Future Scholars at Rutgers-Camden

Work by Rutgers-Camden Future Scholars

Poems

Laundromat

by Joseph

I place my clothes
in the dryer,
I press the button
to make it hotter.

Look at it when it
spins around,
After this I’m goin’
downtown.

My clothes are done
I wish I had more,
When I took them
out they fell on the
floor.

Sweetness of the World

by Desaun

When I dream a dream
of peace and happiness
I hear the wind whispering
to me while I walk on
the beach next to the sea.

It looks like heaven on earth,
or the world is giving birth
to a new spawning beauty.

When I dream a dream
of peace and happiness
the birds and the trees
speak to me of all the
good and the bad of
the past like war or
a first kiss that will
not be forgotten.

But as I awaken from
my sleep, I try to go
back to that sweet

and peaceful dream

The Special Dream

by Jesus

In my dream I’m in
the clouds

It smells like fresh
blueberries

I lay down and watch
the sunset on top of the beautiful
wave

I am relaxed and I am
warm

The wind hitting my body
soft and slowly

The sun has went down
and now it’s dark but not
quiet

I could still hear the
beautiful blue wave splash and

the warm wind whispering softly.

A Dream Place

by Sierra

It’s a place where everything comes
to life. The sky dances in
the night. The mushroom village rises
with every step I take.
Everything comes to life.
Dragons run through the sky, griffin
stalking its prey. Vampires
and werewolves fighting between the
dimensions. The taste of
early earth coming to life in the
morning. The smell of
new generations waking up to life.
This is where I belong.
That place, that magical place.
My dream place.

My Dream Place

by Amber

There is a place
In which I dream,

It looks very hazy,
Like fog before a storm,

It sounds quiet and peaceful,
Like a beach before sunset,

In my dream place I am free,
I am free to be who I want to be,

It is always close,
Never very far at all,

In my dream place I am free,
Free to be me and show my feelings,

Where is this dream place?

Not very far at all,

It is in my mind,

Spring, winter, summer and fall.

Dream

by Harmony

I am swimming

going deeper to
the core

Swimming and swimming
wanting more and
more

Then I start drowning
down to the
sea floor

When I wake up
          I realize
                    I was
                    at the
                    door

Then I go to sleep
          dreaming of
                    everything
                    that happened
                    the day before

I woke up and
          told you,
                    you knew
                    me as the
                    girl next
                    door

Clouds

by Adam

I sit down in sorrow
hurt in pain

I see my special place
drifting in on a wave

I sit and simmer on a cloud
No one around, a smile or a frown

I see the clouds appearing
and I suddenly drift away

I fly up in the air
and see all memories

I remember and forgot—
but most just fade away

As I sit there in the corner
I’m not really there

I drift off to some place
all above the clouds

Unless I’m interrupted
I won’t be shut down

But all I see are clouds

and that’s all that comforts me

My Dream Place is Africa

by Jermaine

Wild warthogs running
Hot whispering wind whispering run wild
The taste of wild meat cooking on a fire

I ride the zebras
through the grassy fields
I could ride the lions
I could even watch the hungry hippos

My dream place
is Africa

That Place

by Maya

That place I go where no one knows
represents peace, beauty and everything.
Where music flows free like the melody
as the pink and purple circles around me,
as I cry my heart out but only with words.
When times get depressing this is where I
go. It comforts me as my thoughts roam
free. It’s always there even after everyone
has left me. I sit hours and hours while time
goes by. It’s just me and that place where only
I can see. That place is my heart, harmony,
peace and love. It’s the only place I can go
where me and my soul can be set free.

Forever

by Jonathan, Gabrielle, Zachary, Terrell, Jose, Briyanna and Anndee

Cigar smoke curls around the woman in the darkened doorway, fingers pointing
I am a pair of ripped jeans on a lonely woman on the way, on the way
A monkey swinging on a vine
I am a ferocious tiger in a jungle. I like to eat hoagies and steaks
during a terrible thunderstorm
I am a ferocious lion in a wet jungle that is empty
I am forever

Raindrop in a Bucket

by Angel, Dramel, April, Jenny, Shamira and Rochelle

We were on the beach. I can feel the hot sand on my flip-flops touching
me. I can hear birds and see the clear blue water
His drums sound like lightning striking down
The African beat carried on like a raindrop in a bucket
When I looked into his eyes, I became awake
I carry memories about my dad

Harmony

by Adam, Amber, Maliq, Harmony, Jason, Cachet and Adaja

A love story lined with guitars, birds and a wind instrument
Child dancing in the darkness of the forest, eating Swedish chocolate
made by a grandmother with a recipe from a dancing ballerina
The execution of a lonely puppy on a Puerto Rican beach with drums and violins
Guys playing conga in rain at Jamaica
Chocolate ’65 Ford Mustang riding into sunset

Tarzan swinging on trees, going to meet up with an African Zimbabwe moose

Midnight Drums

by Maya, Abigail, Jermaine, Sierra, Moises and Mark

The tribal setting, drums and all
It’s relaxing the soul for that family
Dancing and all
Africans dancing with the drums
Making the dirt come up with
Every step involved
Africans dancing all day long

Family is tradition

Drums

by Chris, Joseph, Sinclair, Jesus, Diana and Krystal

People dancing around while drums are playing; the blue sky is flowing,
   then the sunrise is slowly going down
Light instruments drumming in silence while the lovely toys dance around!
   Don’t you know everyone loves peaceful sounds?
The breezing wind is blowing in my face; before I eat I say my grace
Hand hitting drums softly, cherry red lips eating sweet purple grapes
   while tan dogs dance to the rhythm
Yes, the instrument sound is flowing through the air with a nice gentle breeze
   blowing and flowing through your hair

The Beautiful Sound of the Sea

by Desaun, Dionnys, Shakirah, Samantha and Mario

The wind slowly blowing, drums playing and slow dancing at the beach
Mexicans dancing, violins floating, birds flying while Africans play the drums
Hiking on the beach in the jungles of Brazil, watching as the sun sets
Coconut seeds in honeysuckle in the temples of Cambodia. Sometimes
you can find the way in loneliness, depression, everywhere water falls.
The beach.
Lying down on the beach and the sea feels like heaven

Island Beach

by Albely, Juan, Nitzaida, Javier, Maria and Angel

As I was walking down the sandy beach path I went to the coastal beach
and the water felt like soft cotton
Money growing from trees so that you never go poor
The blue beach and it’s English. Ocean. Waterfall.
People dancing around a fire with people singing and being happy.
Brown hands on a drum, waiting, always waiting, the iguana moves slowly
A boat crashing into a deserted island and finds only but one man
covered in blood

Free of the World

by Jocelyn, Amberley, Shianne, Imire, Emilio and Jamellia

I wondered when I stopped and prayed once a day
Searching for something that is lost
Somewhere in the desert, heat was overpowering everyone
People dancing to the music
African beat with a journey to a place
Colorful clothing swaying side to side in such beautiful movements

Where I'm from

by Jesus (Oct 2011)

Where I’m from, you smell the morning farina creeping into your room to wake you up. You could hear cokis making noises, alerting everyone that it’s time to wake up. You could hear the sound of merengue in the morning only to find your mom and dad dancing happily in the sala.

Where I’m from, you quickly eat your farina sprinkled with cinnamon only to get outside. You hear the Puerto Ricans playing dominoes on their porches saying, “cuidado cuidado, juega bien piensa,” then laughing because he taunted him. Where I’m from you see everyone in chancletas running and walking en el oyo.

Where I’m from you could hear your mom on the phone talking to her friend saying, “No dale, bente paca tomo acqui tranquilo daaaaaale, bamo a beber.” You could hear the sound of pastels boiling in the water. You could taste the pastels made de carne nice and warm.

Where I'm from

by Sinclair (Oct 2011)

Where I’m from, you can hear baby cats crying in the night, wondering where their parents have gone.

Where I’m from, you can see the sun rising over brick houses with the light hitting your face like a red water balloon in the summer.

Where I’m from, you can see the little girls with their flowing long hair running from the little boys, playing tag like there’s no tomorrow.

Where I’m from, you can hear the little black girl crying because her mom beat her for sneaking out. And she’s wondering why her mom has so much hate in her blood.

Where I’m from, you can feel the steam of your mother’s fresh baked cake hitting your pores and they open up to the joy of the pound cake calling your name.

Where I’m from, you can feel the people you call friend stab your back while they tell you how wonderful you are; knowing they are a lie in your life.

Where I'm from

by Maya (Oct 2011)

Where I’m from smiles come every so often but tears and heart break comes when the sun decides to fall and the mothers let out their sons to play.

Where I’m from the bullets aren’t just shot; they’re leaving an imprint on someone’s body saying, “this is the price you pay for being in the wrong spot.”

Where I’m from every young girl that decides to birth a baby is flagged with warning signs that 1. her child is not obligated to live its full life, and 2. you may never get to be in the spotlight.

Where I’m from just walking down the street looking into someone’s eyes makes you want to cry because the story that they tell you in their eyes shows you a person that wants to walk on this earth, but is in the shadows.

Where I'm from

by Albely (Oct 2011)

I am from a place that many want to be.

I am from my mother’s arms opening up to her hija every time I come home.

Where I’m from the life you had yesterday can be gone tomorrow.

The waters are running through the mountains and into the sea, as clear as the clouds where I’m from.

I am from where respect is expected even if you aren’t perfect.

When you wake up, you awake to your tia making café and bringing breakfast to old wrinkly, loving papa.

Many ask where I’m from and I say, “The clear, salty seas.”

Life where I’m from is happy. We might be poor but we don’t care. Money can’t buy happiness.

Everything is done at a precise time where I’m from: wake up, eat, and go to bed to do it all over again tomorrow.

Walking around to the bodega and having all the tigres look your way.

Coming from la playa all burnt and tired, yet wanting to go back.

Being far away from where I’m from no es faril…

Coming to a world where everyone wants to come and then your world crashes when the person you just hugged and kissed yesterday is gone because someone drove while drinking.

Learning to live, learning to move on, that’s something that comes from where I’m from.

Trying to sleep and failing to do so porque the muchachos were playing baseball.

I am from the clear salty seas, never ashamed to say where I’m from, never denying my roots.

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