The FYI QuaranTimes - Volume 1, Issue 2 (Summer 2020)

QuaranTimes
Volume 1 Issue 2
The Official Newspaper of Fresh Youth Initiatives
Summer 2020
Nashla Carranza from Grade 7
Johan Caceres from Grade 7
Ode to My Future Self
I hope you are having a good time
I hope you are still studying
I hope you have finally
found a show to watch
I hope you still talk with your friends
I hope you find something new to eat
I hope you have saved some cash
I hope that you live in a world where the
fact you’re Hispanic doesn’t affect you
And I hope you have found the people
you want to have in your life
Just know I want these to be completed
And don’t act like a nerd all the time
The 505 Gentleman from Grades 6 & 7
Ode to George Floyd
Ode to the Sunset
You remind of the times
flowers would fall from the trees
The sky reminds me the way the sun sets
In the grass with my bare feet
I feel nature
You remind me of the times
I will go outside
and have picnics with my family
The clouds make the perfect touch
with the sky
You remind me of the times
it will rain and I will hide under a tree
Thank you, painting, for allowing me
to express my feelings with you
I feel upset and misunderstood
A Black Life Matters
I’m disappointed
in the country that I live in
It’s a hard life and not fair
I feel mad
They should have let him talk
No Justice No Peace
RIP George Floyd
Black Lives Matter
Written by Pedro Cruz, Angel Cuevas,
Nathan Cortes, Ethan Batista, Geyson
Morel.
Staff: Jeremiah Roman & Moises Torres
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Liliana Santana, FYI Staff Nashla Carranza from Grade 7
Ode to Winnie the Pooh
Oh, Dear Coffee
As I sit in this park
Drinking my afternoon coffee
I wish I would know the answer
To what is coming our way
You make me think of the outside
You remind me of the times I have had
The memories of hanging out
with my friends in the park
You remind me of the sun hitting my face
You remind me of the flowers
and all the pictures I would take
The clouds forming any shape
If ever there is tomorrow
There is something
you must always remember
“You are braver than you believe,
stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think.”
Oh, dear coffee
If only our nation was as strong as you
If your distinctive blackness
would be embraced
We wouldn’t be fighting an endless war
Oh, dear coffee
Your taste gives hope
Exactly what we are lacking during this time
Oh, dear coffee
Light up my heart again
I need that extra boost
As much as society may like us to be silent
We need to speak up the truth
Being black, Latino or in between
Should not be a (controversial)
conversation nowadays
Oh, dear coffee make me strong (enough)
To keep supporting others
and pushing myself day by day.
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ODE TO OUR COUNTRY
by The Middle School Staff of FYI
You, country, have not been good to us
You are not my country
You are a coward and oppressive
Unhopeful
You are damaged and beyond repair
You are unjust
You embarrass me
You disappoint me
You scream freedom and braverybut you are blind
You have made me anxious, you hurt me
You are uncertainty
You are upset, you are angry, but you are not alone
You still have those of us who care about you
We need to stand together
You make me feel disappointed and uneasy
You are NOT my peace
You are hurting your children
You were my safety blanket, I thought, when I was a child,
you were never my home
With all your beauty, still, you cause so much pain
How can you breathe?
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ODE TO OUR COUNTRY
by The Gregorio Luperon High School Staff of FYI
Listen:
No/Basta.
You are broken.
You’re exhausting.
You are disgusting.
Change will come.
Heal.
I’d like to leave you. Why can’t you see?
You are embarrassing.
I am angry at you.
Why can’t you hear?
Stronger together.
You lie to us. You make me feel ashamed.
I don’t think you are listening. I don’t think you see me.
Why can’t you understand the mosaic you built?
I am also part of this country.
I would like to break up with you
but I ain’t got no where to go.
You prefer others.
You are a joke.
I’m a bit done.
Some said it wasn’t better with you, I believe them.
You suffer from a disease
and you are having trouble acknowledging that.
Accept the help of those trying to show you.
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A MESSAGE TO OUR PARENTS & FAMILIES
from Eileen Lyons, Executive Director of FYI
After the murder of George Floyd, staff members met and talked
about their own feelings and reactions. As you can read, many
staff had strong feelings of hurt, sadness, betrayal, and anger.
Providing support to the people whose job it is to help children
and families is essential. FYI provides opportunities for staff to
think and talk about their own feelings and reactions. By working
together to write an “ode” with the assistance and guidance
of Thomas Dooley, staff members recognized that they were not
alone in their feelings and that they could provide support to
each other through a very hard time.
In recent days, we’ve seen a new video of the murder of George
Floyd. It captures more footage as well as audio. It is excruciating
to watch.
As a suggestion, consider limiting your children’s repeated exposure
to this trauma, as well as your own viewing. We should
never forget we can and should answer children’s questions. But
we might, at a point, limit excessive media viewing of this deeply
disturbing torment of a human being.
We hope that you all stay well, stay safe, stay in touch with FYI,
and check out our website for information, resources, and staff
contact numbers.
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