TYDF Voice2Youth Poetry Publications

We have proudly published a total of 8 anthologies, each capturing the unique voices and perspectives of our students. Our inaugural anthology, “Giving Voice to Youth,” juxtaposed our students’ poetry alongside a poignant piece by the esteemed Maya Angelou, titled “Alone.”

In our most recent anthology, we delve into the crucial topic of renewable and nonrenewable energy. Inspired by a special presentation delivered by an environmental engineer, our students have crafted poems that illuminate the complexities of this subject, offering insights and reflections garnered from their studies and discussions.

The introduction of Couplets, a poetic form consisting of two lines that rhyme at the end of each line, has ignited the creation of the following playful poem.

Skittles are good.

Skittles are tasty.

I will take them everywhere.

I will eat them with a fox.

I will eat them in a box.

I will eat them on a train.

I will eat them in the rain.

I will eat them in a pool.

I will eat them until I’m full.

I will say Skittle Riddles when I see Skittles.

I wanted to play the basketball sport.
So I went over to the court.
There was a whole lot of noise
made by only boys.

I tried to stay calm
while I shot the ball in the goal.
The boys got mad because a
girl stole their role.

I had a lot of fun
and made the boys run.
Now guess who is number one

Here’s a poem utilizing words that imitate sound. That poetic technique is called onomatopoeia.

I met a little bee

She was such a hard worker

An adult bee that went around saying,

“Bzzzzzzzzz, bzzzzzzzz!!!”

Flying like lightning

One day the little bee went to work

And it had a new job

She went on to be a little explorer bee

She went to explore all of the flowers

She studied all she found

When she was tired she saw a flower

A flower of her favorite color

It was red as she liked it

The little bee took a picture of it

“Click, click”

As she finished, she saw a frog

The little bee was scared

She thought it may hurt her

She heard the frog

“Ribit, ribit”

It sounded just like a trumpet

The frog saw the little bee

And she said that she only wanted to get to know her

So the little bee went up to meet her

They played

Time passed

They became friends

Imitation writing is teaching strategy we used to inspire the following poems. The students imitated a poem by Dr. Maya Angelou title ‘Alone.’

Lying, watching

On a sunny day

Trying to find time

To think, to be alone…have peace

Where kids are not bursting my eardrums

They are not on my back

Then I thought of one thing

And I know that I’m not wrong

And I know that I know

I’m not wrong

Kids get on your nerves like loud rain pouring down

They aren’t as good as peaches and cream

It’s the same old thing

Loud and bad

If you look into the kids’ eyes, it’s not good

Look into the clouds

The clouds spell out B-A-D-K-I-D-S

You would have to have a war to put them in their place

And I know that I’m not wrong

And I know that I know

I’m not wrong

You can’t handle bad kids

Screaming, yelling

Saturday night

I was having the greatest time allowed

Where cold air was untouchable

Fun was 180 feet up

Fear was in my eyes

I was frozen in my spirit

Fun and fear

Fear and fun

All wrapped up in one

When I was on the ride

I heard my heart screaming

My sister raised her hands

I began to yell

And I had a great time

Fun and fear

Fear and fun

All wrapped up in one

Our teaching artists inspired the following poems through various methods, including music, memories, and the sense of smell or aroma.

Jazz, Jazz, Jazz, I

am a beautiful jazz.

I take you places

with a modern sound.

High and low

everywhere you go.

My beat gets with

your feet. Your body

starts moving like

jiggling Jell-O. You

raise your voice to  my modern sound and

move your hips to

my radical sound.

Everyone is there and

dancing to my sound. That’s why I

am joyful jazz.

Coffee, Coffee

Coffee, Coffee

I smell coffee in my neighborhood

Wish I had a cup

It would taste so good

Take me to a make believe land

With fountains of milk and sugar canes

Like Peter Pan I thought I could fly

But then, I thought why, why, why

Why can’t I taste what I just smelled?

Oh! What a waste.

Coffee, Coffee

Coffee, Coffee

I smell coffee in my neighborhood

Wish I had a cup

It would taste so good

These are free verse poems, which means they do not have a standard format regarding meter or rhyme.

Never underestimate yourself.

You could possibly miss your true power, beauty, talent, and strength.

Just like a clue to a mystery, it could be right in your face,

but you are too shy or oblivious to see it.

If you underestimate yourself, you’ll be stuck in this parallel universe

where you can’t see clearly.

When you underestimate yourself, you only see half of yourself.

You aren’t complete. You are incomplete.

Never underestimate yourself.

Never underestimate me!

Through it all, You were ever near.

I stood alone, unaware that You were beside me.

I was oblivious to the arms holding me upright.

When my legs should have given out, I still stood,

propped up on Your shoulders.

When the battle cry rang out and pierced my earstremors overtook my body.

I felt frozen in fear, yet Your warmth thawed me out.

Your breath melted away the terrors which stranded me.

The horror dripped and fell away from my body.

Yet my arms were too wounded to hold the sword.

I struggled to grasp it, my fingers were weak and merely slipped about the

handle. Still You held me, breathing into me when I should have died of my wounds.

You took the sword in Your own right hand,

and stormed against the enemy, defending me from my

foes. You, my King, fought for this peasant.

You were exposed, so that I could be protected.

I watched as the enemy ripped You apart.

I saw You fall down and die, and I fell to my knees,

unable to cope.

What love? What purpose was there in a King dying for a child who

couldn’t even survive on its own?

I rolled on the ground in deathly sorrow. My eyes sore and red with tears.

My legs had given out, my wounds were bleeding again,

and my lungs collapsed, no longer able to breathe.

Just as the foes came near, just as I had lost faith,

Rays of Light came down through the darkness.

It struck my enemy down in its tracksthen illuminated me.

This feeling, this warmth, this joy, this comfort, I knew it. I’ve felt it before.

My legs were healed and strengthened beneath me,

as if they were upheld on Your shoulders once again.

My wounds were filled with new flesh,

and the blood on my skin was washed away.

My nostrils felt living air breathed into them,

and my heart could once again beat. Death didn’t keep You from me.

No chains were strong enough to separate You and I. You came back to me while I was unworthy and despairing.

What love is this that You died for me?

What love is this that You survive for me?

What love is that that You abide in me?

Yet there You are.

I am forever on Your shoulders.

We use various writing methods, including collaborative writing or creating team poems.

My vision is like a collision.

There is no division in my mission.

I play violin to bring value out,

from deep inside my skin.

To make the people know,

I win!

When I’ve got victory,

I’ll make history.

I will not be a mystery.

I will use my voice.

I will have courage,

because it seems so plain,

it’s all inside my brain.

I’m glad it was my decision,

to have a mission.

That is my 2020 vision.

Eye Check!

What’s that?!

Seeing things,

as I’ve never seen them before,

that’s my 2020 vision.

Bias brain

So mean

Accusing every different person of something

Bias brain

Full of hurtful hateful discouraging things

Bias

Bad, Ignorant, Absolute, Segregating

Brain

Stop being so mean!

Because that’s how you’re going to be treated

Bias brain

Think that everyone has to be the same

All I have to say is shame, shame, shame.

Here is an acrostic poem a young student wrote about the Civil Rights Movement.

Morehouse College

Out in the world to get equal rights

Never racist against whites

Torn apart by a divided nation

Getting work and getting treated right

Out in the world to end racism

More than just a dad, husband, or preacher

Encouraging Americans towards a better future

Responsible for every liberty we enjoy today

Young, proud, and ambitious


Brilliantly written speeches

Uniting other people

Special person who wanted slaves to be free


Believing and never giving up

Out-smarting the police

Yes to end slavery

Courageous in her fight

Out-spoken

The boycott lasted for 385 days

Testified against racism and won