I’m a Memorizing Machine

I’m a memorizing machine
I like to make up moves
I also like to sing.
Either sing low or high
Sometimes a lullaby

I dance to the beat
Side to side
Forward and back

I dance kinda crazy
and sing a little good

I even get mad
If you ever bother me in my room
Whenever I’m singing and dancing
Sometimes I eat Hot Cheetoes

When there’s a new song,
Me and my friends
Call each other on the phone
and start to memorize it.

I’m a singing and dancing machine.

-Itzayana Garza, age 11
From Beauty Is…, an exploration of beauty in self and world by young women of all ages by Girl Scouts of the San Antonio area, 2006

My Panda Neighborhood

My neighborhood is like a panda. It is slow and cuddly. Sometimes all the plants, panda food, make my neighborhood look like China. I love my neighborhood like I love pandas and I love pandas a lot! it sounds like a panda swinging on bamboo. But most importantly, my neighborhood tastes like broccoli and rice!

- Sadie R.
From My Neighborhood/Mi Barrio, writing by students from the San Antonio Independent School District, Spring 2010

Mural Project Created By Mrs. Sheila Variman's Fifth Grade Students at Bonham Elementary, Artist In-Residence Michael Marks

A Tear Drop Away

To the jeweled possession of my heart, my
Love for you is so great. I don’t know
Where to start, I look out the window
Of my cell and a vision of you appears, like
An angel sent from God you wipe away
My tears and wash away my tears, then
You smile and begin to fade away, slowly,
Letting me know you still love me, I
Can’t stand it anymore I turn to face the
Wall, trying to hide the tears that fall,
But what good does it do? I can’t hate
The fact that I’m sick and tired of missing
You, wishing these lonely nights would just end
And would be able to hold you in my arms
And kiss you and tell you I love you once again.

- Mish L.
From In This Space, poetry by residents of the Cyndi Krier Taylor Juvenile Correctional Treatment Center, Summer 2006

Question

I am a fish in the
sky.
I don’t know where I am.
I am a leaf falling into an
unknown ground.

- Samantha N.
From I am a Fish in the Sky, creative writing by middle school students of the North East Independent School District

Illustration by Mark Anthony Lopez

, Fall 2005

Hello, Guilt!

From where have you come?
From where have you spawned?
Were you in the Bible I read?
Were you in the Garden of Eden?
Did you spew, like vomit, from the preacher’s mouth?

Did you crawl into my gene pool?
Did you seep into my mother’s milk?
Were you in life’s rainstorms that fell?
Were you in the lightening that struck?
Were you in the painful mistakes I made?

Well, guilt, I don’t mean to be ugly
but you’ve gotten too big for your
britches!
No more will you poison my mind!
No more will you torture my soul!

Never again will you threaten my very
existence!

I know we’ve been together for a long
time
But it’s time for you to go.

So…

Goodbye, Guilt! You are no longer
welcome around here.

-Patricia
From Life Letters, a collection of intergenerational writing by seniors and high school students from San Antonio, TX, Spring 2009

The Ladybug That Couldn’t Fly

Drawing by Mark A. Lopez, coloring by Sasha

Once upon a time there was a magical forest with beautiful bright rainbows and magical flowers that danced at your feet. There also was a little ladybug that couldn’t fly.
&nbspSo one day Princess Natasha, a beautiful fairy from Fairybrook, saw this ladybug and decided to ask what was wrong.
&nbsp”What’s wrong, little ladybug?” Natasha asked in a sweet song voice.
&nbspThe ladybug looked up and tried to smile. “I can’t fly. All the other ladybugs won’t play with me because my wings don’t work.” Princess Natasha said with a kind smile, “My fairy friends and I can help.” Natasha and her friends started with a pinch of pixie dust. “Here little ladybug, just a pinch of pixie dust and a happy thought should have you flying in no time.” The little ladybug jumped with excitement as she said, “I have the perfect thought! Being a popular ladybug and flying with the best of them.”
&nbspWith this wonderful thought, the little ladybug climbed to the top of the tallest mushroom in the magical forest.
&nbsp”Good luck, little ladybug,” the fairy friends yelled.
&nbspThe little ladybug sprinkled herself with the pixie dust and jumped from the mushroom. She opened her wings and began to flap, but nothing happened. The poor little ladybug fell to the ground.
&nbsp”Oh, no, poor little ladybug,” said the friends as they ran to the ladybug, “Are you okay?” The little ladybug looked up and cried, “I’m never going to fly and I’m never going to have any friends.”
&nbspJust then a group of magical fluttering butterflies flew by. The youngest of the group heard this and flew to the ladybug’s side. “Did someone say something about flying?”
&nbspThe fairies smiled and began to cheer up. “That’s it. Can you help us?”
&nbspThe butterfly smiled big and answered, “Of course. What’s the problem?”
&nbspThe fairies explained the situation with the ladybug, then the butterfly exclaimed, “That’s easy, you just need a flying start.”
&nbsp”Of course I do, why didn’t I think of that?” the ladybug said. The fairies cheered as they carried the butterfly into the sky and flew as fast as their dainty little wings could fly.
&nbsp”Weeee,” yelled the ladybug.
&nbsp”Okay, let me go.” The ladybug soared into the sky. “I’m flying!”
&nbsp”Oh no, watch out, ladybug!” the fairies screamed as the poor little ladybug fell to the floor.
&nbspOnce again the ladybug cried, “I’ll never fly, I’ll never have any friends.” The butterfly heard this and was startled.
&nbsp”Is that the problem, little ladybug? I can fix that. Look around you.”
&nbsp”The ladybug looked around at all the beautiful fairies and a wide smile spread across her face.”
&nbspThe butterfly saw this and smiled.
&nbsp”See, you have plenty of friends.”
&nbspAt this, the fairy princess came forward.       &nbsp”I’ve been your friend this whole time, even when I found out you couldn’t fly.”
&nbsp”You see, little ladybug,” the butterfly explained, “True friend aren’t your friends because of how you look or the things you can and can’t do.”
&nbsp”Yeah,” the princess continued, “I liked you for who you were, and you should, too.”

- Sasha
From Kid’s Kaleidoscope, The Gemini Ink Children’s Book Series #11, written by residents of the Cyndi Krier Taylor Juvenile Correctional Treatment Center, 2004