This week, the Beat will be posting work from writers in the Writers in Baltimore Schools (WBS) program. This work was created at WBS’ Young Writers’ Summer Studio, a six-day writing camp held each year in August. This year, the Beat’s Lisa Snowden-McCray and Brandon Soderberg worked with the students for two of those six days. Some of the work here and much more will be published in WBS’ Writers’ Studio anthology out soon. We began with a piece from WBS founder Patrice Hutton and so far we brought you poems by WBS writers Abigail Mokuba, Jahi Heath, and Christian Pearson. Today, we have a poem by Kenniah Woodson…

We are me

We are a whole

We are the its that hold it together

We are the maggots that make the opps feel superior

We are the races that aren’t worth anything

We are Clanless 

      But even the clanless have a “clan”

We are African American,  Mexican,  Hispanic,  Muslim,  

      Arabic,  Italian,  and even Causasian

We are disowned

We are the food at the top/bottom of the chart

We are the targets 

      The weapons are the darts and guns

    And They… They are the throwers

The Hunters

The CAPTORS

They… They are the ones we fear the most

They are the sociopaths, 

     Loose ended, clumsy people, that should. 

The post “We Are” by Kenniah Woodson appeared first on Baltimore Beat.

I am from guns,

From laundry detergent and Xpression hair.

I am from the cement that I walk on

(sandy-colored, feels smooth).

I am from the Black-eyed Susan and foggy woods

Whose story was so scary and good that I

remembered it from 4 – 6 years ago.

I’m from cookie dough ice cream and principal’s honor roll.

From Ashley and herself.

I’m from loud-mouths

and know-it-alls.

From Period! And No-Cap!

I’m from I will fear no evil

with God being my flashlight and weapon

and being holy baptizer

with water and prayers.

I’m from Denny’s and Pizza Pleasers.

Hot wings with hot sauce and ginger ale.

From my cousin getting shot leaving her little

brother Jayden behind.

I’m from running and exercising but isn’t

losing anything.

From family, friends, and my money.

From amazing and interesting dreams that

I will never see again.

I am from the Baltimore high school parties.

That’s me! That’s me!

I am from a city that has a dead body in

its streets everyday.

Rest in peace to my dead loved ones.

I’m Kenniah Woodson to the government and public

I’m Glizzy.Niah on Instagram where

there is always news and drama.

I’m from a country that has an old

orange/white duck as president.

I’m from the store trips and snowy days.

I’m from cats, dogs, and hares.

I’m from the “yo wussup” and

“say your prayers, I love you.”

I’m from getting pushed over a ledge

of a 50 story building and getting

saved by Superwoman and going

out to eat with the Justice League,

Marvel Team, and DC heroes.

I’m from the lying, so called “friends” of mine.

I’m from Baltimore, one of the most dangerous

cities in Maryland.

I’M FROM BALTIMORE.

Kenniah Woodson has been part of the Writers in Baltimore Schools program for three years and is a rising ninth grader. Next week, WBS will hold their 8th annual Baltimore Young Writers’ Summer Studio a week-long, residential writing retreat for 32 Baltimore City students. Middle and high school students from ten Baltimore City Public Schools will spend six days working on fiction, poetry, and journalism with the editors of the Baltimore Beat. This program is offered completely free of charge to all students through the support of generous individuals via WBS’s crowdfunding campaign, which runs through August 1.

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