La Academia Speaks! Vol. 4 Cafe Cultura Community Speaks Project #33 Telling Our Stories Spoken Word Class
La Academia Speaks! Vol. 4 Copyright Š 2016 by Telling Our Stories Spoken Word Class All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
To the determined students in our Spoken Word class: Keep chasing your dreams! Be great! #CafeCultura #XpressYourself #TellingOurStories
Acknowledgments Thank you to the staff of La Academia for providing us another opportunity to connect with your students in authentic ways. Special shout out to the students in our class for pushing yourselves to another level of creative expression. Remember: “It is our responsibility and choice to express ourselves and lift our voice, together building unity, leaders in our community. This is how we tell our stooorrrryyyy!�
Foreword It has been a privilege for Café Cultura to continue our partnership with La Academia at the Denver Inner City Parish. We used our “Telling Our Stories” curriculum to teach a second Spoken Word elective for the 2015-2016 school year. Students pushed through doubt to create some insightful poems, giving voice to their stories of struggle and perseverance. We know that they will continue on their path with confidence, knowing we are here to encourage them. We look forward to staying connected, as they develop into the leaders we need. Enjoy and share their words! For those who do not know about our organization: Café Cultura is an award-winning arts, culture, and youth development organization in Denver that promotes unity and healing among Indigenous peoples through creative expression while empowering youth to find their voice, reclaim oral and written traditions, and become leaders in their communities. Café Cultura has been providing positive, creative, and engaging community spaces for the Denver metropolitan area for more than ten years. After the passing of respected elder and veteran poet Abelardo “Lalo” Delgado, we accepted responsibility to continue using our oral and written traditions to provide opportunities for creative expression often not offered in schools or in the larger community. Café Cultura also drew inspiration from the movement connecting Indigenous people from throughout the Americas. We use creative expression to unify people representing southern Indigenous nations, known by terms such as “Chicana/o” and “Latina/o,” with those Natives of northern nations, referred to as “American Indian” or “Native American.”
CafĂŠ Cultura hosts one of the best open mic venues in the Denver metropolitan area, and the only space focused on family and youth. We also conduct highly engaging and culturally relevant spoken word/poetry workshops for underserved youth throughout Colorado. CafĂŠ Cultura partners with select organizations and schools to facilitate an intensive workshop series, publish youth poetry, and organize participant showcases. In an effort to develop young leaders within our community, we also coordinate a youth leadership program for Indigenous youth. If you or your organization is interested in collaborating, feel free to contact us. For more information about our open mic events, workshops, youth leadership program, and other programs: info@cafecultura.org 720-394-6589 www.cafecultura.org
Table of Contents Significance by Santos...................................................................... 1 Volleyball by Joslyn .......................................................................... 3 Me by Heriberto ............................................................................... 4 Tomorrow Is Another Day by Jimmy ........................................... 5 The Underdog by Santos................................................................. 7 Soccer by Heriberto ......................................................................... 9 My Past and My Future by Joslyn ................................................ 10 Autumn Breeze by Jimmy ............................................................. 12 Achievements by Santos................................................................ 13 In Your Way by Joslyn .................................................................. 14
Significance by Santos I am the better version of a gordita, a pupusa filled with cheese and beans. Its powerful smell floats through the air with steam so attention-grabbing that it might trigger the fire alarm. It wakes me, as if I was reincarnated. From head to toe, I feel like I am back in El Salvador. I come from San Salvador, Puebla donde en paz descansa mi abuela. There, you can enjoy your chelas outside with no cops in sight. I am the son of El Piojo, having been away from his home for 24 years. He does not get to experience his family tears or cheers. The only glimpse into his happiness is a call from my Tia Edith, a mean but cool aunt. She is the heart of the family, old but still able to reach her goals. Lost a boy who was only nine.
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She still visits his tomb. I will always remember the blanket that holds my memories, the one that my mom used to bring me home. It contains stars that reminds you of the galaxy, so blue that it makes you think of a cloudless sky. I am the calendar that makes time go fast, the one that holds Aztec souls. The Spaniards slaughtered them and tried to break their spirits. Mexican people still carry the culture. Like my ancestors, I would continue their legacy.
Telling Our Stories Spoken Word Class
Volleyball by Joslyn When you are on the volleyball court, all you can hear is down and ready, which means get ready to face your problems. Once they come your way, use your strength to overcome them. If you do, it means success. On the court and in life, you need your teammates. They are there when you need their help or support, but you must communicate. If you want to win, give it your best. Every point can mean you are closer to your dreams.
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Me by Heriberto I come from a good leader, my father. He has showed me the way of life, teaching me to always respect women and my elders. He is my great leader, reminding me to follow my background and not change who I am. Both my mom and dad are from Mexico. Being in Mexico makes me feel like I am home. There is so much beauty there. I love my family that still remains. When I am there, I feel free and full of joy. The beautiful plants and animal noises make me feel at peace. I come from a woman who makes tortillas for the family with all her love. The way she makes them is special, just like me.
Telling Our Stories Spoken Word Class
Tomorrow Is Another Day by Jimmy Tomorrow is another day but the insomnia follows you no matter what state you are in, 100,000 miles from home or the mental state you accommodate. It has been two days since I left home. However, the vague two hours of sleep never came from counting sheep. Like an anti-narcoleptic shepard’s boy, who dreamt of leopards with spots, he is constantly swallowed by the raucous ambiance of his own thoughts. Hallucinations are prominent, as if they were promised. My ominous conscious sets, tossing and turning. The fire that is burning dwindled to embers, forced to remember regrets of self-loathing. These teens are tempted to end it so quickly, because society
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was good at deceiving them, forced to believe that they would never be…. good enough. Tomorrow is another day, I tell myself, as the thoughts of the departed linger like the lethal fragrance of tobacco. You know thinking of them is bad for you, but you cannot help but bask in the toxicity that once made you feel society’s definition of “sane.” “These kids are all the same.” Delinquents who think an inebriated fallacy is much better than a sober reality. That is all we will ever be to the older generations: “Vandals” “Ignorant” “Savages” We adopted the term, and opted the negligence. Funny how the people who ridicule my generation constantly forget who raised us. Tomorrow is another day…
Telling Our Stories Spoken Word Class
The Underdog by Santos My bro Christian has been through a lot without a father guiding him through life. Who is there when he wanted to talk about girls? Who is there for moral support? He keeps pushing. “Christian, where is your dad?” He responds, “Man, forget my dad. I am who I am today without him.” You have to push yourself until you are satisfied. Jesus without his father saved the world and still continued his journey. Why is he in this situation? Denied by his own blood, as if he was the runt in the litter. He is the underdog who will prove them all wrong. Standing proud, he is avoiding the wrong crowd and achieving his dream of finishing High School. This is the first part of his journey. He is not in a hurry. Christian’s story is simply a call to arms to all you quitters
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who think your lives do not matter. Believe in what you are capable of doing not what someone forces you to do.
Telling Our Stories Spoken Word Class
Soccer by Heriberto In soccer, as in life, you need to practice to be the best and to win every challenge. You have to pass the players like you do problems. You also have to pay attention to the ref like you do your parents. Do not give up. Do a good job on the field and in life.
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My Past and My Future by Joslyn I come from my grandmother who decided to leave her homeland to give her children a better future. I have learned a lot from her. She always tells me, “If you want something, you have to do it yourself.” She makes me feel confident and proud of myself. Once you enter my home, you get that sweet smell and cannot wait until it is served. When you see it, it makes your mouth water as you are about to have that first bite. But when you are done, you realize that the mole was a taste of my grandma’s hometown. I will always remember the apron that my great grandmother made. It is still very special to my family. It brings a smile to our faces, bringing back good memories. We honor my grandmother by using this valued item while holding on to our past. We look forward to our future. I will always remember
Telling Our Stories Spoken Word Class
the day my mom graduated. She was the first girl in my family to make it. It showed me to push harder so I can say, “I made it too�. I come from the culture of a family which is Mexico. I look in the mirror and see a person who is capable of doing anything. In my dreams, I imagine a young woman being a better person.
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Autumn Breeze by Jimmy I am the warm soothing chai tea that brushes the walls of your esophagus with tranquility accompanied by the alleviation derived from an autumn wreath. You watch Coraline as the brisk autumn breeze slowly lurks through the oculi of your humble abode. There is something about this season that is disparate to any other. You tend to steer clear from the frivolous and monotonous tendencies that chill us to the bone. You feel victimized by your routine, or at least I do. It is time to spring forward or wear a thicker coat.
Telling Our Stories Spoken Word Class
Achievements by Santos When you lose the ball, get it back. Do not quit when times get rough. Do not give up when you are tired. When on defense, remove people from your life who bring you down. Push yourself on offense even when someone tries to stop you. When you are ready to achieve, there is always someone to encourage, a coach, a mentor, a leader. Score goals as your dreams come true. When you win the game, you have achieved in life.
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In Your Way by Joslyn Don’t you hate that one person who is always in your way, trying to get in your face, chasing you every second of every minute every day.