Poemsby the clients ofLos Angeles Youth Supportive Services, Inc. |
I Am Right
by Michael S. Thompson
Lessons I'm Learning
by Michael S. Thompson
The Words of a Lost Boy
by Edward Ortiz
Times
by Anthony Apodaca
Tweeking
by Jody Whitebuffalo
To God, A Prayer
by Michael Anthony Garcia
I Am Right
by
Michael S. Thompson
In the words of Madonna
Words are useless
Especially sentences
Would it help you to
Understand how I feel
If I showed you now
How I cry so hard at night?
How I urge to kick the wall
And your face to make you
Shut up and listen and understand?
Sure, maybe words are useful
In conveying to you
What feels come over me
When I hear
Your nasty, thoughtless words
But you know and I know
And that stranger beside you knows
That we are human and think
Strongly even when we don't
Speak our words.
Therefore you know that my words
Are basically useless
Because even without them
I am still always right.
Copyright © 1999,Michael S. Thompson, All Rights Reserved
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Lessons I'm Learning
by
Michael S. Thompson
I never meant to cause myself pain
Never intended to overwhelm myself with disappointment
Never desired the overwhelming sense of shame
Sometimes,
Often,
Desired the comfort that comes from others wanting to assure me that
Everything will be ok.
You're just 18, Michael
For God's sake, you don't know everything
You know you're learning vital things practically every day
I've learned things indeed, vital or not
Often the hard way
It comes to this, Michael
You're writing down how you feel
And what you've learned
Realizing that your priorities must change
Have changed
Will change
For the better
To better yourself
Hope it's not a temporary thing
This feeling of change
This powerful desire to come through and prove myself
And be strong,
And grow
From the lessons I'm learning
Copyright © 1999,Michael S. Thompson, All Rights Reserved
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The Words of a Lost Boy
by
Edward Ortiz
of sweet, strong men
these words,
a promise
as surely a confession,
as surely the words
of a lost boy
who wanted nothing
but to love
and to be loved.
Sitting, trembling,
waiting for the night.
Waiting for that whining pimp to come to my door again
and take everything I own
in exchange for the key to your room.
Courageous I am not.
I wait, afraid of what may become of me tonight
for life is real not a dream.
I cannot exist through the darkness
with only a glimpse from heaven.
Wake up!
Get up!
Find it!
I give my world in exchange.
Copyright © 1996, Edward Ortiz, All Rights Reserved
This poem won the United Teachers of Los Angeles, Stonewall Scholarship Committee’s Virginia Uribe Award. As first place winner he will receive a $1000 scholarship upon graduation.
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Times
by
Anthony Apodaca
Living in the cracks of alleys
beyond a time that breaks,
no one showed me how to love
or give it all it takes.
I’ve prayed so long to find my love,
And soon he came to me,
Now I’m gone away from him.
Away from reality.
I’ve seen the streets in all its rage,
With hope that’s like a flame.
I’ve prayed for help and someone there
To lead me from the rain.
I’ve wanted to die many times
Without knowing what life’s about.
And now it seems I want to die
Cause I feel there’s no way out.
I’ve spent my time on a corner
Or high, beyond a squat.
Now I live so confused,
But I’ll give it all I got.
Copyright © 1997,Anthony Apodaca, All Rights Reserved
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by
Jody Whitebuffalo
Life is nothing but aches and pains,
sitting by the window hearing the rain.
Always caught up in the evil of life,
just wanting to take that one last flight.
People will be there to always have fun,
but when it’s over everybody is gone.
The facts of life are true and real,
so confused don’t know the deal.
Will somebody help me get a grip on life,
tired of crying, can not fight.
So much stress, always confused,
no where to run, have nothing to chose.
There are up’s, there are down,
I sit here crying, seem like a clown.
I need some help real, real, fast,
fading away, I can don’t last.
Fading away like dust in the wind,
can I have a life to live again.
Where are the answers in life’s little game,
I am tired of loosing it’s time to win.
I leave you now with one last clue.
Always love and just be you.
Copyright © 1996,Jody Whitebuffalo, All Rights ReservedTo God, A Prayer
by
Michael Anthony Garcia
I keep praying for the things I desire,
You tell me I’m selfish ~ playing with
fire.
It is hard to believe I am selfish ~ vain,
My desires seem so real
And my need seem so sane,
And yet you are wiser ~
Your vision is wide ~ You look down on
Me ~ You see deep inside,
You know it’s
So easy to change ~ distort,
And things
that are evil seem so harmless a sport.
Oh Teach Me, Dear God
to not rush ahead,
But to pray for
Your guidance ~ you know what I need
~ that I’m only a slave to the
things that I want ~ desire ~ crave!
OH GOD, in your mercy look
down on me now ~ see in my heart
that I love you somehow,
Although in my rashness, impatience ~ greed
I pray for the things
that I want ~ don’t need, and instead
of a crown,
Please send me a cross
And teach me to know
that all gain is but
loss,
And show me the way
to joy without end,
With You as my Father
Redeemer and Friend
And send me the things
That are hardest
to bear,
And keep me forever
Safe in Thy
“CARE”
Copyright © 1997,Michael Anthony Garcia, All Rights Reserved
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Comments to: Jason Wittman