register for Speaking Volumes 2025 today.