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Poetry Gallery

America SCORES students write over 20,000 poems every school year. Below is a selection of outstanding works by our poet-athletes who were chosen to perform at the National Poetry SLAM! at Harlem’s World-Famous Apollo Theater on April 11, 2011.

I HAVE THE POTENTIAL
To be the best
But all you see
Are results on a test
The DC-CAS doesn’t assess my true abilities
Provide me with quality education
And I’ll achieve proficiency
I’m tired of teachers teaching to a test
Then we leave school
And still don’t measure up against the rest
Let’s buckle up
And not settle for less
And work together to be the nation’s best
In years to come
You will hear and speak my name
In our nation’s capital
Or Dallas Otigba’s Hollywood Walk of Fame
Remember, I have the potential to be the best
Just know that my worth is more than just the results
Of some standardized test!
–Dallas O., DC SCORES

IMAGINATION
Imagination is everything kids still believe.
So you try, close your eyes and think, draw
Imagine the wildest things.
It can lead to so many things.
It’s wild, creepy, and fun.
Bugs, the circus, anything.
So do it, try it and don’t stop believing.
Imagination.
Don’t stop believing.
Always use it.
–Aida R., America SCORES LA

I AM…
I am a robot, obliterating a city
I am a tiger, unseen from furious hunters
I am a lion, fierce and nimble
I am a mountain, at the summit of everything else
I am a bully, abrasive and dreadful
I am a book, uncovered and read
I am a loose tooth, in misery and ache
I am a dolphin, aquatic and brave
I am a mummy, clothed in foul, filth-filled wrappings
I am a parrot, with vivid, striking pigment
I am a gazelle, graceful and rapid
I am a komodo dragon, potent and contaminated with venom
I am a flag, waving from one surface to another
I am myself.
–Brayan P., America SCORES Denver

HANDS AND FEET
My hands and feet
Help me run and eat
I love my hands and feet
They help me do unusual stuff
We need our hands and feet
What would we do without our
hands and feet?
I don’t know, would you feel
incomplete?
I don’t know, I repeat…
Would you act crazy?
Would you cry, try to fly?
Or just say bye, bye
–Riakeem G. America SCORES Cleveland

BAD PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
I am asking from the bottom of my heart
Why did you do this?
Was it for revenge?
Were you just mad?
What did these people do to you?
All because they made you mad,
so you do this for revenge?
Well Stop!
Do you know how that feels?
Someone that we love is now gone because of you
You people, you very bad people.
Your temper is so bad it hurts
Your gun is so hard it scares
Your feelings are so mean it kills
Your heart is so cold it melts.
And if you think what you do is cool
Well it’s not, ok, because revenge will get you nowhere but in jail.
Or also dead, so before you kill someone else
Think about where your life is going to lead you next.
I am so sick of hearing that someone is always dying
because of you people,
You very bad people.
Your temper is so bad it hurts
Your gun is so hard it scares
Your feelings are so mean it kills
Your heart is so cold it melts.
You people, You very bad people
–Tajah L., America SCORES New England

IF I HAD ONE SUPERPOWER…
If I had one superpower it would be to fly.
If I could fly, I will stop the people
that steal money from the city banks.
If I could fly I will stop the people that hurt their family.
If I could fly and I see a shark that is eating a person
I will fly and kill the shark.
If I could fly and I want to go to the Dominican Republic
I will just sit down on the top of the airplane.
If I could fly and I see all the people in my town
trying to climb on an apple tree
I will fly and climb on the apple tree
and take all the apples and give them to my town.
Also I will tell them
Just whistle or call whenever you need me
Because I can fly and help you!
–Tommy A., America SCORES NY

THE TEST
Illinois State Achievement Test
ISAT…
It’s a four letter word FOR A REASON
My Mom always says,
“LaCalvion, you need to slow down
Pace yourself
Don’t let your mind wander
Pay attention to the numbers
Don’t fuss
About how they make you use a No. 2 pencil”.
Boring sensations are back
My mind is under attack!
Four possible answers
Always a possibility
But I’m supposed to choose the one that’s
“Most correct”
Ten minutes left!
What?
We just started ten minutes ago!
And I’m only on number four!
Tick, tock
Tick, tock
Man, I can’t wait
Until this is over
Heavy backpacks, Ha! No more
Poetry just busted through the door
Finally I’m free at last!
Times up!
Put your pencils down and fold up the test
I wonder if I did my best?
If I didn’t,
What does it mean?
All of these questions make me want to scream!
Summer, summer, summer,
Ding, Ding, Ding, YES!
Please help me forget
The ISAT test
–LaCalvion K., America SCORES Chicago

I SEE YOU
I see you
Inside my heart
Up in the sky I see you
Shinning in the sunlight I see you
Sparkling with the stars I see you
In love I see you
In my happiness I see you
In beauty I see you
So mom, when I see you I see a school teacher helping me out
When I see you I see a lion nice and strong on the outside
When I see you I see a loving and caring person on the inside
Every where I am any where I am, even in my heart I see you
Right now I see you, mom
–Xitalaly M., America SCORES Bay Area

TELL ME WHY
Mom, Dad, why can’t we all be together?
Why do we have to be in separate places?
I wish you could tell me why
Why do I feel lonely?
Why do I feel sad?
Why do I feel like you guys don’t love me?
Why do people call me orphan?
Is that what I am?
Can’t you tell me why?
Why do I feel like I am in a white room
With no one to talk to?
Why do I feel like I did something wrong and
That’s why I can’t see you?
Can’t you tell me why?
Why, Why, Why?
That is my question
The only thing that I know is that I love you
and wish that one day we will all be together
And I’ll stop asking you
Why!!!!
–Dulce F., America SCORES Dallas

MY CRUSH
When I wake up from bed
You’re always in my head
When I see you at school
You treat me like a fool
You’re my crush
When you walk by me, my hearts in a rush
When I gave you a flower
You crushed it with power
left me in tears
That’s one of my worst fears
You’re so smart
You’re always in my heart
You’re so cute
You never make me puke
You’re so funny
I wish I could call you honey
You get 100% on your test
I know you’re the best
When I grow up, I want you to be mine
If you say no, I’m still fine
–Alejandro C., America SCORES Seattle

MY COMMUNITY
My community is nice. It feels like I am skating on ice.
I like the view. The sky is so blue.
What is up with your mood???
It’s my community, mine just mine, and I can make it shine!!!
The sound of my happy community makes me want to dance.
I know they say poems don’t have to rhyme but
I just like my poems to shine like the sun!
They give me the experience that I need in my life.
For that I call America SCORES super duper nice.
America Scores is a part of me and I am a part of America Scores.
And that’s what makes my community shine.
IT’S MINE, JUST MINE, AND I CAN MAKE IT SHINE!!!
–Zaccheus H., America SCORES Atlanta

ALONE
When I am alone,
People walk around me
Like the Earth revolving around the sun.
When I am alone,
I feel abandoned and
Frustrated.
When I am alone,
I feel like Earth has faded away
and I’ve been left alone
Sitting in space.
When I am alone,
I write poems of things
I am living.
When I am alone,
I know I can
Stand by myself
Because I am me.
When I am alone
I say,
“Be proud of yourself”
Because
I can make it alone.
–Mercedes B., America SCORES Milwaukee

NEW YORK – THE EMPIRE STATE
I think everyone has a dream, a wish, a goal, a desire
It might be to meet a celebrity
Or to do something great that everyone will remember them for
Then some people are adventurous
Bold, daring, risk takers
That’s like me
I want to be free
Free to have fun
Free to explore
Free to go to new places
A new place far from St. Louis
A place with that feeling
that makes your insides tingle with excitement whenever you think about it
New York, The Empire State!
Now there’s a place full of excitement
So much to hear, see, taste, smell and feel.
I heard that great people like Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy and even Sammy Davis Jr. were born there.
I see the Statue of Liberty, the Mets and the famous Empire State Building
I taste New York style pizza with bubbling cheese on top of thin fresh baked crusts
I smell hot dogs from hot dog stands, the aroma begging me
To come take a bite
And last but not least
I feel my hand on a sheet of paper
Reading a poem called,
NEW YORK – THE EMPIRE STATE!
–Joschula P., America SCORES St. Louis