Exquisite corpse by Taylor Spears, Jeanie Cing, Hailey Nelson, Jordan Jackson, Asha Okano, Eliana Duff, Esmeralda De Jesus, Jasmine Arceo, Chloe Moon Humes, Taylor (Tierney) Peterson & Breana Field
The Unseen
I was raised
in the emptiness
of my mama’s house.
No one notices me.
I think through memories,
I see the world through colors,
because I am different.
Disrespected.
That’s what me and the rest of all black women are.
People tell me to speak my mind and once I do, I’m silenced.
Muffled voices talk about invisible things --
like music or love or people
like me.
I read
newspaper after newspaper,
seeing the change.
When I walk into a crowd they all disperse
like a flock of pigeons that fly away
when you get close to them.
I am a woman of fear, fear can betray me
because it follows me.
The color of my skin makes me stand out.
People label me as aggressive,
but I’m not the thug you’re looking for.
You try to fake the happiness, but it only makes you less and less.
People said I wouldn’t get anywhere,
they said I would never accomplish anything,
but I pushed forward.
It wasn’t easy...
people watching your every move and judging your steps.
Could...you really do this?
It is hard to be strong when you have no foundation.
"No one knows how many of our women have gone missing..."
or maybe it’s that they just don’t care.
I was raised
in the emptiness
of my mama’s house.
No one notices me.
I think through memories,
I see the world through colors,
because I am different.
Disrespected.
That’s what me and the rest of all black women are.
People tell me to speak my mind and once I do, I’m silenced.
Muffled voices talk about invisible things --
like music or love or people
like me.
I read
newspaper after newspaper,
seeing the change.
When I walk into a crowd they all disperse
like a flock of pigeons that fly away
when you get close to them.
I am a woman of fear, fear can betray me
because it follows me.
The color of my skin makes me stand out.
People label me as aggressive,
but I’m not the thug you’re looking for.
You try to fake the happiness, but it only makes you less and less.
People said I wouldn’t get anywhere,
they said I would never accomplish anything,
but I pushed forward.
It wasn’t easy...
people watching your every move and judging your steps.
Could...you really do this?
It is hard to be strong when you have no foundation.
"No one knows how many of our women have gone missing..."
or maybe it’s that they just don’t care.
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Taylor Spears, Jeanie Cing, Hailey Nelson, Jordan Jackson, Asha Okano, Eliana Duff, Esmeralda De Jesus, Jasmine Arceo, Chloe Moon Humes, Taylor (Tierney) Peterson and Breana Field are sophomores in Ms. Baker’s English class at Fort Vancouver High School Center for International Studies. Collectively and individually, these young women are creative, considerate, funny, caring, resilient, thoughtful, and creative leaders, while one of them is a champion wrestler.
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