A Poem A Day Presented by InsideOut and DaimlerChrysler

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		1 The Queen that Lives Far, Far Away plays outside with her little butterfly has a little lake for her little fishes spins around in the green grass She checks on her red roses she planted for her slumber party That no one could travel for from far, far away She went wandering around h...	2 Harmless Town I remember every morning hearing traffic every morning hearing thousands of birds chirping like a loud bell It was the hottest day The warm breath of the birds whispering water water water to cool off the warmth of their bodies water to drink...	3 My Letter to Life Dear Life, Since feelings come first… I hide behind a bright, forthcoming smile And a warm inviting voice. Yet every time I look into those big blue eyes I can feel every last emotion I felt the night before. However, the feeling most present is ...	4 In the Audubon Ballroom, February 21, 1965 I. From the seats… Our family and friends watched I was in a crowd of people while he was giving a speech There was a disturbance Loud screams I was scared and the people were upset My dad lying down not even moving Not even for one more breath ...	5 In the Audubon Ballroom, February 21, 1965 III. From inside the hands… Why was I made? Why did he pull my trigger? Who invented me? Why do I kill? Why did I have to be loaded? I don’t like it. I feel bad about it. IV. From inside the barrel… I didn’t mean it I would like to stop ...
6 In the Audubon Ballroom, February 21, 1965 V. From inside the mind of Greatness… I was speaking the truth in Manhattan Trying to make a difference Us African Americans being mistreated for years I don’t care what is about to happen Giving my speech to my fellow African Americans Night af...	7 Heritage Two generations ago they packed saris, dhoti and spices, gur, nimbu and rai, bottles of the Ganges in pockets with jackfruit and durian, mantras and black hair, language made for ears, all these things only to remember. They crossed the sea, lef...	8 Everywhere Broken hearts, flying darts. Monster arms. Time alarms. Things flying everywhere, Beings in curly curl hair. Deep mouths, shark teeth Tears of joy by a boy Raining sad eyes, Eyebrows, two noses, six Mouths, 20 ears throbbing Like getting cut, coff...	9 Speakers I bump in your back seat. I vibrate your car and rattle your feet. I’m loud with my volume turned on max. Playing all kinds of songs coming from the back. People put me in trunks, or all around. Bumping bass, hard knock, making wonderful sound...	10 Baby’s Crib She shines in the Sun’s gaze like the reflected light of a mirror’s grace. Glows in the moon’s light like a refurbished diamond blushed with the shine of night. As beautiful as a marigold parked near a sunlit Sea. Gives blessin’ to others like a ...	11 The Fire Sunny The fire inside the sun Burns like a crystal heart Full of bark Barking with love and passion For the next generation The calm cold of the universe Creates our love when it tears Rising with our tears The sun burns The dragon flies This all com...	12 The Red Frog chop, chop munch, munch if you go to the red frog he will eat you I need help, I need help getting out of the frog he ate me, he ate me I’m sorry, I’m sorry can you help me out? can you help me out? yes, yes he helped me, he helped me now I am ...
13 Mother’s Kitchen I remember my mom’s kitchen from the sweet potato pie how hard she used to work how good her food was from that old steel stove that was on seven days a week especially on Sundays when the family came over to gather around and just talk and...	14 The Mysterious Grass in the dead grass there is a ghost of a dog the dog was never near the grass but the grass was born a mutt it rolled up in a ball and wagged its tail in itchy bugs then suddenly it stood up and barked as more of its grass turned brown...	15 Desired Black Rose The black rose that doesn’t exist Thorned in its beauty Sexy, brash, bold Barely moving in the wind Strong, unwithering The thing I desire The black rose that doesn’t exist In my own backyard My envious heart Gazing at the black rose In a field o...	16 Hidden in My Heart Hidden in my heart is a butterfly waiting to spread his wings and soar. Hidden in that butterfly is a poem waiting to be read. Hidden in that poem is a song waiting to shed its melody....	17 Abuela’s House Growing up in Puerto Rico, Abuela’s house poor, making a fogón in the back, running up and down the hill, five rooms, sharing a room with my mom, wearing socks that don’t match, me, trying to mop the porch, swinging in the hammock, TV in la sala...	18 When I Was Born When I was born, the earth heaved and turned over in its shoes, people said it was just a dream. The animals said what a day, what a night! Just sleep the time away. I woke up, and I was two. The sky was very blue because I was born and saw the world....	19 BiPolar Some think I am nothing more than a bottle of two-day-old pop, flat and bitter, but really I am bleach and ammonia just waiting for someone to mix me up ...
20 Night Dreams coming to me On clouds of green reeds Fires burning til falcons rise Swooping black curtains Just in time Listen to the night With beaks of yellow light...	21 Black … the color of the city I show up where your life ends up I come around when two people come together I am what is taken off in the process I’m the crown on the head of the city I’m the color of skin that makes me sweat This is the feeling that comes...	22 Listening to Ravi Shankar We feel like we just fell down out of the sun ...	23 My Poem My poem is a big glass of water For all the kids who are really thirsty On a summer day My poem is a big toy Kids can play with it It can make a sandwich My poem is dragon monkey bars On a track made of chocolate ice cream...	24 Blessing My Enemy Let your voice shrivel in the shadows. Let your desire to stop and block me drown. Let your whispers of doubt and disbelief suffocate. Let your priorities not include me. Let your shyness chill into an icicle then fall and shatter. Let your ...	25 In My Hand My hand is full of Marigolds and Mayflowers. My hands open doors to the gardens where babies are born. I open the sun which splits the light and makes a quarter of a day and quarter of night. My hands are the sky which falls upon the earth. My h...	26 Water Image Daydreaming By the ocean, Looking into a reversed Mirror, one that has Mellow currents Tall backgrounds and deep Treasures I spot a big beautiful Multicolored Downfish who winks at me He swims towards The hedge of the boundary Towards which he...
27 My Poem My poem brings light like the sun Everybody will shine My poem smells like hot cocoa in the dark night My poem is a rainbow Everyone will share gold We will have each other...	28 My House, My Home My house is an adventurous person who will go every way to explore the world. My home is very ambitious, seeking goals made when it was first built. My house is the laugh of happiness. My home is my boyfriend, who I love and embrace. It is a star ...	29 Hidden in this Poem is a family who does not have permission to be in this country. Hidden in this poem is a man inside a boy, who carries the weight of his blood on his back. Hidden in this poem is a dream the boy has of staying without fear of being found. Hidden ...	30 Beating Rose Lullaby of a beating rose listen–absolute stillness, you sense the silence in my chest no music in my heart, write a song for me, pluck each veined petal like guitar string, whistle a tune that touches sleeping scarlet streams and I’ll open my...

InsideOut Literary Arts Project is celebrating National Poetry Month this month with an exciting new program called A Poem A Day. Each day throughout April, one poem, written by an InsideOut student, is being shared with the community in displays at local businesses, with readings at schools and on the web site. The result is an impressive and powerful collection of student writing that touches thousands of individuals over the course of the month and provides recognition to some very talented young writers.

A Poem A Day unites the Detroit community through poetry, promotes the appreciation of the arts in general and allows InsideOut the opportunity to share the work of our creative students.

National Poetry Month was launched by The Academy of American Poets in April 1996 to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. The A Poem A Day program was started by Houston, Texas-based Writers-In-The-Schools (WITS) organization in 2002. InsideOut Literary Arts Project is a member of the WITSLink national consortium.

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VOTING IS NOW OPEN! Register yourself to vote! The poll will close on May 30, 2008.

Special Thanks to our supporters of APAD:

Detroit Chassis, The Berry Foundation, Michael Flora & Associates, Phil Schloop of IUOE Local 547, Berg, Muirhead & Assoc., Avalon Breads, Music Hall Center for Performing Arts, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Honest Johns Bar & Grill, Steve Horn & David Van Houten, Brent & Nancy Triest, The Hon. Denise Page Hood U.S. District Court, Shaman Drum Bookshop, Pitts-Aldrich Associates, the Book Beat.