Maya Angelou Literary Magazine

Within∙

These∙

GatesSPRING 2011

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:

All of the poetry and artwork in this literary magazine was created by young men from Washington, DC while incarcerated at New Beginnings Youth Development Center.

A PRODUCTION OF MAYA ANGELOU ACADEMY• A SEE FOREVER SCHOOL •

Within∙

These∙

Gates

SPRING 2011

4 | Within These Gates

DREAMS Markel

I dream to be president, And the white house is my residence.I dream to be successful, And have a girl that’s blissfulI dream to make honey, And sting like a bee.I dream to be on tv, And rich and famous.I dream to live a life, that’s free, And more painless. I dream to be Dr. King, And speak on my dream.I dream to sit on a throne,And wear a crown, and be king.I dream to be a star, And live out very, very far.I dream to live a life, Where people are accepted for who they are.I dream to shine, Brighter than the sun’s beam.I dream to swim in chocolate, And lots of whip cream.I dream to be a whishing well, And fulfill everyone’s wishes.I dream to be under water, And swim with the fishes.I dream…

Spring 2011 | 5

UNTITLED Martique

I want to be freeMan I wish I could see

The lightDuring the night

On my blockOf any hour of the clock

I wish I could go home and just beJust be the one and only true me

So I can show the fightI have in me that shows I’m bright

So they can understand that I won’t stopUntil my bright light shines at the very top

This is what they’re going to seeWhen they take a look or glance at me


ODE TO FREEDOMBy Makel

A man is NOT free Until he is releasedBut from what I know,Freedom is an amazingWord that gives me relief.

The closer a man gets toFreedom the moreAnxious a man gets.

Freedom is a powerful word.Freedom is love.

Freedom flies freely Like a baby bird new to the world.

I can’t taste freedom yetBut I know it’s somewhere there.I’m waiting to be here.I’ve done everything I need…now I wait to beFree.

Craig

Spring 2011 | 7


CAGED BIRD Adrian

A free bird just goes about life taking life for granted.While the caged bird wishes it can be free like the free bird,And never take freedom for granted.Sometimes I feel like a caged bird,Because I been in the same spot for so long,Seeing the same people,Same places,Hearing the same voices.Sometimes I even come down on myself asking,How did I get here?What can I do?What am I doing?Can I do it better?I just want to be free,Like the free bird,And never take life for granted,If I am not physically free, all I want is just to be free of mind.

Spring 2011 | 9

HARD TO GET OUTAdrian

They say it’s easy to get in trouble but hard to get outThey give you your freedom and tell you to go aboutThey don’t know your family and friends are in a drought

They say it’s easy to get in trouble but hard to get outThey label you as a menace to societyBut they don’t know you just want a salaryWhile grinding trying to make it in today’s society

They say it’s easy to get in trouble but hard to get outI’m wondering if people ever get outOr do they just tell youTo go about


WHAT IS A MAN? Kevin

What is a man? A man isis someone who makestheir own decisions, if so why can’t I make my own?

Life is stressingI try to grow up like a bean stalkbut people keep throwing me aroundlike tree bark.

I hate these gates, they’re talking back at me, but I try to free my mindand not stress over my fate.

This shit is hardtrying not to make a mistake.Like trying to find the right wordson an important date.

Life is a gambleyou have to take a chance.

All I want is for my peopleto give me one more chance.

Spring 2011 | 11

UNTITLEDDaniel

As I live in this life,loving the long lasting days,Looking in the sky at the sun's amazing rays,Every moment, every minute, every month,must become a memorable thought...that walks through the thin and thick,two-sided path in my head.

My life has been recorded and rememberedby the recipientsthat reminisce on the river of long lasting pain.

I'm like a grain of sandthere are many like mebut my grainis mine.

Marco


WHO AM I!!?!?Darius

I am the one who only submits to AllahI am the one who can see from afar

I am the strongest and the wiseI am a man, but still I cry

They say I have a gift but what can it be?They say I’m rich with money I can’t see

I will be deceased one day, but where would I go?To paradise or hell?Only Allah knows

They say I have good heart, but it never showsNo matter what I do, time still flowsI am not a coward but what can I be?

I am a lion in a cage but really can’t seePeople always say that boy is shy

All I want to know isWho am I…

Spring 2011 | 13

SOMETIMES I FEELBradley

Sometimes I feel like I got no place in front of me.Sometimes I feel like a lonely bumble bee,

But I'm not free.Sometimes I feel like running away, but I feel I won't be safe.

Sometimes I feel like a savage in tha wild.But deep down inside I'm just a young wild child.

Sometimes I wonder should I play in a puddle or just go cuddle.Sometimes, sometimes I feel I should run and hide,

but deep inside that aint my pride.Sometimes...


THUGS CRYDarius

Thugs cry so why can’t I?I’m sitting in a cell wishing time passes byThugs cry but why can’t you?Cause you want to play hard and you know that’s not youThugs cry in a mean situationI’m sitting being patient, waiting for a placementAnd when they come and take meI’ll be sitting in the same situationHoping someone just take me away from the dramaThugs cry so why can’t we?I’ll take this life and do me….

Dayvaughn

Spring 2011 | 15

NEVER ALONEDerrick

I’m never alone in my neighborhoodIt is alive by natureThe corner store smiles at meThe sidewalk talksThe houses gossipThe school thinks “How can I teach these kids?”The bus laughsThe trees sing lullabiesMy neighborhood is like a riverThat never stops running

I’M FROMMarkel

I’m from a place where they use words Like nuclear weapons… Filled with soldiers like the army, theyGet locked up and just focus on getting biggerAnd stronger…physically instead Of mentally… Where the murder rate is higher than the Test scores at schools… Where police stop you because you Look like a friend… Where you are found guilty but innocent From the beginning…We used to be slaves physically at first, But now mentally in the end…


THE GHETTODearies

Southwest misses me,The hood misses my humor.

The money is calling me.The grass does not grow in my hood

The project walls move at night.My hood takes a bath.

The rain is hurtful like a 30-day hit.

Dayvaughn

Spring 2011 | 17

THE HOOD OF MY LIFE Makel

The buildings up Tyler House shout The stores cry because people are robbing themMacy’s is tired of seeing meThe P6 creeps through the hood day n nightThe money calls out my nameAndy’s carryout looks at me and says Eat but eat like you’re hungryThe money at the crap game criesThe streets look at me and laugh and tease me,Police cars hate me.

This hood is me.My hood is trying to keep the peaceIt’s like a war with love.New faces come in every dayThe buildings call them in.And then they are pushed out.

But I am still inMy hoodDay n nite. My hood.


AROUND MY WAYEdward

Around my wayIt is a good summer day around my wayThe breeze feels like a new open refrigerator

The girls around my way bumble like beesThe clothes I wear express how I feelMy shoes call my mom to pay my bill

I play outside like the teeth eatThe building talks about the people on it Cooling is my drug so seeing the leaves raked and the kids play that’s Why it’s a dayAround my way.

Spring 2011 | 19

Various


REST IN PEACEReggie

Rest in peace to my opportunity of seeing my son's 1st step.Rest in peace to my opportunity of hearing my son's 1st word.Rest in peace…Rest in peace to my chance of seeing 2011 summer time sight. Rest in peace to my chance of taking pictures with my son at a young age,For him to see when he get older.Rest in peace…Rest in peace to my opportunity of being with my son his first time at Chucky Cheese.Rest in peace to my opportunity of my son really getting to know me.Rest in peace…

Spring 2011 | 21

RIP JAMALDaniel

He was 16 years old and put in a graveThe pain will only stop with death like a slaveHe was 16 years old but he was still so braveTo take a bullet to the head for the girlThat he saved.19 days will be 9 years ago he left19 days will be the day I’ll regretFor days, months, and years to comeMy friend is not replaceable like aPiece of gum.Every time I see a football I see my friend.

I will love, I will cry tillThere are no more tears or love left.


ROBBY DLester

When I was about 16 I used toHang with my man Rob.He was like a bright star to me- Guiding me and showing me the way.When he turned 17 he got shot.

That messed my whole life up becauseI don’t know whether toStay on the blockOr go back to selling rocksOr just keep a stack in my sockAnd I was locked up and could notGo to his funeral.

But I wantTo let you know Rob, that I willAlways love you.You are that star in the skyThat will always shine on me.When I look up,I will see you wink.

Love you Robby D.

Spring 2011 | 23

RIP HEADDionte

I remember you told me you would neverDeal over a gunshot wound.Every time I hear a motorcycle I think aboutThat one moment when you was in thatMotorcycle crash that same day you saidYou wouldn’t deal over a gun. But I don’t gotMuch to say but RIP my friendI remember when we used to play ball together. OneThing we didn’t do together,I wish I would have got onThe back of the motorcycleAnd we would be gone together.

I LOVE YOURaymond

I’m thinking hard…I know I was young when you passed awayEveryday I hear you say- I love you.When you left I felt like a star lost in the sky.

To me you were the best mom in the world.I will never forget about you as long as I live.

At first I thought it was my fault,But Jerome told me, “It’s not your fault, it was just her time to go.”

Now I know it was your time to go. ButI still love you and will never forget.

I love you mom.


RIP L.I.PAdrian

Boom Boom Boom Boom!! The sound of my friendgetting killed made methink twice of my lifestyle I was living.Thinking back when we used to play football in deep snowand can barely run in itmade me drop my headas my eyes watered and tears fell softly on mycheeks. The pain speaks to me andis unbearable when looking down at the personyou used to play “Tag” with in a casket.Man ithurts.

Spring 2011 | 25

TOMORROW’S NEVER PROMISEDDarius

2morrow never promisedSo I wake up to get my cake upI’m out here grinding2morrow never promisedSo I got to change my environmentAint nobody stoppin’ meFeds still watchin’ meCase worker always clockin’ me2morrow never promisedSo I live for todayAnd pray to AllahThat he’ll guide me the righteous way2morrow never promisedSo much I can doBut if I die tomorrowI would want to die by you…


ODE TO MY HAIRMartique

My hair is my hat, keepsThe shade from the sunMy hair is my petAt least I take care of it like oneYou keep my scalp warmAnd the clippers from headYou are my umbrella when the suns out thereYou relax me when you’re being doneAnd being with you all the time is so much fun

OUT OF THE ORDINARY Martique

The phone was as black as the carpet when it hid from meThe window watched me as if it was a spy The dog walked with us like our shoesMy coat wore me just as I wore itI am in money’s possession as it’s in my pocketI follow tomorrow as today follows meThe letter spoke to me as she wrote to meAs I watch TV the mirror watched us both Out of the ordinary watches me as I watch the ordinary.

Spring 2011 | 27

ODE TO THE DORITOJoseph

O Dorito! You are as yellow as Homer Simson. Your blueand green speckles are like dots on a dalmation. You

are my favorite food. You are not in the shape of regular chips, and this, Dorito, is what

makes you so unique. You are the most fashionable chip. When I

eat you I hear the crunch,crunch, then crinkle,

crinkle of the bag.I always wish there were

just onemoredo-ri-to.


PencilDaniel

My pencil has a mind of its own. It can write by itself all alone.No one is home but my pencil is There it talks to me all the time But the words I can’t hear.It can eat when it wants because it has that connection With the refrigerator who shows it affection. One day I caught it texting but not on a phone It was in my room writing all on its own.The title was life of DCAnd you won’t believe it was all about meIt started real good but ended real badAnd out of the blue it made me sad.Sad only because the words were trueBut I love my pencil and it loves me too.

Spring 2011 | 29

Sean


MISSING YOU (I)Sean

When we first met,I never imagined that we was gonna make it this far,It’s been so long and you’re still here,Our first conversation was how life would get better,I fell for you,I wish I could jump outta space and fall foreva,But now that you’re gone it’s hard to let go,As our love faded away slowly it was hard to hold on,But you’re no longer beside me, so I have to go on,And it’s hard to move on when you were here for so long,I took you through this and I took you through that,You treated me the same but you never came back,Now that you gone,I realize how much you meant to me,To me, it’s like you left so easily,I guess we weren’t meant to be,And as I think of you day by day,The love that I once had for you constantly fades away.

MISSING YOU (II)Sean

I’m still hereand you’re away,but as you can see and hear,everything is okay,

You flew away at sixteen,And you were hit eleven times,Every day I shed tears,but everything is fine,

Spring 2011 | 31

You were here with me before,but now you are gone,while you’re taking your tour,I will continue to move on,

Some days I wanna go,Some days I wanna cry,Most days I wanna know,Why life passed you by?

ALL ALONESean

I wake up every morning and see the world smiling,I look outside and see the clouds crying in pain,I hear short heartbeats coming out of the rain,I witness the sun desperately asking for a change,and the football on the ground hoping for a game,as the cars scream the ground cracks up,the force of negativity is like the impact of a truck.I know how it feelsto be a cigarette butt,to get put down and never picked up.As I sit back and watch the world make lovewith violence,the sun, moon, and stars are praying for silence,the ocean, trees, and mountains wish we were one,but by the power of the gun,more love-making will come.


Juan

Spring 2011 | 33

THE TEARS I CRY Markel

The tears I cry represent the pain inside…

The tears I cry represent the fear I hide…

The tears I cry represent the anger and frustration…

The tears I cry represent my incarceration…

The tears I cry represent my life as a handful…

The tears I cry represent me being successful…

The tears I cry represent I’m not being demolished…

The tears I cry represent that I’m bound for college….

So stay strong and never be shy becauseEverything represents the tears you cry.


UNTITLED Martique

It’s a fine Friday, flyingLike an hourglassSeconds fly past as the clockTick tocks.Me, mad, and missingAll the things I don’t seeMe, mad, and missingAll that is missing me.

STRUGGLEGerald

The pain The hardshipOf knowing the truthIt hurtsIt hurtsBadly

Spring 2011 | 35

NIGHT MOVES- NEW BEGINNINGSDaniel

I lie in my bed,My head full with thoughts.My thoughts talk to meTelling me to go to sleep.I hear the sssssst of a snake in the grass by my window.When I get up to see,It stops.I’m thinking my mind is playing tricks on me.I lie back downAnd it starts again.But then it turns to the boom of thunder.I hear drip drop when the rain stops.My thoughts are now yelling at me.It’s like the storm without an end.I want to be homeIt’s a nightmareAt a New Beginnings home.


THE SITUATION I PUT MYSELF INMarkel

My inner body feels like a volcano, Ready to explode…I don’t know how much more of this anger I can hold…I get a stomach ache, and my body shakes, like an earthquake…I punch all walls until my knuckles break, I don’t know how much more of this Shit I can take… My eyes are still burning from the tearsThat I shed…My back is still hurting from that hard ass bed…Every time I tryI always fall down…I do the slightest things and get hit with a 30th round…down here where I’m at, they put you to a test…Group, group, group, you barely getrest…When you come down here you gotta hide your pride…Because in a place like this, onlythe strongest survive…Everyday and every night I’m around all dudes…Some of them areWild niggaz, and some of them are cool… Every week day at six o’clock, we watch BET…I sit back and think, damn all of them are free…Every night before 8:30, you gottaBe in the shower…Only 10 minutes, why not an hour…? In every check in we gotta sayHow we’re feeling…Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, is always chicken, chicken, chicken…Some people are playing spades…And some are playing the game…While I walk around lost, trying to figure out a way how to express my pain…Always watch your back, never callno one a friend…All this because of the situation I put myself in…

Spring 2011 | 37

STRESS Darius

What Is Going On, Why Am I Here?I’m Losing My Mind,Because I’m Not With Ordinary Peers.

I Wanna Break Out, But Where Can I Go?It Feels As If I’m StuckDeep Down In The Snow.

I Just Can’t Wait Until I Leave,I’m Suffocating In HereLike I Can’t Breathe.

I’m Almost Home, So Please, No StressI Don’t Wanna Do More Than 6So I Better Do My Best.

When I Leave, I Hope I Never Come BackBecause I’m Only 14And I Been Here A Lot.

Oh My God I Hate This Place.I Just Wanna SeeMy Little One’s Face.


ODE TO MY MOTHERReggie

She is as nice as summer weatherSupports me through my trials and tribulationsGives me advice when I need itRaise me to shine like the sunAnd to never play with gunsBut what happen to me?Locked up for 9 to 10 months like a hoodlum orTo have a baby at 16 like Maya AngelouOh no my mother did not raise me like datWhat happen to me…I apologize dear mamma.

LOVE OF MY LIFEDerrick

My grandmother always told meThat you can be what you want to be,If you put your mind to it.

She was a short ladyWith long hair that came to her shouldersWith light brown eyes like a cookie.

This was my grandmother: cooking chicken, chitlins, and cheesecakeWatching “The Price is Right”Coming to get me when I was in troubleSwooping down like a bird.

Spring 2011 | 39

MARSHAYKarie

Marshay is a flower in heavenMarshay is a gentle summer breeze that blows me into her armsMarshay is like the sun beaming down on my heart melting into the palm of her hand.Marshay is like the sea that comes and goes with my love.Marshay is like a bird that flies gracefully with my heart under her wingsMarshay is the sweet, succulent smell of pie on Thanksgiving dayMarshay Marshay oh sweet Marshay.

ME AND YOU Damon

Me and youThat’s what I want to be trueI like the way the wind blowsJust can’t wait till I talk to herI like the way the rain comes downAnd the way the sun runs aroundI see the moon every nightI like the way it turns into a lightMe and you can always come true


ODE TO PARENTS Sean

You are the sun and the moon,Because when one can’t be there,I’ll always have the other to turn to.The beatings, The punishmentsDidn’t last long,But it did help out a little all along.Mommy ain’t raise no dummy,And Dad ain’t raise no cupcake. The love, Your support,Is what I appreciate.Whether I’m right or wrong,You always look at me the same,From schoolhouse to jailhouse things never changed,I just wanted 2 let u know,That the things I do ain’t got nothin’ to do with how you raised me,I’m still your baby,This just how the streets made me,The billions of good things I do for you,Can’t even touch the things you did for me.I’ll do anything to be a family again,But even though you’re not together,Your love will never go away.Dad,Moon is the night,AndMom,Sun is my day.

Spring 2011 | 41

AS I WATCH YOU GROWEric

As I sit and watch my nephew growFrom knee to toeI notice when he smiles it glows and heIs not afraid to showThat’s how you knowWhen he gets olderAnd becomes a teenagerHe will be bold with a heart full of goldWhen he becomes an adultHe will be nice to his wife and hopefully they will never fightBecause he is brightAnd his skills are tightAnd he can ball just like MikeAfter he retires he should be in the hall of fameIt’s a shame he had to school these young cats in this gameOne love, because he is aboveAnd he never party at clubsAnd his house is never dirty or full of bugsWhen I see him ill, give him lots of hugsOne love, cuz.


CHERISH Martique

Most real men cherish their womanBut when it comes to another girl they’re quick to go at ‘emYou can’t live with them, an’ we can’t live without themThe struggle they put you through, most of us grow tiredBut during our downfalls we always need one beside usBut on the other hand, we feel we can go without themPeople say a dog is a man’s best friendBut I believe a man’s best friend is the second thing God put in The world, and that’s a girl Like Adam and Eve, it’s a woman so each man can bePleasedAn’ I found mine, but I still struggle with mineBut my commitment to love an’ jealously keeps me fromGiving up on tryingAn’ deep inside a man knows he never runs out of timeAs long as that’s the vision he has in his mindBut when he sets his mind, he has to give up on the grindOf pimping womenAn’ start to take in consideration of that woman’s feelingAn’ for the love of these women’s feelingsMake sure you continue to deal with them‘Cause if deep inside, you know you ready to take that rideAn’ you sticking with herMake sure every night you repeatedly kiss herFor the times you go through, when you really miss herYou will know inside you really with her‘Cause in your soul Y’all always together as a wholeAnd this I knowFor my experience of these things tells me so.

Spring 2011 | 43

Gerald


OAK TREEEric

Tall and strongCant be knocked downAn oak tree holds its groundLeaves live life on the oak treeAnd they frownThen fall downJust like meBut Spring brings new ringsAnd leaves are shining, singing, bling, bling

MY LIFEAbdulah

I made a decision that I regretIn my lifetime.And I take it as I go on,And I am gaining experiences.I'm human.I'm not perfect like anyone.

Spring 2011 | 45

THUNDER David

I’m like thunder that brings the boom, bang, and bumps to everyoneI roar unexpected like deathThe lighting follows and the clouds darkenThe rain falls, the pain washes awayEverything gets quiet and I still roarThen people brace themselves for more, but I roar no moreI keep everyone on edge like a mountainBut like thunder I’m unexpected, I roar

Joseph


EDITIORS:Christina CampbellChelsea Kirk

A SPECIAL THANKS TO:David DomeniciEmily HainesMatt BarinholtzMara ClarkBarbara O'NealMalcolm JayAmanda McKennaTrenell EatonJailyn BriggsTinnell SladeAlicia HollowayKate SchrepferMaggie KennedySee Forever FoundationDepartment of Youth Rehabilitative Services

Spring 2011 | 47

No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from the authors, artists, and editors.

A PRODUCTION OF MAYA ANGELOU ACADEMY• A SEE FOREVER SCHOOL •

Maya Angelou Literary Magazine

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