where we’re not seeing the same thing
even if we’re in the same place, looking in the same direction
I’m trying to say what it looks like over here
and I want to know what it looks like where you are
The future depends on us speaking precisely
so that’s what we are learning to do
JANEIN BROOKES
YEARS AS MENTEE: 2
GRADE: Sophomore
HIGH SCHOOL: Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts
BORN: New York, NY
LIVES: Bronx, NY
PUBLICATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS: Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: two Silver Keys
MENTEE’S ANECDOTE: As a free-verse poet, committing to a sonnet, a structured writing style, was not easy. I remember being frustrated with counting the vowels of each word, and that annoyed feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever Cynthia asked me to choose a different word. Still, when I wrote the last word, even though there was no drastic world change, I felt like the entire world had tilted on its axis. Despite my clammy hands and throbbing migraine, I felt a rush of pride and overwhelming self-worth, like a great breeze had blown the clouds out of my sun’s way.
CYNTHIA-MARIE O’BRIEN
YEARS AS MENTOR: 2
OCCUPATION: Copy Editor, Queens Library
BORN: New Haven, CT
LIVES: Queens, NY
PUBLICATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS: America, The Literary Review, U.S. Catholic
MENTOR’S ANECDOTE: After the Structured Poetry workshop, Janein was initially reluctant to use forms. She even told me that she hates structure. I challenged her to use form—a sonnet—to focus her ideas—and she did! The resulting poem won a Scholastic Art & Writing award. I was so proud of how she stretched herself as a writer and moved the judges.
“Soar” is a sonnet, and my first structured piece. As a poet, I prefer to write free verse. “Soar” is personal because, while I don’t know the boy, I watched him grow up.
Go on and fly little chocolate boy, fly! Won’t you fly?
Will your wheels roll fast enough for you to get along
In a world that doesn’t protect little chocolate boys?
Tell the world that your moving body is not a toy. Fly!
Your stare is patient enough to hide insanity
within dark eyes that have borne witness to travesty.
But how long can you avoid the restriction of your blue
jacket? Just remember that people can catch up to you.
I’m up here, little chocolate boy, watching the moving
form of you, wondering if you expect someone to swoon
at your little tricks. Because you have skin they want to peel
and with your valiant resistance, they’ll make the perfect
example of you, soon enough. Little boy, you’ll have to fly
when the airplane of tomorrow’s resistance soars above.
I wrote this lighthearted piece for our Structured Poetry workshop. The sounds are meant to convey and conjure up vivid memories of enjoyable afternoons. Generation F is connected to earlier generations, celebrating their example.
Mary’s at the seat of her truck
Thinking that with some good luck
For her lunch today
She’ll eat at the bay.
The sun shines hot through the windshield
And she thinks that she will yield
To her appetite for a sandwich
Before she gets up to boogie bandwidth.
She drives to Kettle Cove
Where often she’s known to roam
Whoopie pie in her hand
She thinks of one demand:
We love our Amato’s
So full of tomatoes.
NATHALIE CABRERA
YEARS AS MENTEE: 1
GRADE: Junior
HIGH SCHOOL: A. Philip Randolph Campus High School
BORN: New York, NY
LIVES: New York, NY
MENTEE’S ANECDOTE: Being with Deb means having meaningful, much-needed conversations. We talk about everything about life in our weekly meetings. Every time I meet her we just feed off each other’s knowledge and we transform this into ideas that become part of our writing as well. Our space has turned into one that is safe and has no filters because no one else gets to judge. It is just us. I love having the opportunity to talk and write and create and have the chance to do things that we love the most.
