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Challenges / Opportunities
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Traffic LIghts
by Steve Li
"These lights remind me of the streets that I once used to walk on,
The streets of downtown San Francisco
with the the bright lights of storefronts and the electrifying air
full of life and energy
But instead I'm inside. here.
trapped between four grey walls
with scratches and pencil marks
that decorate the dull walls with bible verses of hope, faith and forgiveness"
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"These lights remind me of the streets that I once used to walk on,
The streets of downtown San Francisco
with the the bright lights of storefronts and the electrifying air
full of life and energy
But instead I'm inside. here.
trapped between four grey walls
with scratches and pencil marks
that decorate the dull walls with bible verses of hope, faith and forgiveness"
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Suitcase
by Zulma Alejandra
"I reclaim my dignity and spit out. “Sir, my brother- he has nothing in Mexico.” I plead in disguise knowing that deep down I could yell at him for doing his job. I could fight him. I seek for the slightest sense of composure that's left in me. I try my best to gather my brother's clothes. The ones I took out of the giant-sized maleta and I shove them into the white, plastic bag that was given to me by the villain officer. I try my best to recollect the memories of my brother. As if in this giant-sized suitcase, alongside my brother's clothes, the memories would be taken too."
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"I reclaim my dignity and spit out. “Sir, my brother- he has nothing in Mexico.” I plead in disguise knowing that deep down I could yell at him for doing his job. I could fight him. I seek for the slightest sense of composure that's left in me. I try my best to gather my brother's clothes. The ones I took out of the giant-sized maleta and I shove them into the white, plastic bag that was given to me by the villain officer. I try my best to recollect the memories of my brother. As if in this giant-sized suitcase, alongside my brother's clothes, the memories would be taken too."
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A Knock on the Door
by Nadia
"Thump, Thump,
I see the frightened faces on my mom and my sister as they are being patted down while the officers are doing the
same to me
I feel the cold metal against my skin as they place handcuffs around my hands and chain them to my stomach
I hear my mom’s pleading voice “Why are you doing this? What did we do wrong?”
“Please, don’t hurt my daughters!”
Thump, Thump"
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"Thump, Thump,
I see the frightened faces on my mom and my sister as they are being patted down while the officers are doing the
same to me
I feel the cold metal against my skin as they place handcuffs around my hands and chain them to my stomach
I hear my mom’s pleading voice “Why are you doing this? What did we do wrong?”
“Please, don’t hurt my daughters!”
Thump, Thump"
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La Marea & Suicidio
by Andrea Torres
"let me sink into the sand
into the warmest waters of this night
into your caramel mouth
and dry me out
with your honey lips"
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"let me sink into the sand
into the warmest waters of this night
into your caramel mouth
and dry me out
with your honey lips"
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El Corazon
by Isabel Cortes
"do you have a nine digit social security card?
of course i do.
a social security card to tell you how much i love you.
i’ll make it up.
i love you this much:
918, 90, 6754 million.
can you really have an illegal heart?"
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"do you have a nine digit social security card?
of course i do.
a social security card to tell you how much i love you.
i’ll make it up.
i love you this much:
918, 90, 6754 million.
can you really have an illegal heart?"
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Passage to a Strange Land
by Denisse
"I remember the barred windows on the white government van that transported us to from our home to the main detention center in San Francisco. As I looked through the bars to the outside I saw a man frantically clearing off leaves from outside his driveway while the wind shook more foliage to the ground. I thought how ordinary he looked, that in the middle of this ordinary day I would be robbed of my home and be taken to a strange country."
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"I remember the barred windows on the white government van that transported us to from our home to the main detention center in San Francisco. As I looked through the bars to the outside I saw a man frantically clearing off leaves from outside his driveway while the wind shook more foliage to the ground. I thought how ordinary he looked, that in the middle of this ordinary day I would be robbed of my home and be taken to a strange country."
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Donut Holes
by Catherine Eusebio
"The officer approaches the front passenger side where I am sitting. He shines his flashlight through the window. It’s the brightest light I’ve ever seen. It’s so bright that it blinds me. He asks us what we are doing. “We’re just eating donut holes,” one of us cries out. Someone else offers the officer a donut hole. He wants to see identification."
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"The officer approaches the front passenger side where I am sitting. He shines his flashlight through the window. It’s the brightest light I’ve ever seen. It’s so bright that it blinds me. He asks us what we are doing. “We’re just eating donut holes,” one of us cries out. Someone else offers the officer a donut hole. He wants to see identification."
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My Nights at Eshleman
by Gabriela Monico
"When I heard the word Eshleman, images of the third floor, the smelly girl’s bathroom and lonely halls at midnight flooded my mind. I had forgotten about that chapter in my life. Sometimes I try to block memories from the past, perhaps as a defense mechanism because they are too painful to remember."
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"When I heard the word Eshleman, images of the third floor, the smelly girl’s bathroom and lonely halls at midnight flooded my mind. I had forgotten about that chapter in my life. Sometimes I try to block memories from the past, perhaps as a defense mechanism because they are too painful to remember."
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Dreams
by Mario Lio
"One officer kicks me in the stomach and I curl up in the fetal position. Another puts his black leather boot on the side of my face. I am covered in a mixture of dust and sweat. Two of them pick me up, throwing my arms around their shoulders, like good Samaritans. I hope they have realized that I contribute more to this country than I take away from."
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"One officer kicks me in the stomach and I curl up in the fetal position. Another puts his black leather boot on the side of my face. I am covered in a mixture of dust and sweat. Two of them pick me up, throwing my arms around their shoulders, like good Samaritans. I hope they have realized that I contribute more to this country than I take away from."
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Driving While Undocumented
by Julio Navarrete
"“Were you born in the United States, or in another country?” The officer’s question echoes through my head as the blood rushes through my body like a runaway river. “I’m sorry officer, I don’t feel comfortable answering that question,” I stutter. “Okay then, turn around and put your hands behind your back. You’re under arrest.” The officer reaches for his handcuffs."
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"“Were you born in the United States, or in another country?” The officer’s question echoes through my head as the blood rushes through my body like a runaway river. “I’m sorry officer, I don’t feel comfortable answering that question,” I stutter. “Okay then, turn around and put your hands behind your back. You’re under arrest.” The officer reaches for his handcuffs."
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Walk of Life
by Liliana Campos
"Do I walk to the next three cities and get hired for the third time today? I stop. I take a deep breath. I close my eyes. I see my college degree sitting on top of pile of books. I can hear the fridge opening its mouth screaming with all its emptiness and rotting tomatoes, but all of a sudden from a mile away I can smell strive, so I begin to walk north."
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"Do I walk to the next three cities and get hired for the third time today? I stop. I take a deep breath. I close my eyes. I see my college degree sitting on top of pile of books. I can hear the fridge opening its mouth screaming with all its emptiness and rotting tomatoes, but all of a sudden from a mile away I can smell strive, so I begin to walk north."
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