Voices - Gateway Institute for Pre-College Education - CUNY

gateway voices
2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS
POETRY & PROSE
Shabana Mohomad, The Bright Night 2
Tiffany Richards, Just Listen 3
Delroy Waugh, Defeat 5
Leones Trinity, Him 6
Rebekah Lafontant, He Never Whistled 7
LaToya Monah, Untitled 7
Irena Werner, Kidnapping 8
Sherly de los Santos, Ayuda del Cielo 10
Quadree Tillery, Cell Theory Rap 11
Lucy Pichardo, Best Friends 12
Naheem Kujenya, Anikulapo 13
Dana Bongermino, In My Hands 14
Olajumoke Olabisi, Just Because I’m Black 14
Yousma Natalia, Going Somewhere 15
Geeta Persaud, Lady Fruit 16
Amanda Flores, Through These Eyes 16
Anthony Caputo, Blissful Serendipity 17
Cheriselle Scott, They See 18
Kareem Knights, Hate... 18
Tamoor Ilyas, My Heartless Heart 18
Rebekah Wilson, Good Bye 20
ART
Tonzina Akhter (6, 9, 17)
Hugh Alvarado (10,19)
Stacey Ceron (20)
Chih Hsiang Chang (12)
Sashelle Dookhan (13)
Geraldine Fernandez (16)
Kevar Griffin (15)
Edward Joseph (3)
Nelima Kashem (7)
Eric Kim (14)
Jennifer Martinez (3)
Robert Springer (4)
Gomattie Seecoomar (cover)
Aandaleeb Singh (cover, 5)
Jovannie Vargas (15)
COVER ART
Aandaleeb Singh
Queens Gateway to Health
Sciences Secondary School
Class of 2008
Gomattie Seecoomar
Queens Gateway to Health
Sciences Secondary School
Class of 2005
ABOUT GATEWAY VOICES
The Gateway Institute is proud to present the fifth edition of Gateway Voices, a celebration of the creative
achievements of the young writers and artists in Gateway schools and programs around the city. This year,
we also are pleased to recognize the artwork of recent alumni. The reduced length of the magazine this
year made the difficult job of selecting pieces for print even more challenging. The fine work in this collection
represents only a fraction of the wonderful submissions contributed by talented Gateway students. In
addition to the editorial staff listed below, administrators, coordinators, teachers, and students at each of our
schools were essential in the selection of pieces for this publication. Please enjoy Gateway Voices 2006.
Editor: Jessica Arnold
Assistant Editors: Melissa Duclos, Edwing Medina, Geeta Persaud, Patty Rout
Editorial Assistants: Evan Pazner, Jessica Ziel
Designer: Anna Copeland Wheatley

Osieca Samuel
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
Class of 2005
The Bright Night
Staring up above me,
I found myself smiling at all of the
tiny sparkling diamonds,
that were glued on charred paper.
I was the desperate pirate whose eyes
were dazzling from the snow covered crystals,
longing for its glass touch.
I continued to look ahead amazed at how these eye
fulfilling foreign objects can suddenly be
microscopic specs. I shivered as the
ice prickling wind shot bullets at me, but
I did not dare move, for I was a startled deer, that
these doves would disappear underneath the dark fog.
I tried to count them but I noticed that they were
three-dimensional jokers. Once again
I imagined myself reaching up and wishing
upon a palm of brightness.
2
Shabana Mohomad
Clara Barton High School
Class of 2008

Just Listen
They tell you what to do
Tell you what’s right for you
Try to plan out your future
They give you life lessons
Beat you, lecture you,
Buy you, treat you,
Protect you, beyond
Listen, just listen
Is all we really want
They try to form us
Into what they want
Better, smarter, perfect
Little human beings
They don’t realize that
A mind, body and soul
Lives in everyone of us
Instead of an empty vessel
Waiting to be filled with knowledge
Edward Joseph
S.T.A.R. High School at Erasmus
Class of 2007
All we want is for them
To know that we are
Not perfect.
We make mistakes,
We’re not God,
So stop trying to make
Us something we are not.
All we need is someone to listen,
Just listen,
We have thoughts, ideas and opinions
That we want them to listen to.
“Stop trying to understand you,
please understand me” is
What we need to say.
For listening to us will
Help us become someone
They want us to be.
Just listening will help us become
Better human beings
So just listen because,
It’s all we really need.
Tiffany Richards
Lafayette High School
Class of 2006
Jennifer Martinez
S.T.A.R. High School at Erasmus
Class of 2009
3

4
Robert Springer
Science Skills Center High School
Class of 2006

Aandaleeb Singh
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
Class of 2007
Defeat
The Silence was so deafening that not even the most innocent hummingbird
dared to flap its wings. The once beautiful village was now in ruins; all that
remained were the torched landscapes; the river that had once flowed beautifully
through the village was now shriveled up. The atmosphere was thick with
depression, fogged by sorrow and darkened by misery, as only little rays of sunshine
seeped through the heavy clouds. The land was now as dry as bone and
the once beautiful, lush fields were gone, leaving bare barren land behind. In the
middle of this once mighty village is a decapitated statue - its head lying motionless
on the ground beside it. The once mighty stone figure seemed to be that of
a soldier. And then the heavens began to cry—crying upon the defeated landscape
of the vacant village. The memory of what used to be a valiant and triumphant
place, washed away, by torrential waters, forever.
Delroy Waugh
Jamaica High School
Class of 2008
5

Him
Hmmm….
Who is he
Sitting across the loud lunch trays
and chattering voices
Dark skin
Whoa, I just don’t know
Thoughts interrupted
Introductions
J… yea, that’s right, J
Doesn’t it ring a bell
Eager to answer because
It sounds good
As good as he looks
But then
Rumors travel
Time passes
Still on my mind
Get out
I don’t like you anymore
What are you doing to me
I never act this way
Something has to give
School work put on hold
Thoughts crowded
Why the concern
He’s only someone’s son
Why is he important
Feelings come and go
One Saturday night
A basement party
Tall and handsome
Nice shades and sneakers to match
I play it cool
He walks up
Grabs me
I have a boyfriend
Why do you want to touch
But he feels and smells so good
Kinda like air wick
I’m feeling for this boy
What am I thinking
My homies are at this party
Watching my every move
He knows
He needs to know
He had a chance to be with my fine self
But wanted to play me like Madden ‘06
Questions flow
Sort of a sickness
Not allowing me to be with someone else
Fooled by a handsome face and some smooth G
Well I guess we’ll never know
Cause one day
That dude transferred schools on me.
Leones Trinity
Port Richmond High School
Class of 2006
Tonzina Akhter
Clara Barton High School
Class of 2006
6

He Never Whistled
Hanging from a tree
for all eyes to see
blood dripping down his feet
Ghost faces laughing
the rope swaying
his face lifeless and limp
Why?
For whistling at a white woman.
Emmett Till
lynched and murdered
an exhumed body as evidence
bones and dirt
Now the accuser comes forth
the truth
He never whistled.
Nelima Kashem
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
Class of 2009
Fourteen years old
dead and gone
Who’s to blame?
The truth and evidence
Blow through the wind
He never whistled.
Rebekah Lafontant
Port Richmond High School
Class of 2008
Untitled
A tall glass of milk, whiter than anything I’ve ever seen. Brighter than
anything I could remember. Accidentally, my hand slipped, glass cracked,
and there was that once perfect thing not so perfect anymore. I started to cry
and was swiftly told “Ain’t no use in crying over spilled milk.” I don’t care! I
had my heart set on that object of perfection, and so I got another glass and tried to scoop the spilled
milk up with my hands, but it slipped through the cracks of my fingers. I still didn’t care. It was going to
get into that new glass somehow. But what was managed was a small percentage of what I started with
and it was changed; perfectly damaged.
A thought popped into my head once… that maybe I could get another glass of milk just as tall, just as
white, just as perfect… or I could try to. But being just a thought it was quickly dismissed because it still
wouldn’t be the same.
It would make more sense for me to throw this away, wipe this up, and start all over again, but it hurts to
think that for less than a minute I owned an object of perfection.
LaToya Monah
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
Class of 2006
7

Kidnapping
My grandmother Elizabeth was born in Minerali Wade (Mineral Water) North
Caucasus, Russia. In Minerali Wade, they had a railroad that was in the process of being
built. Elizabeth lived in a very happy family. Her father worked on the railroads. The husbands
would come home after a short time away and there would be parties for them.
Grandmother starts in a heavy Russian accent.
“One day my neighbor and I were walking with the three children she was watching.
In the North Caucasus, there were all types of nationalities living there, Tatars,
Chechnians, Kabardins, Armenians, Georgians and Russians.”
I’m thinking, I’ve hardly ever heard of these nationalities before. Grandma then
explained to me, “The Tatars, Chechnians, Kabardins were Muslim, the Armenians and
Georgians were Christian and the Russians were Orthodox.”
The story seemed to be getting a little bit more interesting; I never knew about
Muslims living in Russia. Grandma goes on, “At this time, I was about ten or eleven, and
little girls my age had to be careful, because people were kidnapping little girls to be
brides! I had this beautiful long hair, it went down to my feet.” Grandma sighed, “On this
day I was walking with my neighbor when out of nowhere, a man, a Tatar on a horse, rode
by and carried me away. I yelled and yelled, people in the area were yelling too. The men
working on the railroad tracks came running and went after the man. As the man was carrying
me, I was kicking him and screaming at him, but this man was so strong, all I could
do was hope they caught up to us. Once the railroad workers got to him, they fought and
the Tatar let me go. The railroad workers were cursing and very hostile towards the Tatar. I
got a couple of bruises from that day. From this event I lost my speech, I wouldn’t talk to
anyone. My speech had disappeared.”
My father explained it in a lighter way, but when Grandma said this I couldn’t
believe it. Poor Grandma, that would definitely cause a psychological reaction.
Grandma continues, “My mother, your Great Grandma Powla, brought me to many
different doctors and no one could help me; even a professor couldn’t help! Professors
were better than doctors. Great Grandma began to look at different ways to help me speak
again. She brought me to a wise woman (something like a witch, they believed) who lived
on the outskirts of town. This woman with knowledge said to my mother, ”Do you believe
in God?” “Yes, I do” my mother answered. The lady began her instructions, “Well then you
must do this, let her stand outside the window at evening. You must say a special prayer
and hand her holy water through the window three times for the next two weeks.”
I was so interested in this story. To think something like this happened to my
Grandma! The details she told me were as if I was there witnessing it. Grandma says,
“After two weeks of these instructions, my speech was restored. My mother brought me
back to the professor and I began to talk. The professor was shocked; he yelled, “Mother
what have you done!” My mother said, “I went to this wise woman and she gave me
instructions.” The professor said, “Well, mother, the only way to explain this is the belief in
God and the love for your daughter.”
I never took this story seriously from my father. I thought it was just something he
told me to scare me about kidnappings, but this event influences my Grandmother’s life
immensely. If Great Grandma didn’t try to help her daughter talk, my grandmother could’ve
been mute for the rest of her life.
Irena Werner
Port Richmond High School
Class of 2006
8

Tonzina Akhter
Clara Barton High School
Class of 2006
9

Hugh Alvarado
Jamaica High School
Class of 2006
Ayuda del Cielo
Aunque te fuiste
Todavía te sigo amando
Aunque me dejaste
Todavía te ruego para regresar
Aunque moriste
Todavía sigo llorando
Aunque estas en el cielo en un lugar mejor
Todavía quiero tenerte aquí en mi propio infierno
Papá, abuelito regresa a mi lado
Regresa y cambia esta vida mía
Y si estoy pidiendo demasiado
Dame fe
Dame esperanza
Y dame valor
Con eso yo puedo levantar la cara
Levantar la voz
Y continuar mi vida
Pero hazme una promesa
Prométeme que me vas a proteger en tu silla
Con tu sonrisa
Cada vez que caiga
Levántame del suelo y dime que voy a estar bien
Sherly de los Santos
Jamaica High School
Class of 2008
10

Cell Theory Rap
Listen closely to the story I tell
Um a say it in one rap about the living cell.
I hope you’re listening, lend me your ears.
Feel the vibe so u could hear real clearly
About a real tough topic called the cell theory.
All animals, plants, protest too
Are made up of cells with different jobs to do.
Now it all started with one dude named Hooke,
He saw some cork cells and decided to take a
look.
Now he used a microscope and he took his time,
‘cause a cell is very small
Even thinner than a dime
Students of the classroom hear me roar,
Better get back in tune
‘Cause I’m ‘bout to teach you some more.
The second lesson is a lil’ bit more complex,
So everyone sit back and see what happens next.
This lesson is on animal cells
And what it contains
I’m about to tell
The animal cell has many parts,
And it’d be good if you knew them by heart.
Like a farmer in the dell
The nucleus controls the cell
It gives orders-kinda like the brain
It has its own shield the nuclear membrane.
The cellular membrane that holds the whole cell in
Can also be known as another skin.
Its job isn’t simple there’s no doubt
It lets some particles in and out.
Lets not forget those ribosomes
‘cause this is where the proteins had came from.
These protein factories are so small
I think you’ll agree
You’ll need an electron microscope to see.
Just when you mighta thought the lesson was done
Here comes the endoplasmic reticulum.
These tube like structures serves as a track
To carry thing to the membrane and back.
Have you ever seen a doughnut without a hole
It might sound funny
But please don’t laugh
Don’t act like a fool
Just play it cool
‘cause in a cell they’re called vacuoles.
They’re filled with stuff kinda like water
Educated students say H2O
But either way
They carry food so the cell can grow.
Last of all
But not the least
Known as the mitochondria
The cellular beast.
Since they turn sugars into energy
And they do it so well
We call the mitochondria
The powerhouse of the cell.
Now my friends, You know it well,
I’ve told the tell,
The unforgettable story of the living cell.
Quadree Tillery
Bayard Rustin Educational Complex
Class of 2009
Now please don’t lose your science enthusiasm,
Before you listen to the story of the cytoplasm.
All around the cell this thick fluid does go
But in the nucleus it does not flow.
11

Best Friends
Best friends
I thought so
Very similar
Two peas in a pod
High school
Four years
Lots of drama
Not alone
Best friends
I thought so
Surprisingly different
Like water and oil
Secrets kept
Not being honest
What was
The base of a friendship
Best friends
I thought so
Until the fight
That ended it all
Secrets out
Hatred in
Tears of anger
Rage, like a bomb
Best friends
I thought so
Really enemies;
Classified as the
Acquaintance
Hard to know if your friends are really
your friends
Chih Hsiang Chang
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
Class of 2006
Lucy Pichardo
Bayard Rustin Educational Complex
Class of 2008
12

Anikulapo
(The name Anikulapo means the man
who carries death in his pouch. Fela
Anukulapo-Kuti 1938 – 1997)
In Abeokuta north of Lagos, Nigeria
A musical legend is born
In his 58 years combating corruption
He became the most loved personality in Africa
Fela Kuti – the Anarchist against corrupt governments of Africa
Fight tooth and nail for the land he loved
Using his unique genre of music
Afro-Beat as his weapon.
Sashelle Dookhan
Jamaica High School
Class of 2007
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and his band, Nigeria 70
Took on the corruption of Africa
Blazing with their music
Wielding the “Afro-Beat”
The eccentric blend of Jazz, Nigerian Highlife, and Funk
Tearing down the tall walls of corruption
Standing acclaimed on the rubble.
The Nigeria 70 became the Africa 70
And a communal compound became a fortress
The Kalakuta Republic stood as a renowned faction
Criticizing the oppressive military rule in Africa
Only to be razed mercilessly by 1000 heartless soldiers
Exiling Anikulapo to Ghana.
Anikulapo, the man who carries death in his pouch.
Africa 70 now renamed the Egypt 80
Continues even after his death
As one of the most evolved forms of funk ever
Death was in this man’s pouch,
The death of corruption.
Naheem Kujenya
Port Richmond High School
Class of 2008
13

Eric Kim
Port Richmond High School
Class of 2007
In My Hands
In my hands I hold my life.
In my hands I hold my dice.
In my hands I hold my future,
The future for me to get no stupider.
In my hands I hold my self.
In my hands I hold my wealth.
In my hands I hold my head up,
and pray not to get red up.
In my hands I hold my gold,
with which I will never fold.
In my hands I hold my self-respect,
That no tech can ever eject.
In my hands I hold my anger,
In my hands I hold danger
But I shall never fear no stranger.
In my hands I hold the light,
and with the light I will have the strength
to fight.
In my hands I hold my life,
The one God gave me not to use in strife.
Dana Bongermino
Gateway School for Environmental
Research and Technology
Class of 2008
Just Because I’m Black!
Just because I’m black,
You don’t like me.
You try to turn me into something I don’t want to be.
You make me blind, so I don’t see.
Just because I’m black,
You push me to the back.
You separate me from others,
We can’t even be together like brothers.
Just because I’m black,
You call me a “nigger”.
You blame me for pulling the trigger.
You even accuse me of being the killer.
Just because I’m black,
You treat me as your slave.
You put me in a place as dirty as a cave.
You hurt me so bad that it’s hard to save.
Just because I’m black,
You laugh hysterically when I pass by.
You dance joyfully when I cry.
You sing happily when I die.
Why do you hate me?
Just because I’m black?
14
Olajumoke Olabisi
Clara Barton High School
Class of 2008

Going Somewhere
The light strikes the bubbles
they laugh and disappear
the boat moves like a snail
leaving green foam behind.
The mist refreshing as it descends
the fog breaks to reveal the skyline
parting gently from the boat
revealing the hidden secrets of the city.
How amazing the view is
the hustle and bustle of the city
reflecting the importance of lives
trying to reach a final destination.
Yousma Natalia
Port Richmond High School
Class of 2008
Kevar Griffin
Lafayette High School
Class of 2006
Jovannie Vargas
Port Richmond High School
Class of 2007
15

16
Geraldine Fernandez
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary
School
Class of 2008
Through These Eyes
Through these eyes I see
someone staring straight at me
not my face, my body, or eyes
but at my heart and what lies inside
with the inner beauty here
my heart is tired, tired of tears
so much rejection, I cannot face
I make you suffer in this case
you need to understand
I’m sick at heart, I don’t need a man
I need the other part of me
the part that is currently missing
Amanda Flores
Bayard Rustin Educational Complex
Class of 2008
Lady Fruit
The red lips of a young lady
That had kissed a million strawberries
Draped in a luscious glow
Surpassing all other enrichments
Looking at the peaches now
Wondering about their taste
Though she is faced with a problem
Should her lips be bare?
Like an overfilled river that had gone
Through a drought
Twiddling her fingers she decides
Kissing the seeds of peaches
Her lips more red than before
And dripping with nectar
The blood of fairies, her subjects
Devoured by their queen
Though only the rebellious ones
Those that opposed her
She sits under her bountiful tree
Filled with all kinds of fruits
Papayas, mangos, watermelons, and
plums
The guardians of the great fruit tree
The fairies, they were
And the powerful Fruit Queen, she was
Geeta Persaud
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences
Secondary School
Class of 2006

Blissful Serendipity
Johnny settled out on the west side of town, thinking, drinking and sinking
Into his gloomy past.
You see, Johnny was struck with the reality that success doesn’t
Come from working hard at hardly working.
But, it’s hard to succeed when you feel everyone around you already has one foot
In the grave, impossible to save because of the unstoppable rage that
Was set upon them.
Yeah, Johnny lived in a town where self-deprived ranks feel like army tanks
Rolling over your half-angled black haloed soul.
Sure his past haunts him, taunts him, but also helps him flaunt what he felt
From the rags to riches story that he puts under his belt.
Cause you see, Johnny got out, and is up and about in this thing called life.
From almost sticking a knife through his heart, now Johnny’s happy, with his
New patio, that makes him feel like Joe DiMaggio, every time he’s on it.
Anthony Caputo
Lafayette High School
Class of 2007
Tonzina Akhter
Clara Barton High School
Class of 2006
17

They See
She unlocks the front door
the sound resonating
he’s gone.
If walls could talk
what would they say
about my family?
I hate these walls
trapping in the thoughts
that I let go
why do these walls ridicule me
why isn’t he ever home
why does she always pack you up
and head down I-95?
He works that’s why.
I hate these walls
they know
my façade
petrified of anyone knowing
my problems
they wouldn’t understand.
How can I explain?
I hear them arguing
he breaks his promise again
these walls steal my thoughts.
I hate these walls
they tell me his absence is
permanent
they see my pain
will their intrusiveness ever end?
Nothing ever right
a never ending wrong.
I refuse
to display my emotions.
These walls I hate
pretending to be concerned,
reminding me
of priorities never learned
our special world lost.
A rift developed
with my father
who could do no wrong
I let him go
they saw me let go
I hate these walls.
Cheriselle Scott
Port Richmond High School
Class of 2006
Hate...
My heart is a black hole,
Dark, empty, and void of love.
Love always runs and hides,
Not daring to come inside,
This forsaken place,
Where none dare show their face.
My heart is ignorant,
Just like a man,
Who lives in fear,
Of every new thing that might appear.
My heart is a defeated man,
Afraid to rise up above the pain.
It is stupid,
Unknown to the joy love brings.
Detesting everyone and everything,
Who found this enlightening.
My heart is despicable,
Abhorrent of the world,
Simply because...
My heart is defeated and ignorant
Unwilling to stand up and become strong.
Kareem Knights
Clara Barton High School
Class of 2008
My Heartless Heart
Shall I compare thee to a rainy day?
Hated and loathed when you are here
Forgotten as soon as you go away.
And when you die, not even I would shed a tear.
Corrupt and perverted you play.
But I still love you in your own way.
I love to love you.
I love to hate you.
Courted by the unworthy and mundane
My hatred grows.
Love is gone, all that's left is pain.
You could have been better... who knows?
Tortured by your presence I now see a way
I close the blinds and turn away.
Tamoor Ilyas
Brooklyn Technical High School
Class of 2007
18

Hugh Alvarado
Jamaica High School
Class of 2006
19

Stacey Ceron
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
Class of 2008
Good Bye
So long to my high school poems
I start it with you
The thing that made me sick that I wrote
about
No longer worries me
The years have changed me
They have made me strong, wiser, and
tougher
Strong enough to leave you alone.
My high school poem
But instead of tears and regrets
I will kiss you and say “bye for now”
Who knows, one day I might pick you up
again
But I have to grow
I must let go of the naïve thoughts
And uphold a mature nature.
My high school life
You have taught me so much about myself,
Pushed my limits
And gave me my future,
So good-bye for now
So long Gateway,
I will never forget you
Rebekah Wilson
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences
Secondary School
Class of 2006
20

Gateway Programs
A. Philip Randolph HS
New York, NY
Adlai E. Stevenson HS
Bronx, NY
Bayard Rustin Educational Complex
New York, NY
Brooklyn Technical HS
Brooklyn, NY
Clara Barton HS
Brooklyn, NY
Erasmus Hall HS
Brooklyn, NY
Herbert L. Lehman HS
Bronx, NY
Jamaica HS
Queens, NY
John F. Kennedy HS
Bronx, NY
Lafayette HS
Brooklyn, NY
Port Richmond HS
Staten Island, NY
Science Skills Center HS
Brooklyn,NY
Gateway Schools
S.T.A.R High School at Erasmus
Brooklyn, NY
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
Queens, NY
Gateway School for Environmental Research and Technology at Stevenson
Bronx, NY
Gateway
Institute for Pre-College Education
The City University of New York
160 Convent Ave., Harris Hall Room H-06
New York, NY 10031
(212) 650–6088
www.gateway.cuny.edu