September 1st, 2016 -- On Saturday August 20, 2016, College Mentoring, Preparatory and Access Services COMPAS hosted its first poetry workshop titled Poetry In New York City Spaces
Six young people came together from Tuesday August 16, 2016 to Friday August 19, 2016 to celebrate the art of poetry. Iyasu Benjamin, Ethan Coore, Marcus Dawkins, Justus Morgan, Nikole Morgan and Kamara Robinson were the participants in the poetry workshop. Each child wrote several poems which were included in a booklet at the end of the workshop. Fresh Earth Publishing produced the poetry booklet entitled Poetry in NYC Spaces.
The objective of the week long workshop was to encourage boys and girls to develop a love for reading and writing. The young poets visited interesting spaces in New York.
On Day 1, August 16, the group visited Wave Hill, an estate in the Hudson Hill section of Riverdale in the Bronx which includes a horticultural garden and a cultural center. At the end of their visit at Wave Hill, the children got together to brainstorm and to write poems based on their experience.
On day 2, the blossoming poets visited the Cloisters, a museum in Upper Manhattan where European architecture, sculpture and other decorative art are on display.
The same format of exploring and writing continued for subsequent days of the camp. On Thursday August 18, 2016, the poets journeyed to the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage in the Bronx at Kingsbridge Road and the Grand Concourse. The Poe Cottage is the former home of famous American poet Edgar Allen Poe that is preserved as a historic house under the Historic House Trust of New York City. The young writers learned about the economic, political and social dynamics at play when Edgar Allen Poe occupied the cottage.
On Friday, August 19, 2016, the group of promising writers spent time at the Baychester Public Library preparing their poems for publishing with the help of Sarah the Librarian.
The objective of the poetry initiative was to provide the young participants with an opportunity to develop their writing craft beyond the classroom and in beautiful New York spaces. They also got the opportunity to have fun at the various sights, meet new friends and prepare for the upcoming school term. The budding teenagers performed exceptionally well writing impressive poems that were a depiction of their weeklong experience. At the end of the workshop, participants compiled a book and presented their work to family and friends on Saturday August 20, 2016 in the Bronx, New York.
Each child wrote 2 or 3 poems and gladly read them one at a time to an attentive audience. Heather Archibald and the entire COMPAS team is sincerely appreciative of the support from families and friends who made the event a successful initiative aimed at building character and shaping strong writing skills.
The Rocky Trails by Iyasu Benjamin
That burst of excitement
Adrenaline rushing
Heart pumping
Just feels like my heart’s skipping beats
Running, jumping, looking at the sights
I see that little glare of light
Just thinking you’re alone
God’s Herbal Garden by Ethan Coore
That lemony smell
Is God’s fragrance
The poisonous plants
Are Good’s defense
The trees are
God’s shade
For the humans HE created
Joy for My Mom by Nikole Morgan
I love my mom very much
She’s the sunshine to my heart
Every smile she makes
She makes my pain go away
The tail of leaves
Will take us
To more good memories
Like when we play
The Joy of my mom
Gives Peace
Bliss by Marcus Dawkins
Who is he?
The child who reeks with excitement
He sprints through the beach
His feet scatter the sand
Like frightened minnows
He tramples sand castles
Kicks sun bathers
A puppy scampers out of the way
Of the child
He finally breaks the surface of the water
The boy dunks his head under the foamy sea
He pops up and shakes his head
His smile blinds the swimmers
His eyes twinkle like starts
I know who he is now
This boy
Is ME!
My Adventure at Woodland Trail
by Kamara Robinson
On my adventure I saw things I never heard of
Like the Yucca Rostrate plant
Also the plant called Northern Sea Oats
On my adventure I saw many things
I heard of things like the Lavender plants,
Frogs, koi fish and water lilies
Safe by Justus Morgan
The boy in rags
Runs cautiously through the trees
Until he comes
To a sudden stop with ease
Then he feels
God’s air in his face
Then it leaves
Without another trace
He feels God’s body
AS his feet touch the ground
When the trees
Start to dance around
He see different tiny gods
In the pond
When he feels a sudden bond
He lays down God’s body
With shade
Then all the bad memories
Started to fade
He is safe!
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