Grade 12
PoetryWritingHenry F. is a senior at Jones College Prep. and soon-to-be freshman at Oberlin College. As an angry queer transsexual who has learned to self-express through the written word, you can catch Henry drowning in theory, writing songs no one will ever hear, and generally being way too loud for where he is. His work appears in Let Us Keep What We Love and Rising Shadows from 826CHI, as well as Rebellious Magazine.
where it walks,
petals encircle stalking eyes
newness running over and into calcified cages
i choke out the white
and make a garden out of onlookers.
it is him, an eternal androgyny
that is a fantasy of no one
but a fantastical kind of beast
it is i, unglamorous transgender,
to take in your hatred and return back this body
decorated, deadening
the sound it makes when it walks
would wrap its hands around your neck
leaving you unable
to let any competing noise
dribble from your mouth
unglamorous transgender wants,
more than anything else,
to be the only one on the stage.
from the publication, Archives of My Memory
No materials available for download.
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When Instagram becomes an unsightly battlefield.
by Timothy T., Age 17, 826 Valencia
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Rosman A., age 18, 826CHI
Smells swirl about a student walking around an ice cream shop.
by Shayne Williams
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Cate H, Grade 12, 826CHI
A poet sets the stage to showcase her reflections on being trans.
by Brandon R., 826LA
A student recounts the epic highs and lows of high school track and cross country.
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Virginia Walker, age 18, 826 Boston
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Annasian Walters, Grade 11-12, 826NYC
A student explores gratitude and love through sharing food.
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A story about how Marcus becomes Marcela.
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A powerful poem that lifts up Black women.
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A student reflects on the fear and wonder of becoming a mother.
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A poet speaks out as a voice for change and all those who cannot speak.
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This student reveals the mysterious origin story of the king cake. Hint: it includes Big Freedia, DJ Chicken Wing, and a massive party.
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by Melody Marcano, 826 Boston
In this poem, a student reflects on their roots and their desire to grow.
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