In our first meeting at Social Justice High School in the after school program, we shared a poem by Tonya Ingram titled, “I am 22.” In this poem, Tonya shares about herself, her diagnosis with lupus, and then interweaves the story of herself with her diagnosis with lupus. We discussed how we often cannot choose the things that happen to us in life, but through poetry, we can craft the narrative power around them.
Mr. Robles-Plascencia’s 9-12th Grade
Lillian D.
I am honest with others but never myself
I can’t accept the fact that my dedication takes
a toll on my mental health
I can’t accept that my feelings are worth feeling
I can’t accept that maybe I am too much of a perfectionist
I can’t accept.
I’ve never had an explanation why I am the way I am
I just am
It could be my mental health
It could be my dedication
It could be that I am too much of a perfectionist
It might not even be anything.
It’s just me.
Ileana G.
“I can’t pick a side!!”
I love the way that I draw
but I struggle to say the
right thing
So I share my feels to someone
who would just let me talk
then the feeling of being myself
comes so I stop
I listen to music to help
pop, rocks, sad, calm all the above
but when I draw it I
Hate How it looks
