These poems were written by students taught by Sam Ross during his stint in the Teach for America program. Sam let his students rummage through his Storymatic as part of class. He then collected the poems in an anthology, “Loose Thieves Running,” which is a wonderful collection of work with many more poems in it than are featured here. The poems below were featured in The National Gallery of Writing, sponsored by National Council of Teachers of English.

A SAFE PLACE TO BE IS

I remember when
I was just 5 years old and
I saw a shootout.
It was scary the guns made
Loud sounds: pow pow pow.
My grandma holds me in her arms
Saying it’s going to be all right,
But they made me feel better. When
It was done
All you see is blood, guns, bodies.
Then my mom got home I was so
Happy.
Then, know, what it’s like
Witnessing a shootout
At the age of 5.

– Ashley

***

YELLOW CAKE LYRICS

Outside all you see is people
Smoking, killing themselves,
Killing.

I found a box of cigarettes in my
Mom’s box of hair
Took it to school
To be noticed
People forcing me to smoke it
My boyfriend said
Not a big deal.
He does it and he covers me
So who cares?
I thought it was the right thing
But now there are missing children
All over town
I’m stuck on the
Roof can’t get down.

– Shelsea

***

AM I LOST

“Who are you really, wanderer?”
Who am I?
Where do I come from?
Wandering, lost
Nowhere to go
I am wandering around
Looking to the far off land
Ocean, seas may I
Be home or am I lost
May I have riches
In my life

Stepped outside my door
In the dark night
Smell sea heard crickets
Smell sea heard crickets
Walked to the bus
Stop so far but close
Waited so long so
Late in the night the voice
Screaming 2.25 per person
With the money in my hand
Sitting on the bus for
Days and days passing
But still have not
found my destination.

– Shelsea

***

A LIST OF REPEATED WORDS

I saw blue
Trees reflecting on a purple sun.
I saw a blue bird
With its chick hatching in the tree.
I saw a tiger
Getting food from outer space.
Then my mom tattletaled
On me to my baby brother
That I took his apple sauce.
I saw a door-to-door
Sales person.
They always
get the wrong,
get the wrong,
get the wrong
things to you.

– Ashley

***

MY DAD’S CAREER

Mr. Incredible getting ready to make the
winning shot he spins around number
14. Boom. The insane pain hits his ankle
rushing to the hospital. The doctor has to
snap his ankle back into place. His whole
career down the drain.

– Shaqwan

***

ME

I am from a pyramid filled
with desert blocks. I am
from a sky filled with sea
animals.

I am from an icy land, from
The blazing sun. I am
From a palace made with
A north face.

I am from a sandy forest
Filled with ice animals.
I am from a fireplace
Filled with ice.

– Shaqwan

***

Nameless

I just remembered the death
Of my aunt
The black we went through
But we stayed strong.
Stayed strong is muscles.
Stayed strong is ropes.
Stayed strong is love.

I remember the Christmas
Last year. So much things
Giving to me such a happy
Atmosphere.

I remember the audible thump
Outside my dad’s car
Something so hard making a
Dent in the door

I remember my mom’s travel
Agency
Had gotten our flight wrong
We went so far away
From where the destination was

I remember being in the car to
My aunt’s funeral
Hearing an old station
I have never heard before.

– Shelsea

***

WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT
Shelsea

I’m from the platinio and
Salami
Nation from Santiago
From chilling day and
Partying all night.

I’m from the smell of
Coconut in the mid-
Afternoon. I’m from
The fresh milk outside
My doorstep, from people
On the beach at 3 in the
Morning.

I’m also from the salsa land,
From music everywhere
From the only place
You can find a fresh start
Party all day with
Love everywhere

I’m from Italy,
A place unknown to me
Different language
That I am still waiting
To learn.

Open my hazel eyes
On June 23,1997
To find out that
My hair is longer than
My mom’s
I guess it came from my
Dominican nationality
Or Italian ancestors
My grandparents got money
flying out the window
thousands and millions
my grandparent have earned.

Everyone wanted to know them.

– Shelsea

***

Las Vegas

I love Las Vegas so much
The basement is huge
That is a big pool at the back
The security gives protection
The red company wears red
I love the big state
The red food company’s
Basement is very massive
And it’s in Vegas
Their security protects me.

– Shaqwan

***

GRANDMOTHER’S ASHES

Grandmother’s ashes
are in a bowl.
What are they?
Who are the ashes that come
from grandma?
I don’t know,
do you know?
To find out: search, search
and search some more.
I see, I see
Where they come from,
from her body.

– Ashley

***

Some of the cards that appear in these poems are: box of hair, stuck on the roof, problem at the bus station, person who goes door to door, audible thump outside the car, grandmother’s ashes