1. Life Doesn’t Frighten Me at All

I walk down to a street called Killdare and I hear a peep… noises don’t frighten me at all!
Life doesn’t frighten me at all… when I cheer for the boys and when I’m a deer looking for toys! I am a clock so I can rock!
I say shoooo! They go booooo! Life doesn’t frighten me at all!
Lions in the zoo! Ghosts on the loose! Life doesn’t frighten me at all!
Voices in the air, clouds on the ground… life doesn’t frighten me at all!
I fly high in the sky. I read books… life doesn’t frighten me at all!
I draw pictures, I climb trees… life doesn’t frighten me at all!
In the street, on the road, flat like a toad! But… life doesn’t frighten me at all!
Watching TV, looking for candy, creating pictures! Life doesn’t frighten me at all!
When I say Hi, then they fly. But when I say bye, they go by to say hi… life doesn’t frighten me at all!
The sun is so high. I don’t know why, but perhaps we will die… life doesn’t frighten me at all!
A cow and a pig falling from the sky! Cheering and screaming… life doesn’t frighten me at all!
Tigers on the loose, growling in the dark… life doesn’t frighten me at all!
by the Castellanos 3-5th Girls Team


2. I Wish… I Wish… I Wish…

I wish drive-by shooting would stop, so people won’t pass away.
I wish I could give money to Haiti to help them rebuild their homes and schools.
I wish there were no guns in the world.
I wish I could make my neighborhood safe for the people who live in it.
I wish we could all get along and stop fighting.
I wish the wars would end, so the world could be a better place.
I wish I could give money to the homeless and make my community a safer place.
I wish doctors could find a cure for deadly diseases like AIDS and Cancer.
I wish all people could get along.
I wish I could be the President and put people back to work.
Let’s take back our community,
So our wishes can come true,
But first it has to start with me and with you!

by the Pope 3rd-5th Grade Girls & Boys Teams


3. Central Park Soccer

One, two, three, four
Come on girls!
Ahh…
I missed the ball, darn.
It’s too cold to kick the ball.
Dean is screaming,
“1,2,3,4 – Come on boys!”
Gental passes still,
make a boom, boom sound.
Shoes tap, tap, tap.
Running,
Passing,
Dribbling,
Kicking.
Carne asada in the air.
Yum…
I wanna go home.
Juicy meat, salsa, guacamole, torillas.
Ahhh!
I missed the ball again.

by the Castellanos 6th-8th Grade Girls Team


4. Ode to Automatic Black

Ode to automatic black
the sounds are pop music
the taste is a very sweet and sour
ode to automatic black
the smells that fill the air are catfish soup
it looks like black shimmering shirt
ode to automatic  black
feels like a dead artifact
moves like gray clouds filling the sky

by Alma L., age 10
Pilsen Academy


5. Window to My Community
 (note: This poem has been selected by the max 3 artists and is no longer available)

Boom Boom
Pow Pow
Next thing you know
Bodies on the ground
I look out my window
You know what I see?
I see lyin’, cryin’
Death and hate
Next thing you know
It’s all too late
This has to STOP!
This has to END!
Because it’s passing away my
family and friends
Death, death
Hate, hate
Wait a minute, wait, wait
Is friendship better than lyin’?
Is happiness worth the tryin’?
Can we fix it or can we not?
Because it’s my community and
it’s gotta stop!

by Antonio, age 10
Pope School