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Yours to Keep
by Andre

Keep your freedom close
And never give it to the oppressor
We’ve fought for freedom for a long time
Now you have it, love it with passion
Wear it on your sleeve like it’s the new fashion
Put it on your shoulders
Or hold it in your pocket
It’s yours to keep
Your most prized possession
It is yours today
Without it
There is no tomorrow

Where I’m From
by Tommy

I am from the cherry-scented candle
on the bedside table,
from Foca laundry detergent
and flea market clothes.
I am from the trailer with the blue stripes
on the top and bottom.
I am from the dead brown palm trees,
the bugs crawling on the dead leaves.
I am from curse words
and stubborn slow people,
and from “Princess” Barbara and Leeroy.
I am from the glasses my mom throws
in her bipolar rages
and the Budweiser can
that falls with a clunk!
From “Love and pain go  hand in hand,”
and “Don’t be afraid to speak your mind!”
I am the Bible covered in dust
in my mom’s closet
and the Sunday Services at San Fernando.
I am from the Northside Hospital,
and arroz con pollo y fideo.
From the car crash at the school gates,
the broken window at my home,
the lost paycheck on the bus.
I am from the key-locked box in the closet
with the memories of all my life events
so that one day when I’m older
I can go back and look
at the good and bad times.
I am the person
with a fake smile on his face
standing by the broken hearts
of a family.

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